Warming dish on cold winter’s night

Quiet mid-week, with only one table occupied when we arrived, the staff were huddled around a hissing cadac gas heater at the bar.  Another heater was directed at our table and was remarkably efficient. Essential really as the décor is cold and the res-taurant much more suited to summer lunching. I presume day time the canvas walls are open to the garden but at night the white canvas isn’t welco-ming and the gazebo space not cosy in spite of the heaters. I liked the driftwood fish on shelves in a corner but felt this was a case where less was definitely not more on the décor front.
Service however was warm and friendly and the food good. Brown bread came to our table with garlic and chillie for dipping. Chillie had a heat warning and it was certainly fiery but tasty and freshly made.
We shared a plate of six fat mussels (US$15) to start. Served in a steaming herby wine sauce they were delicious and along with a glass of red wine helped me get warm enough to remove my coat. Other starters include seafood soup, avocado ritz and escargots – all US$6 – and an interesting sounding oyster shot (US$4) served in a Bloody Mary. Perhaps more suitable for a warmer day or a hangover cure!
Codfather specialises in fish – and mains include  kippers  (US$8) calamari, battered hake and chips (US$10), trout and sole. My husband chose the special of the night (US$15) – dorado served with chips and salsa. Turned out to be a good choice, a lovely sea fish, perfectly cooked with moist texture. Sweet corn and red pepper salsa wasn’t very exciting but the fish was so flavoursome it didn’t matter.
The genial waiter persuaded me into the prawn special – as many prawns as you could eat though you had to do it before 8pm. I probably wouldn’t have chosen that option had I realised it cost US$30 but I was swayed by the additional offer of smoked peppered mackerel to take home. A clever marketing trick, you would need a huge appetite to make it worthwhile. The prawns were simply cooked, served with good slim chips and delicious with the dipping sauces. But US$30 felt a bit steep (buys you 2kg and enough to feed six at Food Lovers Market). Smoked mackerel did provide a bonus supper and served to smooth the edge a little.
Sweet and sticky toffee pudding (US$6) was full of macadamia nuts and helped us  get away from the heater and back into the cold night.
More expensive than I expected (with wine, the bill for two was US$80) the food was good and I will certainly be back in daylight and when its warmer.
A cosier night out was surprisingly an outdoor concert, a farewell for Hope Masike (about to set off on a European tour) at the Mbira Centre on Glenara Avenue. Sitting under the stars around a huge fire surrounded by phoenix palms and iceberg roses, it was a lovely setting and perfect for Hope’s innovative mbira jazz fusion. Maybe the expectation of being cold outside makes one better prepared?
We enjoyed the Codfather dinner – but not sure I will go back in winter.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com