Fast facts

Address: 2 York Road, Muizenberg

Phone number: 082 373 5045

Opening times: Tuesdays to Sundays dinner 5pm to 10pm, Thursdays to Sundays lunch 12noon to 5pm

Average price of a main course: R110, special R350 for any four dishes

Corkage fee: R80, one bottle per table, enquire for large groups

Parking situation: Street, and open parking lot

Food type: Modern Asian with a Thai influence

Best for…  

Best for everything, really. Dinner with friends, an excellent date night, a long table down the middle for large groups. The Muizenberg beachfront is crammed with casual eateries but there’s absolutely no reason not to combine a day of sand and surf with a spot of modern Asian in this tiny side street just the other side of the train tracks. Probably not for children though, unless they have sophisticated palates.

Food

For the past decade, Cheyne Morrisby had his eponymous restaurant in Hout Bay, along with several others along the way, all featuring his unique take on Asian and Pacific Rim cuisine. He recently stepped away from Cheyne’s and is now focused on Bang K, with his partner Danielle Oosthuizen. If you’ve eaten at any of his restaurants, you’ll have an idea of how he likes to create his menus. Here, it’s divided into four categories: Sea, Land, Earth, and Sweet (each is presented with the Thai word as well). The dishes are not strictly representative of any one country, but there’s a distinctive Thai influence with Thai ingredients, and you’re free to range through all the elements. As such, there are no starters or main courses; each plate is generous and can be shared between two people for a multiple tasting experience, or enjoyed all to yourself.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bang K Essentially Modern Thai (@bang_k_by_cheyne)

Being quite newly opened, Cheyne is feeling his way with the menu so there could be some tweaks, but R350 for any four dishes is excellent value for money. All meat? Do it. Mix it up? Also good. Love your seafood? You’re in luck because there are six options there. The crispy Thai hake with roasted chilli and tamarind is a winner, and the chilli is not overpowering. It’s a case of “you can add more if you want it hotter”, which is a welcome approach for those who prefer flavour over fire. River prawn tempura with a green curry emulsion is delicious. Other items in this section include tuna tataki, yellowtail ceviche, raw tuna, and soft-shell crab (a supplement is applicable for that one).

Moving onto Land, roasted pork belly is served with corn and coconut fritters, nam jim and lemongrass oil. Crispy ginger chicken is moist and succulent, dressed with gochujang, tamarind and honey glaze. The duck massaman gyoza with lemongrass ponzu are extremely moreish. You could even have four portions of those.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bang K Essentially Modern Thai (@bang_k_by_cheyne)

Vegetarians and vegans are in for a treat. The baby spinach and wakame with daikon hijiki, toasted coconut and crushed peanuts is so simple, so spectacular. Cauliflower gets a glow-up in tempura batter with tamarind, sweet miso and lime aioli. With the four-dish special, plant eaters can add fried black rice with shiitake, tatsoi, holy basil, tofu and vegan house XO; grilled baby aubergine with coconut miso; or steamed edamame beans with Maldon salt.

Finish with Fuji apple harumaki (a sweet spring roll) with dark chocolate sauce; Bang Koffee ((CORR)) with whiskey ((CORR)), espresso and coconut cream; or a refreshing Bang K sundae – ice cream, strawberry and lime compote, shortbread crumble and lemongrass syrup.

Drinks

Two beers, two reds, two whites, one Cap Classique, by the glass or bottle, plus sake. The creative cocktails are where it’s at – choices like a Fire Monkey (whiskey, togarashi-spiced pineapple juice), Saigon Smash (Roku Japanese gin, smashed raspberry, basil, sugar syrup and soda), or Dirty Ninja (vodka, tom yum, tomato juice, smashed lemongrass and lime juice) among them.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bang K Essentially Modern Thai (@bang_k_by_cheyne)

Service 

Service is friendly, helpful and efficient. The menu does explain what’s in each dish, but the servers will tell you again in detail what’s on the plate. Chopsticks are on the table and mostly efficient but for dishes that are less chopstick-friendly, you’ll be offered Western cutlery with no judgement. That crispy ginger chicken with gochujang, tamarind and honey glaze, for example.

Ambience

Bang K is tiny, but it still manages to feel spacious and uncrowded. Tea light candles in the evening set the mood, and the décor has been lovingly collated with items collected by Cheyne and Danielle – whose artworks are displayed all along one wall. Shelves with mirror backing are filled with trinkets, books and bowls, and sake bottles become décor themselves. Warm wood panelling against black walls, leather, candelabra chandeliers, and terracotta floor tiles evoke a private club atmosphere.

Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.