Ekhaya — Restaurant in Durham

From the start I was already dissatisfied. When me and my friend arrived, the other members of our party were already there. One member informed me that they were going to get kicked out soon if THEY didn't find a table. We had reservations booked WEEKS ago. So despite our rsvp, we still had to wait while they hurriedly got a table ready for 5 people. It was our first time dining at Ehkaya and were not familiar with the menu and it seemed the waiter was just as unfamiliar. We just ordered what he recommended although he couldn't describe the dishes. He informed my table that ordering a few dishes and sharing is recommended. When we asked how big the portions were, he said it was definitely going to be enough for the table (5 adults). That was a complete lie, it was not even close to sharing size portions. For a main entree, we got kabobs with mostly onions instead of meat for $16 each. The seafood plate was delicious but probably had 1/4 of the normal portions sizes we've had at other restaurants for $45. Every single dish we ordered was NOT enough to satisfy ONE person let alone an entire table as suggested by the waiter. We ordered 3 apps, 4-5 entrees, and 2 desserts - it didn't fill any of us up. Our service was not great either. After our appetizers, our waiter came over after giving us a moment to look over the menu. He said the kitchen was closing and that we should get our orders in soon and rushed us to make a decision. Other customers arrived hours later and still were able to order, so the kitchen was NOT closing when we ordered. After that, the waiter hardly checked in on us. We had to flag down a different waiter just to remind someone that we had been waiting on a beer refill for 30+ minutes. Other waiters kept coming to our table with dishes we did NOT order and asking us "are you sure?" when we said it wasn't ours instead of trying to figure out which table it actually belonged to. The only time we had decent service was when they came to pick up our empty plates. Also the presentation of some of the dishes were visually unappealing. When dessert came we were not given utensils or plates. When we asked for these items, we were given 3 spoons for 5 people and had to ask for more spoons and plates. We spent a total of 3 hours there and most of it was waiting. Also, we had to basically ration our water because it was like pulling teeth to get a waiter over for anything. The owner(?) would check on our table right after a waiter would finally attend to us so we had no need for assistance at that time. We had huge gaps of time where we were actively looking around for assistance and it seemed like we were invisible. Also, I ordered a coke and it came in a normal glass cup and what looked like a mini soy sauce container - completely unnecessary but considering how difficult it was to get a refill - this silly reservoir of coke was marginally helpful. Most of the food was actually quite tasty but overall, each plate, both the appetizers and main dishes, allowed us each to basically take just one bite. These dishes were NOT cheap either. There was also a moment when the staff played a happy birthday song overhead for another table, which was as probably nice for that person, but they blasted the music SO loud we couldn't even hear each other despite sitting right next to one another. We had 2 hard of hearing members in our party and we were forced to sit silently because the music was too loud. Even our normal hearing friends could hardly hear over the music. The entire experience was extremely frustrating and disappointing. This dinner was supposed to be special because our party included four 4th year pharmacy students and our professor. It took us 6 months to align our schedules and we chose this restaurant because our preferred one had no reservations for that day - honestly we would've been better off just waiting for the other restaurant to have availability. We felt so bad because our professor paid for the entire dinner; $200+ and 3 hours later, we were still hungry and very unsatisfied....

Update: 5/22/24

It is rare for a restaurant to deliver on expectations so completely after such an amazing first experience - even more so when they can achieve this with while introducing new dishes!

It has been a few months since I last visited, and I was happy, but not surprised to see them so busy! A restaurant that can consistently deliver on excellent food and customer service that goes above and beyond deserves the popularity!

I look forward to visiting again soon!

First review:

My parents came to visit for a few days, and Ekhaya was the first place I chose for dinner. I was nervous, because I was taking them somewhere I had not visited before, but I knew the area was growing in renown for its food scene.

What I was not expecting was that our night would be so fantastic that for the rest of their trip my family would not stop praising this restaurant! From the first interaction with the staff and the beautiful ambiance, it was clear that this restaurant understood what it meant to elevate an experience.

We were initially asked by the staff if we had any food allergies or restrictions. It is important that this be answered clearly - we hinted that our ordering from the menu would indicate our preferences, and an amuse bouche was brought out with something we do not eat on it. It would have been enough for most restaurants to take it back and that would be it, but they brought out a new plate and it was phenomenal.

Food:

Amuse Bouche: Fried Chickpeas with bitter greens and a cream base. This dish is what stayed with me more than any other, and I believe it was owing to the textural difference between the crispy outside, lightly seasoned, and the smooth inside.

Vegetable Dishes: One of the great things about Ekhaya is that there are a number of dishes for vegetarians. We ordered flambéed mushrooms, Broccolini, Dovi Cauliflower, Cassava Fries, and Dovi Rice Bombs. Each of these dishes were excellently executes, well plated, and translated the intent of the chef to display the rich cuisine of the Bantu regions and the effect of the spice trade on their dishes. The Dovi Rice Bombs were the first time I enjoyed a smoky flavor in food - it was very clearly smoky, but not overpowering on the tongue. The Cauliflower had a peanut sauce that was so delicious my dad tried taking the sauce from my plate! Overall the vegetable dishes were very enjoyable and I would recommend any vegetarian pay Ekhaya a visit.

Meat Dishes and Dessert: I was the only one in my family to eat chicken, and I ordered the Suya Chicken Kebab. It was delicate and moist, but carried those same strong spice flavors in the vegetable dishes. I would recommend it highly. Dessert was Magwinya, which I have never had before, but would liken partially to a smaller fried pasty over a custard with fresh fruit. It was the best way to end such a phenomenal culinary experience.

Service:

One of the staff explained that the restaurant name means "Home", and that they aim to make the experience feel like that while still being a fine restaurant; this alone would have met the criteria, but midway through our meal we met Karina.

Karina, at first, came to ask how our food was and and to explain the various options we had for beverages. My family has learned to enjoy wine owing to their recent travels, and we settled on a mixed drink and two different reds for the table. When it was time to order another round, Karina returned and gave us a very thorough explanation of what was on offer. When I mentioned that I liked something sweeter, she offered a Moscato. It was something that we were not initially keen on, but Karina brought a sample for us to try. Suffice it to say that Karina knew what was right and we had to order a few extra glasses.

It was clear from speaking with Karina, who was brought on to help manage the entire restaurant group, that service to the customer is the most critical element of the experience at not only Ekhaya, but all of Zweli's restaurants. The food is good enough on its own, but its the service that makes...

To start with what went right, the food is very good (though costly - see below). This was no surprise, since we've eaten at Zweli's numerous times. Our positive experiences there led us to want to support Chef Zweli's latest venture.

We truly appreciate Ekhaya's ethos of fresh food cooked to order: no microwaves, no heat lamps, and if they run out of what's on the menu, it's not available. The staff overheard us referring to our gathering as a retirement party, and they brought a complimentary amuse bouche and dessert as a result: this was very kind.

Apart from that, however, the service and overall experience were bad.

From our experience, Ekhaya seems to be one of those places where you, the customer, are expected to conform to the ethos/outlook of the restaurant rather than the restaurant striving to provide excellent service with the goal of making the customer happy. We left with the sense of the customer working for the staff/restaurant rather than the other way around.

We were a large party - four couples who don't all know one another well. We asked right away for separate checks because some of us drink, some don't, some are large eaters, some aren't, etc. By way of denying this request, we were given a lengthy talking to on the ethos of the restaurant, the ethos of Southern Africa, the cooking style, the need/requirement to share plates, etc. (If the hostess had listened instead of talking at us, she might have heard accents to let her know that three in our party were born and raised in Southern Africa - her talking-to was presumptuous and irksome.) Despite the hostess's insistence, we chose not to share plates and we each placed individual orders; the hostess told us that food would be delivered to the table at large and not to the people who'd ordered it. (That sounds made up: it's not.)

The made-to-order food came out intermittently, which is to be expected; however, the lag between dishes was quite long and the meal dragged. The food was definitely high quality and delicious. The portions were small, which the hostess had warned us about in advance. Ultimately, I agree with other reviewers that prices are high for what you actually get.

Beyond the refusal to provide separate checks and to bring food to those who'd ordered it, service was slow and inattentive: we had to flag down staff to get more water and soft drinks and one of us had to walk to the front to ask for our check. A 22% large-party service charge had been added to our bill: I believe the 22% was added on top of taxes, rather than just on the food and beverage charges, which is outrageous. The service we received definitely didn't justify the service charge and, while the food is very good, it is expensive for the amount you get.

Overall, the experience was unpleasant and we...