Mozambik @ The Food Box — Restaurant in Morningside

REVIEW: MO-ZAM-BIK FLORIDA ROAD A delightful and refreshing feel of Mozambique right on my doorstep. From the moment you enter, along the mysterious corridor, filled with anticipation. Coupled with what you think you know, up until you depart satiated and enthralled by the experience. This oasis opens out into the most glorious, well lit foyer boasting a unique central attraction, their Wishing Well!!! I was greeted by the most bubbly, confident and vibrant waiter ever!!!! His first words had me in a time warp of sorts as he happily welcomed me and requested my passport!!! He said, “Welcome to Mozambique, can I have your passport.” Already gleefully thrilled I enquired as to who he was and his reply, “ Madam, I am Trevor Noah!” Coupled with the authentic sights and sounds before me, kindly forgive me for instantaneously believing I had indeed arrived somewhere other than Florida Road, Durban. After all one does not simply meet Trevor Noah, clutching a restaurant menu and beaming with that radiant smile. For those of you who may have encountered this phenomenal young man, I can be assured, you know exactly who I speak of. As you enter through those gates the anticipation of what is to follow cannot be denied. The restaurant has a two level seating layout, boasting beautiful artworks and attention to detail that further enhances the whole feel of the place. One gets the sense that great thought and personal experience had gone into the moulding of the masterpiece that Mo-Zam-Bik Florida Road, is to the discerning eye. The staff though, are a big part of my delightful tale about my personal experience with their fantastic, delicious and unmistakeable menu. More about that in a bit….. The menu was met with delight as everyone in our clan had found their favourites quite readily. Our drinks arrived well chilled and bursting with colour, depth and flavour. My man declared his Banana Milkshake and Dad’s Strawberry the Best Milkshake Ever. He said the thick creamy shake with its bright chewy sweets and sprinkles were reason enough to go there. I reckon our cocktails, two Mojitos and a Cosmopolitan, were equally impressive!!! We ordered two Steak Pregos with chips, popular dishes at Mo-Zam-Bik. My man opted for the Half Chicken Moz-BQ peri peri basting with Chips. Mother opted for Hake and Chips and boy was she surprised and in for a treat! I opted for the Hake and Prawn Combo, half chips and half rice. I absolutely cannot deny it was an excellent choice! The meals arrived smelling mouth watering good, gleaming in colour and artistically vibrant. Mother had the highest praise, for the skill of the most well cooked seafood, she has ever eaten and I undeniably agree with her. The more than generous portions were only outdone by the soft, flaky, melt in your mouth hake, drenched in delicious rich sauces. My Prawns were huge, well seasoned and in a creamy sauce unrivalled by any other I know. That undeniable, lemony, peri peri, creamy garlic, goodness adequately blanketing the juiciest prawns. That coconut, creamy flavored rice with a hint of goodness I don’t know lime perhaps!!! I have not eaten prawns this fantastic in years and it was enjoyed later in the day for dinner too. Incredibly relished by my son too the next day. (I kid you not) My man’s Chicken with Chips was like no other. The juicy huge portions arrived saturated in a perfectly well marinated, char grilled platter with a bit of a bite, enough for a generous doggy bag even for him. Our tummies filled to the maximum and having no place for desserts, we made ready to roll on out of there to an afternoon siesta. Only to be pleasantly surprised by the drum beats and sounds of the vibrant, jovial staff, serenading the birthday ‘boys’ with not one but two cakes with candles! Go experience this for yourself and feel the magic that is Mo-Zam-Bik Florida Road. Maybe even make a wish or two in their...

The service that we had received was absolutely terrible. I took a patient of mines after her chemo session for a small spoil and lunch, well and good the nurses recommended mozambique as we were not far from the practice and they had a special running.

My patient just finished chemo and was extremely cold. The owner Monica was so rude to her when asked to please close the door interleading to the outside area.

She litterally shouted back saying the outside needed to be cleaned. The waiters were even scared to do anything. A kind gentleman approached us with shawls.

This is no way to speak to customers that to being an elderly person. Offcourse today they had a special on their prawns, we requested that the beverages be brought when the food arrives. Again the owner says im sorry there's nothing we can do as you can see we are so busy and walks away. We are customers and weather or not your restuarant is busy due to weekly specials. Customer service is key!!! Your attitude towards us was absolutely sad. We did not come for handouts we came to pay you for a service. So we expect good service. Treat every single customer of yours equally and with care.

Secondly throughout our dining experience, not a single waiter came up to us to find out if everything was okay or if we needed anything else. The restaurant quietend down after the lunch rush. People came after us and got served before us. The other most important factot is how unhygienic the staff including the owner was with their little pup. Yes we are pet lovers however you can not be holding your pet and serving food to your customers. This pup was literally licking the bowl while being carried around. Where is the hygiene level? I watched as non of you’ll sanitized and continued serving as normal.

I would have honestly expected this type of service from a waiter not the owner. I always supported them when they were down near windermere and never ever received such pathetic treatment. I did not even know they had moved.

The next time you know that you are going to be running a special, hire more staff so that you are not left frustrated.

The service we received at this restaurant is absolutely abysmal and appalling. The only decent thing that came out from this experience was the food as it was very tasty, and hence that is the reason for the "1" star that this review has...

Having experienced the wonderful food and ambiance at Ballito and Florida Road, hubby and I chose Mozambik in Morning side for a quite Sunday lunch. It turned into a really disappointing experience all around.

Our waitress served us within a reasonable amount of time and the first round of drinks arrived promptly, as the did the starter. From there on, it went downhill. We couldn’t find our waitress to order to more drinks and had to order directly from the bar. Since we went there to have a lazy lunch, we were not to fazed when almost an hour passed and our meal hadn’t arrived. Our waitress arrived and apologised for the delay. However a further half an hour went by with no sign of our waitress. During this time my husband and I went inside three times to find out when our meal would be ready and noticed that there were only 3-4 other tables. Eventually, on the brink of cancelling our order, our meal arrived. It was evident that it was cooked and plated in a great hurry, and did not look appealing in the least with no such niceties as garnish etc. My grilled hake and coconut rice was good however my husband’s steak was grey, completely cooked and cold, and could definitely not be eaten. And so, after an hour and a half of waiting, only one of us had a meal. The manager did apologise and offered to make another steak meal but we chose not want to wait any further.

One more thing that I noticed was that the plates were badly scuffed and not very pleasant to eat off. Definitely will not be visiting Mozambik...