Restaurant Review: The Beach Hut

What makes me qualified to review restaurants, some might ask?

The short answer is before my time working at the Courier, I was a chef for six years.

I have worked in all aspects of the hospitality industry from restaurants, hotels, and event centres to outside catering, fine dining and country clubs.

So I do know my way around the kitchen.

During the Ballito Pro I decided it was time to see if I can still stand my ground behind a stove, so I entered the Coastal Living Bru Food and Wine Exhibition ‘So You Think You Can Cook’ competition.

I was a bit nervous to say the least.

I was competing against full time chefs, and the last time I was in a professional kitchen was six years ago.

I didn’t take the win unfortunately, but I did come close, winning my elimination round against some of Ballito’s top chefs.

When I’m doing a review I’m not out for blood. I try to give a fair reflection of my meal because at the end of the day you need to make up your own mind.

For this week’s restaurant I decided to go to The Beach Hut down in the original Ballito centre, at the sea.

I actually competed against the owner and chef, Michael Ovens, during the competition and I was impressed with the food he prepared.

The Beach Hut is quite a cozy place; with some fun décor and a laid back vibe.

The menu is great with a few surprises!

Michael is Scottish so I was super keen to give the Haggis burger a go. I think Haggis has a very bad rap. It’s something you should try at least once.

I enjoyed every bite, and since it wasn’t a straight Haggis pattie but rather a “double pattie” with one of beef and one of Haggis, it balanced out the whole dish quite well and the offal flavour wasn’t overwhelming.

My wife had the spicy pork belly burger. It was good, but I think I could have used a bit more spice, as the spice didn’t stand out in flavour.

We also tasted the chicken liver pate, which was absolutely divine.

They also do a homemade frozen lemonade that is life changing!

The Beach Hut is offering something new and there are definitely a few dishes that I intend to go back for.

Michael has recently opened his doors for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings and for now it is a ‘bring your own drinks’ affair, as he is waiting for the approval of the liquor license.