Eating out

Since I have been in South Africa I've noticed the crazy and constant trend people have of wanting to go out to eat. I am embarrassed to admit that I have fallen into that trap and have been eating out more often than eating at home. I know there are loads of reasons why you should not eat out, health and costs being highest on that list, and I am super aware of how unhealthy eating out is and how expensive it becomes when you add up all the drinks that go along with the food. None of that stopped me from eating out 4-5 times a week, until last night.

Last  night was a friend's birthday and to celebrate we all headed to Ile Maurice, a Mauritian restaurant in Umhlanga, just outside Durban. The place has been given raving awards about the excellence of their food so I was looking forward to a great dinner. I am sure most people have sat in a restaurant waiting for the menu, opened it up and felt that sinking feeling when you look at the prices of the food on offer. Well that's how I felt last night. With the starters being as expensive as a main meal is in an average restaurant I didn't have much hope for the mains! After sucking it up and deciding that it was inevitable that this was going to be a costly meal I swallowed that bitter taste in my mouth and decided I would at least enjoy the food.

The food arrived, it was the type of place where they portion the size of the meals in the anticipation that you'll be having a 3 course meal. Food was placed on a massive white plate in the centre with no decoration and seemed to be highlighting the emptiness of the plate of food you're about to pay a huge amount of money for. The food did taste good, I can grant them that but as good as I'd expect any restaurant with a decent reputation to have. It was not at all exceptional and definitely not the ridiculous prices that were being demanded. I ordered the grilled line fish and can honestly say it tasted as good as the line fish I ordered at the local fish and chip shop down the road, and it was a third of the price.

I wonder if it is a situation of the emperors new clothes, if everyone is saying its good, it must be good and no one wants to be the person asking why we are paying such a huge amount of money for food that can be found at a fish and chip shop. Needless to say, it has been this experience that has put me off eating out. A good recipe book (which would cost less than the meal I paid for last night) and an organic food market and these pretentious restaurants can kiss my fantastic homemade food!