A Taste of Ballito

When you’re in Ballito, stop by the beautiful New Salt Rock Centre. You will see three restaurants conveniently lined up for a spectacular and fun food safari: Donna Modern Italian, Butcher & Wine, Kung Thai Eatery and Saint Yves, all sporting distinct aesthetics and cuisines.

What is nice about these three restaurants is that you can happily stay at the table you like and order from all the menus from one seat, or you can wander from table to table for a change of scenery between courses, which also makes for a perfect photo op. What made it special was how easy it was to linger. The conversation flows, moves with the atmosphere, and the beautiful spaces give you new things to talk about. Before you know it, hours have passed.

Saint Yves Bar

The time: well, it’s cocktail hour somewhere in the world, but there’s no better time than the present. Our wonderful waiter, Stanley, led us to our table in the outdoor seating area where it was cool and breezy, and recommended a few drinks to start. One was the Salento, a vibrant mix of passionfruit, orange, pineapple, and lemon, bourbon, and amaretto; a cocktail that feels like a mini holiday in every sip. The Donna, queen pineapple meets a medley of berries and a burst of citrus in this cocktail inspired by the tale of the African queen. It is bold, rich, and fit for royalty. The Mango Daiquiri is a tropical getaway in a glass, contrasting the stronger vodka-shaken Espresso Martini with Kahlua and a shot of cold-brew espresso, finished with a silky texture. To pair with the drinks, we had the salmon cream cheese and prawn avalanche sushi platter. Fresh, tender, delicious, crispy, and flavourful. It checked all the boxes!

Kung Thai Eatery

Situated in Saint Yves, Kung Thai Eatery is adorned in long emerald curtains and tropical wallpaper. From the starter menu, we ordered Thai Fish Cakes blended with red curry paste, served with sweet chilli sauce and a salad. And from the main menu, we had The Kung Thai crispy duck (or chicken, your choice), sliced in their in-house chilli-garlic-lemon sauce with spring onion, served with either jasmine rice, noodles, crispy spinach, or steamed vegetables. These were such great follow-up dishes, and it definitely kept us on our toes for the next stop.

Butcher & Wine

We moved indoors for this course, where it was cosier, and the dimmed lighting really set the mood for our dining experience. We hope you’ve got a healthy appetite because this course is quite hearty but so worth it. These dishes were robust in flavour. The Queen prawns were served with lemon and herb, or peri peri sauce, and a tartar dipping sauce. So buttery and succulent, it keeps you reaching for more. A bold, juicy T-bone steak, served with Café de Paris butter, a sauce of your choice (we had the chimichurri sauce, recommended by Stanley). 

And the Rump, which had smoky notes, served with Café de Paris butter and a mushroom sauce. Both meat dishes were served with the crunchiest onion rings. For the sides, we chose chips, steamed vegetables, and a salad which was accompanied by a lovely dressing. Stanley helped us pair our meals with a Porcupine Ridge Merlot; a silky smooth wine with berry, spice and mocha notes, and a Winter Daiquiri, which has spiced golden rum, zesty lime, and a rich honey-cinnamon syrup flavour.

Donna Modern Italian

Dearest foodies, our last stop. Desserts: the sweetest last note.

A Deconstructed Crème Brûlée, creamy vanilla custard, with a caramelised sugar crust and the Panna Cotta, a delicate vanilla milk pudding, both served with strawberries. They had a lovely lightness to them. The Tiramisu, a classic Italian dessert made with layers of rum- and coffee-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cheese; rich and bold flavour notes balanced well with the creaminess. 

Of course, we must have Chocolate Brownies, a rich, fudgy dessert served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. No dessert is complete without a hot brew. We had a chai latte, the classic cappuccino, and a red latte; a lovely way to end our food safari.

Thank you to the incredible team behind these three restaurants for a truly memorable experience. We savoured every moment.

Instagram: saintyvesbar

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