Mundo Vida
Where: 1 South Beach Rd, uMdloti
Open: Wednesday to Saturday noon to 10pm, Sunday noon to 5pm
Call: 031 568 2286
After last week’s disaster, I owed Trevor lunch and suggested a place we enjoy – Mundo Vida in uMdloti. And my bridge partner The Advocate would join us from Ballito, as would The Cigarette Lady from Tinley Manor, who we hadn’t seen since she moved there before Covid. It’s an ideal halfway meeting point.
Proprietor Joni Wilkinson welcomed us warmly, and we soon had G&Ts in hand while relishing the beautiful views of the sea, even on a fairly inclement day. It was wonderful to be back here after a brief pop in after the floods when uMdloti was picking itself up and dusting itself off.
The menu has changed somewhat since my last visit which always makes things interesting. Old favourites like the steamed langoustines in a soy beurre blanc are still there, as is the Asian pork belly with red dragon sauce. But it has extended to include more vegan options and more Asian inspired dishes. There are also some dishes to satisfy those on a keto diet, ie no carbs. Plus an expanded starters/ tapas/small plates menu, with some interesting options.
Wilkinson apologised that tuna was not available, although all sushi options with tuna could be done with salmon. And with the seas such a mess, local linefish was not available but they did have fresh kingklip flown in from Cape Town.
There are also some very good value special menus – five or six starters, and mains and a couple of desserts for R250 for two courses and R275 for three.
For starters, I was tempted by the duck salad with rocket, orange, fennel, red peppers and crispy noodles in an Asian citrus dressing. The beach garden salad also caught my eye, because done well, that crispy spinach is a treat. It was one of my favourites at the old Green Mango.
Calamari and mussels can either be the traditional Belgian meuniere or with creamy garlic, and prawns can be gratinated in the pizza oven topped with Parmesan. Vegetable tempura and mushroom risotto balls are two veg options, as is the feta and aubergine stack (R69) which was the Advocate’s choice. This was a glorious Italian-inspired mess with tomatoes, pesto and balsamic reduction with lovely intense flavours.
On the Asian side there are Bao buns with beef, chicken or vegan fillings, or tataki which is Japanese milk bread topped with sautéed leeks and cream cheese and seared beef or salmon. Wilkinson said this was one of her new favourites. The Cigarette Lady relished the pork Asian dumplings (R79) with a soya, chilli and mirin dipping sauce. More good flavours.
I tried a special of gravlax (R125) with an avo and orange salsa on a horseradish sauce topped with crispy shredded phyllo. A pretty and tasty dish.
Trevor skipped starters for a substantial main and one of their long specialities – the fillet cardinal (R350). This is a 250g fillet cooked to a perfect medium rare, topped with prawns in a creamy mushroom and cheddar sauce. A luxurious surf and turf if you will, made all the more luxurious being garnished with one of their crisp Louisiana prawns. It came with good roast veg and some excellent rustic chips.
I looked no further than the house specialities, relishing their duck confit (R250) served in a sour cherry jus with spring onion mash and roasted veg. Delicious. I took some of it home for a sandwich the next day. The Advocate had a half chicken and calamari combo (R240) with more of those chips. The peri peri had quite a kick, but also genuine flavour. The chicken had been properly marinated which made all the difference.
The Cigarette Lady couldn’t resist the Louisiana prawns as part of the lunchtime special. She said these five large prawns with chips, a salad and a jalapeño aioli dipping sauce were a treat.
Other mains might include rump, fillet or sirloin, and there are burger options with wagyu and vegan alternatives. Mundo Vida are known for their chicken and prawn curry, and there are a selection of pasta dishes and pizzas to complete the picture.
Desserts include a crème brȗlèe, a dark chocolate tart and malva pudding. I was tempted by an affogato but settled for the trio of sorbets (R69) – an intense strawberry, a sweet mango and a lovely tart lemon. The Advocate insisted his ice-cream and bar-one sauce (R49) was the sugar free option. We sipped coffees late into the afternoon.
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambience: 4
The Bill: R1 843 without tip for four
The Independent on Saturday