Miller’s Restaurant Re-opens

- Yolande Singery -

Food lovers will be pleased to hear that Mike Upton and Tim Rowson of the Prince Albert Garden Guest House re-opened Miller’s Restaurant in September and have received rave reviews from foodies in Prince Albert and beyond.

Miller’s now concentrates on home grown, home cooked food, which will change from week to week and season to season. At the moment casseroles, curries and oxtails will always be the type of dish on the winter specials menu. In summer, light meals, salads and pastas will be served al fresco. On Sundays, they serve a three-course set menu and a children’s menu, both of which have already proved to be popular with families. And they have introduced afternoon tea.

Unknown to the chef and staff, three friends dropped in unexpectedly to see whether the promising nods of approval of some in the town who had already been there were justified. That was a good move indeed.

One of my well-travelled friends had the Thai green chicken curry, which she described as ‘the real McCoy.’ Another raved about the phyllo pastry starter, as well as a really worthwhile haddock dish. They both enjoyed the Meringue Chantilly.

The third foodie tackled one of his favourite winter dishes, oxtail. He explained that he had been ‘met beesstert in my mond gebore’ and knew the real thing when he came across it. Miller’s presentation was by far the tastiest he had ever had. He ate every scrap of the deliciously tender meat and, to the polite discomfit of his companions, he proceeded to gnaw and suck every last bone noisily. He ended off his performance by licking his fingers and between grunts of pleasure and sighs of satisfaction, he sucked the last morsels from his fingers!

Over coffee the three were heard contentedly solving the problem of politics and waterbeurte in Prince Albert and when presented with the bill, they commented on how reasonable it was and what a pleasure it was to have another elegantly casual restaurant in the town.

Mike started cooking when he was only 8 years old and later learnt how to feed crowds when he did national service and had to cook for 4000 troopies! He later bought the oldest restaurant in Kwa-Zulu Natal, The Valley View, which had been going for 75 years. He ran it for a further 12 years and specialised in supper theatre, weddings and functions. He has also worked in restaurants in Cape Town and cooked in Wales for a wealthy landowner.

Tim has always had the urge to travel and after some time in Kenya became a highly-skilled theatre design artist and travelled with Walt Disney’s The Lion King in Australia, South Africa and China. He painted Prince Albert scenes to give the restaurant a local flavour and so by default, it has become a gallery space for his artworks.

The new Miller’s is a welcome addition to the number of quality restaurants that is sure to lure travellers and local folk alike.

Miller’s is open for lunch, afternoon tea and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday and for lunch on Sunday. To make a reservation, call 074 3401706.