November 26, 2024
Borrowdale blues
Last year our son invited us to the Deli for Sunday breakfast. We had to be there inordinately early for a weekend — 8:30 I remember — but apparently it is so popular on a Sunday that a later arrival makes queueing necessary. I enjoyed that breakfast so opted to try the Deli for lunch as my first foray into Borrowdale eating.
The restaurant is tucked away at the top end of Sam Levy’s Village. There are tables outside on a slightly raised deck with a view down the mall and more tables inside. It is a popular venue and busy at lunch time with patrons comprising lunching ladies, mothers with school kids, couples and the odd business person. Millers, just outside, was also crowded as was Mimi’s Café further down the arcade.
I was expecting Mediterranean robust flavours and imaginative combinations. I am not sure where I got that idea from. It is more like one of the South African franchises and the menu is laid out in that style with pictures of the dishes on offer. I made a mistake ordering salad. All the meals around me looked much more tasty. My son confirmed this and told me that next time I am negotiating Borrowdale I should take him along. He likes the Deli burgers and there is a good variety on offer — blue cheese, mushroom, cheese and bacon, pepper — served on a bed of greens with fries. (all US$10)
All day breakfasts include all the usual options as well as a “health” range offering smoothies, muesli and fruit salads (US$3 to US$5), eggs hollaindaise and “designer” omelettes with a variety of interesting filling combinations (US$9).
But back to my disappointing salad. Again there is what looks like a good choice of salads from roasted butternut at US$7 to salmon nicoise at US$10. I chose the thai beef (US$9) which offered ‘char-grilled rare beef on a bed of fresh garden greens with tomato, onion, wild rocket and fresh herbs drizzled with a chillie soy dressing’.
The beef was good and cooked as specified — but there was far too much lettuce in the salad — no trace of wild rocket or fresh herbs and the tomatoes were underripe. The dressing lacked bite and I tasted neither soy nor chillie so was glad to find some locally made Bentley’s hot sauce on the table to add some zing.
I would love to see more imagination in salad composition and dressing but may have to stick to the salad specialists for that. A rather strange doughy pita topped with melted cheese accompanied the salad. My friend ordered one of the snack items — baked potato wedges flavoured with rosemary and served with homemade mayonnaise. (US$3) They were nice but were what they were — a plate of potato wedges, well-cooked — with no garnish at all.
The star of the show however was waiter Benson. My friend arrived before me and had already given him top marks for greeting her quickly, identifying her as a smoker and settling her in an outside corner facing outwards before swiftly bringing her a drink.
He was on the ball throughout our meal, attentive and alert but not invasive.
My friend and I hadn’t seen each other for a while and were more engrossed in our conversation than in our food. We needed some cheer though and thank goodness for Benson who provided that. And next time — I’ll go with my son and eat a burger.
