9th Avenue Bistro in Durban has launched a Classic Natal Dinner Series, serving dishes based on historical menus from the KwaZulu-Natal region.

Husband-and-wife team Gina and Graham Neilson have been running 9th Avenue Bistro in Durban for two years. They’ve recently undertaken a nostalgic journey into Kwazulu-Natal’s food history, a result of the couple’s fond memories of dining out in the Durban area as children. Through begging and borrowing from friends and family, approaching long-established country clubs, and trawling antique shops, Gina and Graham managed to gather together some truly interesting old menus, dating as far back as 1900 and all originating from the KwaZulu-Natal area. These menus have become the basis for the Classic Natal Dinner series.

Instead of copying the extensive, heavy menus for the series dinners, Graham creates interpretations of the dishes that are in line with current styles of eating and with the bistro’s style. For example, angels on horseback served at the end of a Maritzburg Rugby Union dinner on 22 June 1907 becomes demitasse of consommé, oyster on the halfshell with crispy bacon bits and freeze-dried pineapple, and a shot of bacon powder, served as a canapé to start off last month’s Classic Natal Dinner. To round out the experience, the bistro joins forces with a wine estate for each dinner, offering carefully selected wine pairings for each course. Hartenberg wines were on offer at the most recent dinner, while KwaZulu-Natal’s only wine estate Abingdon will provide wine pairings at the next dinner.

Diners are presented with the menu of the day alongside a copy of the original inspirational menu to compare and contrast. Graham says the response has been enthusiastic, inspiring diners with the same nostalgia that he and Gina originally felt. He is also most impressed by the sheer scale of the menus of bygone eras, and says that ‘armies of highly-skilled cooks’ must have been employed to execute these dishes. While 9th Avenue Bistro may not have an army as such, the chefs are highly skilled and this comes through on every carefully planned and beautifully executed plate served at the Classic Natal Dinner series.

To find out about the next dinner in the series on 1 February or to make a booking, contact the restaurant.

By Emma-Kate Liebenberg