Review: Nevermind

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Food
Set at the beautifully restored 145-year-old Seal Point Lighthouse, Nevermind is a perfect balance of laid-back beachside vibes combined with enough attention to detail and passion for food that a meal here is a true delight. Chef Wesley Randles clearly has a deep respect for ingredients. The menu at Nevermind is a showcase of thee best seasonal, locally sourced produce, from the veggies and fruit to the sustainably caught fish and even the venison (occasionally hunted in season by the chef himself). This is joyful food: simple yet with complex flavours; exciting without being intimidating or pretentious. Most of the dishes are cooked over an open fire. Breakfast plates are a thing of beauty, from the fancy jam on toast (toasted challah, new ricotta, blueberry-and-lemon compote and vanilla thyme honey) to Wesley’s playful green eggs and ham (olive-oil-crispy-fried eggs, ‘gabagool’, chimichurri, Parmesan and fresh sourdough). The lunch and dinner fusion tapas are designed to be shared, with a recommendation of two to three plates per person. To start, forget your parents’ advice about not filling up on bread before a meal. They definitely weren’t referring to Wesley’s heavenly, crusty flatbread, which is filled with paper-thin slices of potato, purple onion, lemon and crispy fried basil, and served with generous lashings of whipped tahini and chimichurri. You’ll want to follow that with the crispy artichokes, smothered in a silky Parmesan cream that is balanced by the acidity of a beautifully fresh gremolata. The golden yellowtail bhaji – served piping hot with a bowl of tomato-and-curry leaf jam – are also absolutely delicious. In fact, you can’t really go wrong with this menu. But Wesley’s mastery of the art of simplicity really shines in the mountain reedbuck loin, cooked perfectly pink over open coals and minimally dressed with burnt butter, chimichurri, salt and pepper. All the baked goods (available to take away, too) are made on site. Definitely help yourself to the lemon madeleines. Ordered as dessert, they arrive warm with a sun-yellow lemon curd made with citrus from the area. A perfect finish.

Drinks
No wine pairings here; just a well-balanced selection with enough choices to ensure that you’ll find something to perfectly complement your meal. More magic awaits in the adjoining, recently opened Pig & Rooster bar – the perfect place to savour a proper negroni, martini or old-fashioned as you ponder your landlubber ways. Why the name? In the early days of sailing, pigs and roosters were often kept on board as a food source, being relatively easy to care for in a confined space. They were typically housed in wooden crates. When a ship sank, these animals were often the only survivors, as their wooden crates would float to the surface. During World War 2, navy sailors would tattoo pigs and roosters on their feet to ward off drowning.

Service
Service at Nevermind is friendly and relaxed, while still being professional. Each member of staff is from the local community and trained by Wesley. There’s a sense of Nevermind being something of a family establishment, and this warmth is reflected in the service.

Ambience
Though sandy feet and fresh-from-the-beach attire are encouraged, Nevermind’s style still exceeds what you’d expect from an ordinary seaside restaurant. High tables and chairs introduce the casual feeling of a bar, and there’s an open kitchen to make the dining experience more intimate. The crowd is by no means all out-of-towners, and there can be quite a vibe.