Fishy Fridays on the Sunshine Coast #2: Port Alfred River & Ski-boat Club
Every Friday we have fish and chips for lunch at a different venue along the Sunshine Coast, from Port Elizabeth to East London. (That's a looong way to travel, so sorry if we seem to favour the Port Alfred area, it's only because we live here.) We then rate each place, so you can know where to find the best fish and chips!
We'd heard via the grape-vine (it still works better than social media on the platteland) that the ski boat club across from the harbour in Port Alfred serves fish and chips specials on Sundays. We decided to break with the program and move our Friday lunch dates with hake and chips to a Sunday and give the ski club lunch a try.
After driving down a short potholed lane we arrived at the club, a rather non-descript, two-storey face-brick building. The upstairs dining room resembles a school cafeteria, with simple furniture and curtains from the late eighties. Unfortunately it was a rather windy day, because the outside tables on the verandah have a pretty view over the harbour and Kowie River.
The rather stony-faced waitress took our drinks order, and we didn't have to wait long for the fish and chips to arrive. We fetched out straight-up-and-down Greek salads from a central dish (hello, Covid?) before tucking in.
Despite the plain, simple serving was surprisingly tasty, even though it was frozen hake and I doubt the chips were made on the premises. Same with the tartar sauce, which was a from a catering bottle. The salad was okay, but I don't think it was really necessary.
The price tag of R70 each wasn't exactly a bargain, but still a good price and value for money. Looking around the room - it was about three-quarters full - I got the impression these were folks who chase a good deal, or were regulars at the club.
Will be return? Perhaps, but we'll make sure the weather's pleasant enough to sit outside in the sun and take in the fine view of boats passing back and forth on the river.
Score is out of a total of ten:
Ambience: 3
Service: 5
Presentation: 5
Value for money: 10
Taste: 6
Overall: 58%