Saint James on Venice

Review of new Morningside boutique hotel

If you have people coming to Durban on business or are hosting family for, say, a weekend, why not book them in to the elegant and stylish new Saint James on Venice hotel in Venice Road, Morningside.

Staff at the Signature Life-managed venue, which opened in June, certainly pulled out all the stops during our recent visit, maintaining impeccable standards in service, facilities and, yes, delicious food. In fact, I haven’t eaten so well in Durban for years.

The Saint James is an old Durban home that was built in 1891 and retains many of the original features, but it has been redecorated in elegant contemporary style . . . and that extends to all the finishes, cutlery, crockery and linen included.

The rooms have adequate privacy (our unit had its own little garden) and come with the required mod cons, comfy bedding, fluffy white towels, full coffee and tea service, dressing gowns and slippers, etc, but it’s the service at the end of the day that makes all the difference. The little touches like turning down the beds, littering the room with flowers and placing sherry and chocolates on the bedside tables are what a guest remembers when they’ve long since headed home. Broad smiles all round from staff also go a long way to winning over visitors.

Food is a big part of the plans for the Saint James. For example, the hotel hosts high teas from 11am to 4pm at a reasonable rate, and these are proving popular with locals. Non-guests can also book for lunch or dinner, lunch from 11am to 3pm and dinner from 6.30pm to 10pm. Breakfast is from 7am to 10am.

Poached eggs with hollandaise

At dinner we were superbly looked after by sous chef Siphiwe Makubane, who showed considerable ability in the quality, flavours and presentation of his dishes.

For starters we tucked into a solid enough beef carpaccio and an outstanding take on basil and mozzarella fritters. We then moved on to beef fillet and rock cod for mains. The rock cod was tender and delicate, with an excellent buerre blanc sauce, while my wife said the fillet was cooked to perfection. Take a bow Siphiwe.

Head chef Marie Louise Keijser was on hand to prepare our breakfast the next morning. Poached eggs with biltong shavings and hollandaise sauce, and croissant with salmon and scrambled eggs represented nothing too tricky, but the food was all the menu promised and, again, was beautifully presented.

For dinner you are looking at R80 to R140 for a main course, while breakfast will set you back around R60. Not bad, considering the standards that have been set by management and staff at the Saint James, which is well worth a visit.

100 Venice Road, Morningside 4001.
Tel: 031 312 9488

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