Mushroom Lounge and Café

I’m Nick Hamman and I’m looking for the best tradition food in South Africa — and today I’m out at Mushroom in uMhlanga, KZN, together with my friend Phumlani Qwabe, Senior Tourism Officer at Durban Tourism. He’s deeply passionate about growing our country’s tourism industry and is currently doing his PhD on reducing crime in tourist areas.

Run by husband and wife Mageza and Kwezi, Mushroom offers a taste of home, with all of the classics like ulusu or mogodu, hard body chicken, trotters and of course what’s fast becoming my favourite, nyama yentloko, which they give their own twist here by adding paprika to the broth.

For the uninitiated, an isithebe is a traditional round wooden tray used in Zulu culture to serve food during communal meals or special occasions. More than just tableware, it represents shared identity, respect for guests, and the heritage that lives in every meal.

Fun fact:
The expression “uphakelwa esithebeni” (you’re being served on the isithebe) idiomatically means you’re being treated with honour, dignity, and care.

They also offer cocktails and a full western menu as well as sushi, as their chef Fika worked and trained in Japan.
The nyama yentloko is rich and tender, soaked in a broth that’s bold, slightly smoky, and full of depth — you taste every slow-cooked hour. The trotters are gelatinous and flavourful, while the hard body chicken brings that old-school, firm bite and deep homestyle flavour that just hits different.

I’m grateful to my friends at Durban Tourism for plugging me on the spot and I would highly recommend you check it out — I’ve left the details in the caption.
Give me a follow and let me know in the comments where you think I should go next.

#meat #chicken #beef #zulu #nyama #nyamayenthloko #iulusu #mogodu