Mick Jagger’s swollen lips singing Angie, Oh Angie, came to mind when Angy introduced herself to our table. She has the experienced gait of someone who has attended to tables over many years and a Rock ‘n Roll edginess that immediately demanded my attention and sympathy. Years ago Blues restaurant was one of the first to go for “the look” – staffers had to conform to that easy-on-the-eye appeal that now comes with working in chichi establishments. For Jimmy’s Killer Prawns Angy’s is perfect.

I knew the spot near the end of Sea Point’s Regent Road well where Mimmo’s traded unsuccessfully and Marco at Simply Delicious tempted us with white chocolate mousse. As Jimmy’s it works well and there’s place to sit outside and listen to the sex-worker’s coos. I remember first seeing the name on the upstairs section of a shopping centre in Randburg, just before you turn down to M-Net and loving the name. What was the killer? I mused and pondered all manner of death by shellfish.

On Tuesday’s the killer is a sushi deal that is worthy of note. It’s one of those eat-all-you-can specials (with the understandable but regrettable exclusion of sashimi and caviar) for R89.

I remember eating a bowl of Chinese noodles at Kuala Lumpur’s Li Yen restaurant at the Ritz Carlton and not being able to distinguish the taste nuances between those and equally delicious – to me anyway – noodles on the streets. I thought about this while vacuuming platters of sushi at Jimmy’s the way the Cat In The Hat sucked up the furniture.

My appreciation for the sushi at Café Balducci’s Royal Sushi bar is well known – not least because my quote of it being “the best sushi bla bla” is carried in their adverts and on posters at the airport. As it is on such display I think about eating sushi more than other food and ask myself if I’ve had a better sushi experience elsewhere. What I missed about the Chinese noodles at the street stall is what Jimmy’s sushi lacked – that ethereal and hard to define quality – finesse.

At R89 the sushi at Jimmy’s has loads of appeal. The chef who seemed to take a liking to Russel Meyer and I and our indefatigable appetites (we consumed more than R450’s of maki rolls) prepared a superb avocado and salmon handroll but for people who are serious about their refined enjoyment there are other places where a more careful approach to ingredients translates into a better eating experience.

With branches in Tokai, Blouberg and Tygervalley Jimmy’s is going for the no-nonsense family diner who wants seafood at affordable prices. At R59 for 12 medium prawns and rice or R31 for battered hake and chips the value seems to be there. Russel and I considered having the Neptune’s Platters for two (R125) which offered 12 medium prawns, grilled hake, calamari, mussels and squid with rice. For non fishy types Jimmy’s offers 300g fillet at R66 and 600g ribs for R69 as well as a vegetarian platter for R49.

As autumn rolls in and local diners begin to hibernate, restaurants have to entice us away from our PVRs and duvets to their tables. I salute restaurants that recognize they’ve fleeced us in the heady summer months and now soften their pricing as competition becomes fiercer. Summerville in Camps Bay, for example offers as many prawns as you like for R99 on Mondays and eat-your-fill ribs for R79 on Wednesdays.

“Thank you Gents – C U next Tuesday. Angy” she wrote on our bill which included a Coke Lite (R9), orange (R8) and 2 liters still water (R34).

Jimmy’s Killer Prawns, 103 Regent street, Sea Point. 021-434-4643.
Café Balducci 021-421-6002. Summerville 021-438-9551.