This adorably funky little joint in the upmarket Glenwood neighborhood in Durban offers just the right combination of quirk and quality.

The premises amount to no more than a hole in the wall with an outdoor patio. The tiny interior, which only has five tables, is painted in garish tones of green and red, with a giant anime mural on one upper wall and lots of cartoon-ish Japanese knick-knacks, stickers and magnets strewn liberally about. On cooler summer days — and warm nights — the little wooden patio (which also has just five tables) is the place to sit.

The brainchild of reclusive genius Anzai “Mooki” Yoshitok, the pan-Asian menu has a limited but delicious selection of dim sum, create-your-own noodle dishes, fried rice, and curries. Favorite appetizers include the Vietnamese short ribs and the salt and pepper squid, while mouthwatering mains include Peking fried rice and Massaman curry. They dont serve alcohol, but you can BYO.

I opted for the make-your-own noodles, which involved picking a noodle type (there are four), a protein (chicken, pork, prawn or veg), and a sauce (pad Thai, ginger and red chilli, hoisin and sweet chilli, Sichuan, or Yakitori). The very friendly wait staff advised on which sauces work best with which noodle and protein combinations, and which add-ons were popular. After a decently short wait I ended up with hofun noodles (flat ribbon-shaped rice noodles) with hoisin sauce and tempura prawns on top. It was a good choice — I literally cleaned the plate.

After enviously eyeing the dessert of the table next to me (yes, they are quite close), I ordered the same — chocolate-filled spring rolls. Again, a great choice, as they were really well-executed, with the perfect combination of crispyiness and gooey-ness.

Mooki is a fantastic place for a casual but quality dinner, and the prices are reasonable as well – my drink, main dish and dessert came to US$14 (R180).