KZN gets its first taste of the Turn & Tender franchise

This Ballito steakhouse serves up a seriously good potjie, writes Yasantha Naidoo

If I didn't know better, I'd say the real reason the ANC Youth League protested at the Ballito Mall opening recently was not about economic exclusion, but to colonise a pot of gold.

To be exact, a potjie from the mall's steakhouse franchise, Turn 'n Tender.

But on the night our party of four visited the restaurant - the 16th instalment of the franchise and first in KwaZulu-Natal - all evidence of protest action had been wiped clean; polished off like a fillet cooked to perfection, without a trace.

The best way to classify this steak franchise is to call it the rich uncle of people with a taste for life. You won't get a sparkler-laden rap serenade from the waiters, and the little ones won't be queuing for the Playstation.

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The menu with its wine pairing suggestions, biltong carpaccio, biltong pâté, and Jack Daniel's or marrow-bone speciality burgers adds to the refined, modern take on classic New York steakhouse decor.

On the night we visited, the guests were a slice of South Africa's rainbow nation - a melting pot of families enjoying a meal; dressed-to-the-nines millennials celebrating a birthday; and corporate types looking for company and food in the absence of home comforts.

The restaurant is an ode to the 1980s. Black and white photos of cricket players including Clive Rice and Vince van der Bijl dot the walls of the 260-seater and the rapturous sounds of Ashford and Simpson's love anthem Solid, Donna Summer's Love to Love You and the 1985 hit Angel by the Eurythmics feed the soul.

But back to the potjie of gold.

A restaurant's chicken livers starter is usually a good litmus test of the quality of their food. Theirs was a piquant promise enrobed in velvet with perfectly cooked livers. The pace of the creamy garlic snails would have been fired up by the missing brandy.

For mains, a new menu addition of a marrow-bone speciality burger - the contents of a marrow bone served up with onions on the 300g patty - was the first order for the restaurant, and even the restaurant manager was keen for feedback. While I usually savour the buttery texture and taste, this version would definitely support the legislative bid to control the salt content in our foods. Perhaps it's an acquired taste.

The smoked paprika and parsley butter Spanish fillet had to be sent back to the grill because the butter wasn't melting over the steak. The wait however was worth it - tender and satisfying, and the chilli flaked spare ribs and lamb chops combo were a carnivore's treat, although the smokiness of the ribs was a tad overpowering.

It was the dark horse of the lamb potjie that proved to be the night's winner. The tender lamb pieces served with butter beans and cooked in a thick, finger-licking gravy tripped a sweet and spicy fantastic on our taste buds. Served with mash, the never-ending pot of gold was comfort food of the highest order. It took a visit from the chef to settle our guessing game over the mysterious spicy ingredient that made the dish - the underrated paprika.

Franchise staples of chocolate volcano and Bar One baked cheesecake placated the sweet tooth.

Ballito is one of the fastest growing economic hubs in SA, which is why the ANCYL want in on their share of the pie. Maybe the franchise owner, in keeping with their requests, should turn 'n tender or two over to the locals to empower them.

• This article was originally published in The Times.