Food on a bed of glam

PHOTOS Dook PRODUCTION Annemarie Meintjes WORDS Tracy Gielink

Sometimes an exquisitely designed interior just makes our stomachs rumble, which is a good thing for Harvey’s Restaurant and Harry’s Cocktail Bar in Umhlanga. We can certainly see why it was nominated for the Boschendal Style Award at last year’s Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards. 

Umhlanga has morphed into a culinary hotspot and the opening of Harvey’s has, like a benevolent fairy godmother, bestowed on the village a touch of drama and glamour. Chef patron Andrew Draper has 20 years of restaurant experience to his credit and, with a penchant for the dramatic, himself conceptualised the interior that was then brought to life by a shop fitter.

Starting right from the nondescript car park, a red carpet sweeps patrons to a cordoned-off outside lounge area and ultimately into a hedonistic haven. Inside the haven, the focal point is the custom-made, oversized chandelier that is set against a trademark gold ceiling, taking full advantage of the restaurant’s double volume space.

“I designed the chandelier, which I wanted as big as possible, it has 72 lights,” says Andrew. “It’s very, very, very kitsch but an old fashioned classic.” It’s his favourite decor item, although he also loves the padded leather wallpaper in the bathroom and the ornate 17th century mirror that he mistakenly purchased on auction. 

Curved walls have been covered in vinyl but it’s really the over-the-top bookcases that dominate the space and are filled with a quirky assortment of objectsthat take those of a curious nature on a serendipitous journey. These include original oil paintings that have travelled from the previous Harvey’s premises on the Berea, along with anything from children’s toys to religious figurines and a sketch by local artist Andrew Verster.

The interior design is foreplay to the food, which has a classic grounding but flirts with contemporary elements and seemingly disparate flavours that might include seared foie gras served on a bed of avocado risotto teamed with flavours of tamarind and molasses. Andrew has a predilection for luxurious and exotic ingredients that translates into the likes of tempura prawns on avocado and basil mousse with a tomato and saffron dressing and spicy shellfish oil, or a slow-cooked pork belly in a cardamom-infused Bokaap sauce on wilted Chinese greens, topped with piquant Chinese threads.

The adjacent Harry’s Bar is reminiscent of Hemingway’s modern day lair and offers a super-stylish venue in which to languish over textbook-perfect cocktails, as well as the option of casual eating with its pizza and burger menu.

Harvey’s Restaurant and Harry’s Cocktail Bar, Umhlanga Centre, 189 Ridge Road, Umhlanga, 031 561 4977, harveysrestaurant.co.za