Food Review: Things that go pop at The Plant

28 October 2015 - 02:10 By Siphiliselwe Makhanya

There's good eating at The Plant in Durban's Station Drive precinct on a Wednesday. Or rather, there was on the day last week that Back to the Future 2 geeks worldwide marked the fictional arrival of time-traveller Marty McFly from 1985.Lunchtime on Wednesdays is a new feature organised by foodie and entrepreneur Anna Savage to add variety to the midday meal offerings in the district.Between 11am to 2pm midweek, denizens of Umgeni Road and surrounding areas can tuck into the pop-up treats of the week from whichever eatery The Plant is hosting for the day.Veggie or health-conscious options are usually included.Past lunchtimes have featured TurnUp food truck (meatball subs with mozzarella and rocket, home-made cinnamon buns, deep-fried cheese croquettes with marinara sauce); Roti & Chai (tandoori chicken wraps and salad, seekh kebabs) and Carrilho's Porra Chow (spicy bean and cabbage stew in a toasted wrap; tuna, chickpea and parsley salad, porterhouse steaks). Each week's menu is posted on The Plant's Facebook page several days in advance.On the day we stopped by, Nat Green and Jordan Semple of Funny Bunny were serving up a six-item menu of Back to the Future-themed burgers and sides.For mains our photographer and I opted for The Delorean (R50) and The McFly (R50). Sides were Air Mag N Cheese (R25) and Hill Valley (R25 worth of wild rice, cranberries, pomegranates, almonds and lemon dressing).Apologies to the sleek beast that was the Delorean - its meaty namesake was outclassed by the meatless burger named after its driver. The McFly was an oozy gooey stack of deep-fried brie, flavoursome earthy portobello mushrooms, and tangy sweet pickled onions in a kitke bun.The vegetarians are the real winners here. Even the Mag N Cheese side (macaroni, white boerenkaas, white truffle oil) tasted like cheese cooked in cheese and seasoned with cheese. The internet is right. Cheese is glorious.The Hill Valley rice was interesting texturally, but the best thing about it was the tart sweetness and crunch of the pomegranate seeds.Shame man, The Delorean itself is a decent burger, with its beef and oxtail patty, pineapple bacon jam and pickled onion in a kitke bun. I know this because I wrote it down at the time. Also, it won over the photographer, who called it "nice" for a burger with pineapple in it . before returning to his ode to The McFly.FYI: Mobile food vendor Funny Bunny announced this week that it has found its forever home at Distillery031 at 43 Station Drive. Check out its Facebook for more information.Need to knowWhen to go: Between 11am and 2pm on a Wednesday.What to drink: Whatever is on offer on the day. The drinks vendors also rotate.Whatever you do: Follow The Plant's page on Facebook for the weekly menu.How much do you need: It'll depend on the vendor, but most mains hover around the R40 to R60 mark. Prices are usually up with the day's menu.Where: 5 Station Drive...

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