I used to wake up and head out to the bare beaches waiting for the fishermen, more boys than men as they were all under the age of 20 trying to make a few dollars(Meticais if you had).
On the warm white sands, I would bargain my way through what fish we would take and use do dia(of the day) in Agua du cocoa, our beach bar that served light lunches in Mozambique.
Often with travels it’s the food and people I remember the most.
Beautiful hotels are nice, arriving on a private propeller plane fun but it’s the broken English in the kitchen after buying fresh ingredients, like above and going through the motions of filleting, gutting and finally cooking and presenting local dishes on a palm leaf and rice in a hollowed coconut shell that I often crave when trapped behind a computer screen in an air-conditioned room and construction noise near by.
A simple dinner at MAReSol(purposely written Sea and Sun) I figured would be the closest thing in reminisce of these not so distant memories.
A newly opened Portuguese inspired eatery in the once Hildebrand building at tourist haven(or trap) depending on the type of person you are, the V&A waterfront.
“The restaurant is home to authentic Portuguese cuisine with a touch of Mozambican flair”
A double volume space with wood-bent chairs, greenery inspired textiles, plentiful plush potted palms and lavishly lapped in light.
The Views are spectacular, we were seated upstairs much to my distress but the winds were just too boisterous so we drank some Excelsior(Robertson) made house wine until my date began to whine about the cold and moved in.
I ordered three starters, my signature as you may already know. Each different so as to get an idea of what chef and restaurant had to offer. With the sea breeze whistling through the restaurant and my feint idea of Ricardo and I filleting fish, I ordered the Mussels, Prawns and Calamari. Served with a fresh floury(I love this)Portuguese roll I lapped up each of the dishes morsel by morsel.
See their full menu and descriptions here: http://mar-e-sol.co.za/our-menu/