Tag Archives: steak

Restaurant Review: Belthazar Restaurant and Wine Bar launches Alfresco Value Lunch

I recently received a call from Ian Halfon, co-owner of the Waterfront-based Belthazar Restaurant and Wine Bar (and Balducci), telling me about their new Alfresco Value Lunch, which is available every lunchtime.   It is an amazingly affordable offering of good value dishes, and even some wines, from a restaurant that has been known for excellent but expensive steak in the past.

The full menu and winelist is still available, but the Alfresco Value Lunch menu was brought to the table when I asked for it.  It is an A4 page, in the same design style as the larger standard menu, and is divided into Starters, Burgers, Wet and Dry Aged Beef, Salads, Fish, Desserts and the Value Wines.   The menu also refers to the new “Instore Biltong Bar”, beef, ostrich, kudu and “other rare South African game” biltong being available for sale at the Reception desk inside the restaurant. 

Co-owner Doron Duveen came to say hello, and told me what a difficult year it has been for business across the board, and how clients are trading down in terms of food and wines, and cutting out starters and desserts.   Their response has been the recent introduction of the Alfresco Value Lunch, with a good number of options to choose from.   Initially I declined Doron’s offer to have a glass of wine, but his sommelier-in-training Luke Ericson was better able to twist my arm to have a small taste of a wonderful 2006 Rijk’s Shiraz.   The glass was served with a tag, denoting the name of the wine, the variety, and its vintage.

I chose to sit outside, under the Nederburg branded umbrellas, surrounded by tourists.  The staff look smart, with a white branded Belthazar shirt, black pants and white apron, and a smart-looking black bow-tie.   All staff smile, and check regularly if all is in order.  The Belthazar staff have always impressed me with their professionalism, and those with attitude do not seem to work there anymore!  The bread plate, consisting of a large roll, butter hygienically protected with a branded paper cover, and a pork and beef sausage in a Napolitana-style sauce, was brought to the table, whether one orders from the standard or the Alfresco Value Lunch menu, a mini-meal in itself.   A standard as well as a steak knife is automatically set on each table, with a material serviette.   Even though I only used the fork for the bread and sausage, the whole sideplate and its cutlery was replaced in preparation for the main course.   No fish knife was offered for my choice of main course.

While I associate Belthazar with steak, I chose to have calamari served in a pan – usually it is served with chilli and garlic, but I asked for the former to be removed – and with chips or a baked potato, which the waitress was willing to have changed to rice.   The pan looked brand new and shiny, and came with Patagonian calamari tubes, the rice, and a generous lemon-half, excellent value at R89, and surpassing my benchmark of the best calamari which I usually have at Willoughby’s.   Linefish costs R99; Burgers cost R65 for a classic pure beef burger, up to R85 for a “Double Whopper Beef Burger”, served with two patties; Steak Roll and chips costs R89; a 200 gram sirloin and chips costs R99; and salads range from R55 for the Alfresco Salad to R85 for a Smoked Tuna Salad.  For Starters one can order Biltong (R75) or Droëwors (R 65) – the weight served is not specified; a cured meat platter with olives and bread for two costs R120; and Smoked tuna carpaccio costs R 85.   A Value Seafood platter filled with linefish, calamari, prawns, and mussels served with rice or chips and a sauce costs R265 for two persons to share.   Three desserts are offered, ice cream or sorbet at R40, and Ice Cream Sundae and Malva Pudding at R49 each. I had a lovely frothy Illy cappuccino, costing R20.

Three wines are offered as Value Wines: Koelenbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2010, South Hill Rosé, and Morgenhof Fantail Pinotage 2008, all three costing R99 a bottle.

I will come back to Belthazar for a lunch stop when at the Waterfront, knowing what a nice selection of light lunch options they now serve at affordable prices.

Belthazar Restaurant and Wine Bar, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.   Tel (021) 421-3753.      www.belthazar.co.za  (The website is functional, with the standard menu, Alfresco Value Lunch menu and winelist, but few food photographs).   Monday – Sunday lunch 12h00 – 16h00 for the Alfresco Value Lunch, standard menu available lunches and dinners, seven days a week.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.comTwitter: @WhaleCottage

1800° not very hot yet!

A restaurant that opened in October last year when the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel and Residence opened in Green Point is 1800°, named after a special New York-style griller which grills steaks from the top at 1800 degrees F (982° C), our waiter Emmanuel told us on arrival at the table.   The restaurant has established itself for its excellent steaks.

Given the 5-star grading of the Hotel, the interior decor of the restaurant is disappointing, it being ‘all over the place’ – tables are placed next to each other, but separated by cane screens, which means that you can hear every word the couple next door says, but you cannot see them at all, much like sitting in a confession box!    The benches at the walls of the restaurant are covered in a brown fabric, with random white stripes, and garish plastic-like yet fresh orange/yellow flower arrangements above each.   The restaurant is very brightly lit, and the music cannot be heard, as the noise level of the patrons rises as the evening wears on.

Emmanuel introduces the restaurant by telling us where the cloakrooms are located, an interesting but important touch.  He talks us through the menu, describing almost every dish as “lovely”, and recommending all of them highly.  Yet, he feeds back that the chef is not recommending the sirloin on the particular evening, as it is too tough – 10/10 for this honesty!   He explains about the flavoured salts, “infused with herbs”, that one can select from a list, to enhance the steak, and brings a sample of three salts to the table.   A selection of sauces – Argentinian, German mustard, Italian mushroom and herb – and more can be ordered with the steak, and a starch comes with the dish.  A side salad and vegetables can be ordered, at a most reasonable R 16 each.   The fillet steak costs R 130 for 200 grams, 300 grams cost R 160 and 400 grams cost R 190, while the 200 gram rump costs R 120 and 300 gram R 140.   A discount of 10 % off the price of the steaks is running in August, but the waiter does not tell us that.  

Starters are mainly soups and salads, and cost R 35 – R 60.  The linefish of the day costs R 97, and other main courses are reasonably priced.   Desserts cost R 37 – 48, and are predictable – chocolate bomb, coconut pannacotta, lime tart, creme brulee,  ice cream and sorbet.

The Manager Lauren arrives at the table soon after we arrive, to check on things, but as we have not received anything yet except the winelist and menus, we cannot answer her question as to how we are doing.

The restaurant fills up quickly on a Friday evening, and soon the waiter is hardly to be seen.  The wait for the steak is quite long, but worth it, as both the fillet and the rump are outstanding.  The flavoured salt does little to add to its delicious taste, and the sauces are excellent.

On tasting the 2007 Brampton Shiraz, the customer proclaims that it needs a lot of breathing.  The bottle of wine is placed on a nearby table, and the customer only sees that the screwtop has been placed back on the bottle by Emmanuel when he pours more wine in the glasses.   This is a serious deficiency in Emmanuel’s training.

Lauren, the Manager, is very attentive as the evening wears on, and comes to the rescue in describing the ingredients and preparation of a chocolate dessert special.   While the customer does not choose the chocolate dessert, the chef sends a complimentary slice to the table anyway.  The chef sends his business card too, asking for feedback of his food. 

The bill arrives with a spoonful of chocolate truffle for each diner, almost as if the bill has to be sweetened.   The automatic deduction of the 10 % discount off the cost of the steaks is commendable, as it was not mentioned during the evening – the steak special is printed on a piece of paper, and lies at the reception desk.  

On paying at the reception desk, due to the wait to have the payment taken,  Cheny at the front desk asks the “plastic” question as to how the customers enjoyed the “experience”!  The customer asks what ‘experience’ she is referring to, as it is a restaurant much like any other, just lacking in atmosphere.  

Underground parking is available for free, and can be arranged with the doorman on arrival.

The total cost for 2 steaks, one dessert, the bottle of Brampton Shiraz and a cappuccino was R 405.

Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

You can eat anything you like, as long as its….

A novel restaurant opened in Cape Town 7 months ago, serving no starter and only one cut of steak as its main course.   HQ in Heritage Square is no dining option for vegetarians, for restaurant patrons who like a choice of dishes or for those that like to choose when they wish to arrive at the restaurant!.   Luckily the dessert and the wines are not prescribed, in that a choice is offered!

With a loft-like yet very simple decor, it has wooden tables covered with brown paper “tablecloths”, which state clearly that one can have anything to eat as long as it’s steak.   It also serves as a data record, in that one is requested to add one’s name, e-mail address and cell number.

The waitress was efficient but did not connect with her customers.  She explained that they only serve sirloin, and that it is “35-year matured”, getting her years and days confused.   Asking about the origin of this unique restaurant concept, she explained that it is based on Cafe’ de Paris in Geneva, which has operated for 75 years offering only one dish:  Entrecote Cafe’ de Paris.   The  famous entrecote is served with a sauce of which the recipe is a trade secret, but it is thought to be made from chicken livers, fresh thyme, cream, white Dijon mustard and butter, according to Wikipedia.

A green salad with parmesan shavings and pine nut kernels is served as a starter – tough if you do not eat salad, as few men are wont to do!   One is told that the chef recommends the steak to be prepared medium rare, and this is marked as such on the “tablecloth”.    The steak arrived absolutely rare, which is the trade mark of Cafe’ de Paris as well.  On checking and receiving the feedback, the waitress took the plates back to the kitchen.  They came back to the table completely overcooked.   The steak is served with chips.   The cost of the salad bowl, steak and chips is a pricy R 140.   Desserts are more reasonably priced at about R 25 each.

The winelist is unpretentious and will not win an award.   It lists the wines under “Red”, “White” etc, but does show the vintage of each of the wines.   The most astronomically priced wine is a Schalk Burger, at R 1 400 a bottle or R 350 a glass!

One may not arrive after 19h30, we were told, yet many patrons were only seated at 20h00 or even later.

The entrance on Buitengracht Street is recommended, as parking is freely available there.   Tables near the bar area are very draughty, as the door to Heritage Square is open.  Request a table closer to Buitengracht Street.

Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com