Delightful place in a well touristed spot with a great view of the harbour, good food and a good vibe. It’s a hotel restaurant with tables ticking all the boxes – outside right by the water’s edge in the sun, on the deck under the eaves, and inside behind a picture window.
Staff are welcoming and friendly, food is great, and the vibe is good too. We were an unbooked table of 9, and the staff made up a table by the window for us without anyone insisting on a table with a view.
Food came out very quickly. My only negative is that for a large table, food should all come out a once with the help of every available server. Ours came in two’s and fours and some of the sides followed after a wait. Fish ‘n Chips were rated excellent all round (3 people ordered this one). My wife and I had the seafood curry – divine, lovely sauce, moreish papadam, fluffy basmati rice. Watch out for bones in the fish though – I spent a long time feeling like an octogenarian with a bad set of dentures picking bones out mid-bite, but forgave the dental antics in favour of flavour. My son had the salmon with teriyaki sauce which was perfect, maybe a little rich as a whole dish, but the bit I tasted was great. Then others at the table had a steak, fish burger, and beef ribs. All were rated highly.
Service was friendly and on point, and there was only a moment or two when we needed to look for a waitress or felt like we were waiting a little longer than would be considered comfortable for service. Overall, however, the service was great.
We were all a little too stuffed for dessert so I can’t comment on that. My scale and my diet app thanked me later.
Granny did get locked in the loo at one point but that wasn’t the restaurant’s fault, and it was by accident. All the direct descendants swore to that.
My favorite place at the waterfront is still PIER if you’ve got the time and the budget, but for causal dining, Ginja is a great option. It’s just on the other side of the midline when it comes to value for money, but considering it’s right in the heart of tourist territory, it’s perfectly reasonable. Lunch for 9 cost an average of R244pp including soft drinks and tip.
Links: Ginja Restaurant, V&A Hotel