Deliciousness is the only constant at this fine-dining eatery in Durban

12 April 2017 - 14:58 By Siphiliselwe Makhanya
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Chef Damian Veneruso with his seared salmon starter at Story restaurant.
Chef Damian Veneruso with his seared salmon starter at Story restaurant.
Image: JACKIE CLAUSEN

Story restaurant's menu changes frequently so you're unlikely to have the same meal twice, writes Siphiliselwe Makhanya

Artsy plating usually makes me wary that the food is not up to scratch.

Maybe it's the excessive time it takes to get it looking just right which spoils the moment after preparation at which it's best eaten. Maybe the ingredients used in the dishes are aesthetically perfect specimens bred for supermarket catalogue good looks rather than taste.

Whatever the reason, experience has tempered my tastebuds' expectations in the presence of ridiculously good-looking plates of food.

Damian Veneruso's talents have made me review that stance.

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Course after course - from the arancini (risotto balls) and halloumi starters to the Norwegian salmon and steak fillet mains - the Story restaurant executive chef and his team put out consistently excellent meals.

We chose a quiet day on which to visit the fine-dining establishment at the boutique hotel, eMakhosini - "at the place of kings" - for a feast fit for a dynasty of them.

The arancini was a pleasing texture, served warm with a tomato soup for which the term "full-bodied" was practically invented. The perfectly formed gouda nuggets were crunchy and golden on the outside and gooey on the inside. Candied bacon completed the trio of goodies - an unnecessary addition, I think.

I did not take to it; tough, chewy and weirdly seasoned, it would prove the only blight on an exceptional meal.

I speared bits of my friend's halloumi starter. Nestled on a balsamic reduction alongside cherry tomatoes and leeks it proved a lucky choice despite having been the default of someone who doesn't eat elements of all the other options. (FYI: Fellow cherry tomato-haters - a drizzle of the reduction helps the hateful things go down.)

For mains, he decided on a large-enough-for-two tender steak fillet with sweet carrots and floury potatoes. I favoured the Norwegian salmon with rich red beetroot puree, Thai green curry cream and an artistic scattering of dinky pink beetroot quarters. The underside of the fish was gloriously crispy and delicious - I was glad not to share. The fleshy bits fell beneath my fork, the zingy, earthy morsels of beet a shock of acid alongside them. The Thai green curry cream completed the dish perfectly.

By the time we were done, dessert was a no-go - the food portions are so generous that I had actually been sated by my starter - we would have had to be carried out of our chairs otherwise.

NEED TO KNOW

When to go: Thursday to Saturday evenings are apparently the buzziest times. We enjoyed the quiet of the near-empty restaurant just after noon. Advance booking is recommended as it sometimes closes for private functions but they'll accept walk-ins if it's your lucky day.

Who to take: The good food-loving bibliophile. The bar area - The Library - has books and board games.

Good to know: The menu changes frequently so you're unlikely to have the same meal twice. Deliciousness is the only constant. Seems a fair trade.

How much do you need: The food is pricier than average but the skill and quality that go into it make it a worthy indulgence. The menu is usually on the @StoryDurban page on Facebook. The three starters ranged from R75; mains ranged from R135 to R250 and desserts R70 to R85.

Address: 3 Lumsden Crescent, Morningside.

Phone: 031-203-4500

• This article was originally published in The Times.

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