Oscar’s is a casual, humble eatery on a non-descript corner in the Musgrave neighborhood of Durban. Since we went late on a Sunday night when the place was empty and only a half-hour from closing I can’t say that we had a typical experience, but it was not bad.

Apparently the new owners favor a buffet dinner format instead of an a la carte menu, so we were guided toward the vats of steaming curry chicken and stewed beef simmering on the burners. However, it looked a bit picked over and probably several hours old, so we asked if we could just have them whip us up a couple of bunnychows instead.

The staff was more than happy to oblige, and we tucked into our litre-size glasses of hard cider while we waited. Once it arrive we were not disappointed — the portion was massive and messy (as it should be), the meat tender, and the spices not too strong nor too subtle. In fact the portion was so big that I would have taken half of it home if I hadn’t been staying in a hotel without a fridge.

The service was prompt (again, we were the only customers, so I can’t say whether it’s normally this fast or not), the atmosphere was congenial (colorful but trendy plastic chairs and a couple of TVs showing sports), and the final bill was extremely reasonable. I’d go back if I had the chance, if only to see whether the place can perform under pressure, and to see if the buffet is any good when it’s fresh.