Willoughby & Co gives big portions

 17 October 2023

 

WILLOUGHBY & CO

V & A Waterfront

 

The best time to pop in to Willoughby for an impromptu supper is around 18h00 when there’s no queue (I hate queueing at any restaurant with a wrathful passion) and there’s an excellent  chance of getting a good table.

 

The wife and I were on a rare evening outing to the Victoria Wharf shopping centre and Willoughby has always been a fave, so it was a no brainer to head there because we were in the immediate vicinity.

 

We started with sushi, the loaded 4 X 4 (or is it 4 X 4 loaded?) (R265), which are eight of the most decadent, almost outrageous sushi bites  you can imagine. I don’t think you’ll find that at the Pine Garden in Buitenkant Street in a hurry.  Okay, so the Pine Garden is much more budget friendly but at Willoughby the rice and raw fish stuff is next level.

 

The wife, always full of soul, had a craving for sole, a fish, according to her, she hadn’t eaten in more than 20 years. She ordered the sole and calamari combo (R279)

and I would’ve had the line fish of the day until I heard it was Kingklip, a fish I quite like, but is far too often your fish option, and went for the Thai green fish curry and rice (R285).

 

It's noteworthy that Willoughby ain’t for the thin of wallet but given the quality and given that it’s in a prime Waterfront location, one can’t complain too much if you choose to dine there.

 

We hadn’t ever eaten main course dishes at Willoughby and were taken aback, to say the least, when our meals were served in stainless steel skillets, a serving option I associate with Ocean Basket although the latter uses more humble, cheaper-looking skillets.

 

“Edgy” plating may be a bit of fun and theatre but sometimes you just want a proper plate.

 

The wife got two chunks of sole and a good amount of calamari and was quite happy with the perfectly cooked and flavoursome seafood though her view afterward was, having satisfied her yen, that she could go without sole for another 20 years.  A sole sistah, no more.

 

I was also surprised by the presentation and quantity of my fish curry dish. There was an industrial quantity of fish chunks on a Sahara desert of rice,  and this did not resemble my fantasy of a Thai curry fish dish, where I expected fish and vegetables in coconut milk curry sauce.  It looked a bit rustic, nay, a mess in a skillet and by no means a visual delight. I didn’t quite feast with  my eyes first.

 

Having said that, the dish was pricey at first glance but there was so much food in the skillet that a family of four could happily have eaten their fill and still take a doggy bag home. Generous portions are a boon but too much of a good thing is a thing.

 

The taste of the curry was good, redolent with the flavours and aromas one associates with Thai food, but over the course it just became too much. 

 

Thankfully, we washed down our food with extreme quantities of bubbly; well, a bottle because it was almost as cheap to buy the bottle than to drink by the glass.

 

We had no space for dessert.

 

The bill came to R1 132,00 before tip.

 

Willoughby is a buzz, it’s endlessly fascinating to gawk at the passing parade, the standard of food is high and the service is friendly and efficient. With 20/20 hindsight, I should’ve made do with the Kingklip but if you don’t try, you won’t know.

 

In future, we’ll stick to the sushi.