Moveable Feast Marino Corazza
SO what have the ducks and geese been seeing lately? All those crested white creatures, black East India beauties, pintail and teal cuties, orange beaked, web-footed relatives of Donald and Daffy that inhabit Zoo Lake — what do they see from their safe amphibious vantage point?
On weekends they see the strollers parade, hippies and grungies, lovers hand-in-hand, the laid-back picnic hamper crowd on the lawns, the frisbee freaks — and every kind and description of dog being walked.
Sometimes they see and hear the bands playing the rhythms of Africa to an audience of thousands, as they will next month — a thousand colours mingling together, all showered by the water’s sparkling reflections.
At night in the secluded comfort of the reeds they spy with eyes wide open with wonder the Rollses and Bentleys pulling up at the Zoo Lake Restaurant.
So it must have been a trifle baffling when they saw this jalopy arriving and letting this dude out, wearing his sharp threads. Me, I knew they were watching, so I put my best foot forward to walk into the restaurant: I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of the New Mallard Function Room.
Besides the view, the most impressive features of the room are the hefty barn-like beams beautifully stripped, restored and limed to their original state.
The rest is in your usual contemporary interior decorator vogue — but what a treat to be welcomed and then fussed over by a bevy of waiters.
The meal kicked off with a chilled Ratafia aperitif, a smooth unsparkling local version of Petite Liquorelle. Chugging on a couple of these really brings on the appetite.
Sure enough, the starter arrived pronto: slices of just grilled-with-herbs fresh goose liver tossed in a kiwi fruit, avocado, cucumber salad with just a smidgen of vinaigrette dressing. It’s just slightly sour enough to take the edge off the richness of the liver, which of all grilled meats really melts in your mouth. It was washed down by generous sips of cold Sauvignon Blanc.
Then came the soup, a very light cream broth enhanced with smoked salmon strips with just a whiff of curry.
Next, introduced by a medium heavy red wine, came braised Maigret breast of Barbarie duck, its delicate plumpness smothered in port wine sauce, with that unique Germanic vegetable, red shredded cabbage, sauteed and stewed to a brown sugar sweetness, light and fluffy potato fritters and apple sauce.
It was a meal to turn a pauper into a prince, just for a while anyway. There was more but I expressed my gratitude and bid farewell, as I was not going to lose my slipper.
The Mallard Function Room adds these facilities to the restaurant: it’s available for functions seven days a week, lunch or dinner, for up to 180 guests or, divided in two, for smaller parties. The terrace- room is included for both for pre-dinner drinks.
Manager Herman Mutschero will advise on menus to suit most pockets. And he has added an essential priority: visitors are escorted by security guards to and from the venue. Gesundheit!
* The Mallard Function Room Tel: (011) 646-2991/8807 Fax: (011) 646-4140