Terri Dunbar-Curran
WHEN I’m invited to a pizza party I’d have to be on my last legs to decline, especially when said pizza party is being hosted by Tiger’s Milk Restaurant and Bar at Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg. My friend Anel and I joined the throng of bloggers, Instagrammers and Twitterati to sample some of the pizzas off their new menu as well as some of the other dishes. And for once there were no frowns from fellow diners when people whipped out their phones and snapped pics of every last morsel to set all their followers salivating.
Not only were we treated to some tasty food, but it was also a good warm-up for when the new Tiger’s Milk opens on Long Street in the near future. It’ll be interesting to see whether the new venue will match the urban chic, quirky feel of the flagship. The huge space is made cozy with a variety of different sized tables, ranging from intimate two-seaters to a long family-style table with the most gorgeous wooden benches. Features are a glittering chandelier made from crystal decanters and, of course, the view of the sea from the balcony side. It’s a laid-back kind of place where the moment you crest the stairs you’re made to feel at home. And it gets busy, so don’t arrive too late.
Lookout for the straight-forward menu chalked on the wall and on portable boards. However, there’s also a handheld version for those short-sighted in candle light. While the point of the evening was the pizzas, we decided to nibble on a couple of appetisers to see what we were in store for. I chose the spicy chicken wings and was thrilled with the board of sauciness that arrived. The wings were moreish and delivered just the right amount of burn. I unashamedly ploughed through the lot of them. Anel went with the tempura prawns served with an innovative spaghetti cucumber salad and sweet chilli aioli, and she enjoyed them immensely.
Other appetisers to get your meal off to a great start include grilled or fried calamari, buttered corn on the cob or French onion soup with raclette cheese.
For mains you can take your pick of burgers, steaks or grills – all of which sound fantastic, burger names like Stepchild, Triple Bypass and Evil Twin jumped out. But we were there for the pizzas, so I averted my eyes. I went with the German-inspired flammkuchen which is a crisp pizza base topped with crème fraiche, spring onion, red onion, leeks and pancetta. It was tasty (and so filling half of it was destined for a doggy bag), but part of me wished I could have snuck a slice or two of some of the other offerings as well. Case in point: the lamb shank pizza with humus, olives, watercress and feta; or the chicken, mushroom and red pepper variety. The chalkboard menu changes often so you’ll never get bored.
Anel went with the bacon, avo and feta pizza, but served on the restaurant’s new Banting base. Using cauliflower as a main ingredient, the base wasn’t as satisfyingly firm as a traditional pizza, so fingers weren’t an option. But she enjoyed the flavours none-the-less. Also note, the Banting pizzas aren’t as big as the others and are served in a bowl rather than on a plate. But it’s great to see another restaurant finding a way to make sure their low carb-loving diners leave satisfied too.
Considering half my dinner went home with me, I couldn’t possible squeeze dessert in too, but my eyes did linger over the New York-style baked cheese cake and the Jack Daniels spiked chocolate mousse. I’ll save those for a lunch-time visit to the Long Street branch the moment it opens.
l 021 788 1869.