Romaney OMalley's Profile
Steakhouses in Johannesburg
Websites for the two above restaurants:
www.thebutchershop.co.za
www.thegrillhouse.co.za
Steakhouses in Johannesburg
Wombles - Parktown North
Last night confirmed this place remains the king
First the steak - I ordered a rare fillet. Beautiful piece of meat cooked to perfection. Really good char on the outside but perfectly rare with a consistent texture within indicating plenty of resting. Fantastic flavour even for a fillet. They may have used a baste I'm not sure but it was a ten out of ten.
Mr O's sirloin was pronounced excellent.
Chips were a 9. Much better than BS and GH. Think they had been triple fried as they had that very crispy outside with lovely soft fluffy centre. A lovely rubicon to match and we were very happy campers.
Additional veggies come with your mains for the table to share (butternut squash mash, peas and caremalised shallots - all delicious)
Our other guest had salmon which also looked delicious. I had a potted smoked trout as a starter which wasn't strictly necessary but delicious nonetheless and Mr O had prawn bisque. The fish main and two starters were specials.
Well executed creme caramel to finish (again completely unnecessary as we were bursting)
Service was flawless
I'd also add that the restaurant itself is really impressive. It is set an an old house I think - set back from the street with the only evidence of a restaurant being a small sign covered in ivy out the front. The decor is all dark wood and african and makes for a terrific cosy atmosphere. In summer they open the front of the restaurant to the outside and there is a front garden you can spill into.
One more thing - Wombles is surprisingly a similar price to the other two places - it's certainly not more expensive but in my opinion deserves to be
This place is without doubt my favourite restaurant, steakhouse or otherwise, in Joburg and I look forward to becoming a regular when we move here next month.
Here's a link http://www.wombles.co.za/
Steakhouses in Johannesburg
I am over in Joburg from London and about to relocate permanently. In the past couple of weeks I have eaten more steak than you can poke a stick at which is probably not great for my health but makes for a timely comparison. I am particularly interested in the differing qualities of the steakhouses in Johannesburg. I suspect that it is hard to tell between the restaurants at the top end but I'll include my comments anyway. I think the most important things to a good steakhouse are the following 3 components - steak, chips, wine so I intend to stick to that format. Here goes:
Butcher Shop - Nelson Mandela Square
Ordered a rare sirloin. My steak came closer to med rare but with a nice char on the outside which added flavour. Texture was good and consistent. Overall the flavour of the steak was disappointing. I thought it lacked that depth of flavour of well hung dry aged steak. The meat in SA seems to be largely wet aged and I don't know if this has something to do with it. I also need to find out more about the age of the animals and what they eat. So a decent steak but nothing special. Chips were fine - say a 6 out of ten. Great cellar, hefty markups but we had an interesting cab sauv from stellenbosch. The room is ok - the place is enormous and it feels that way. Service was fine. There's a big shopfront where you can also buy meat to take home. The place is obviously doing very well but the downside is that it does feel a bit like a mini industry in there and not a cosy special restaurant.
Grillhouse - Rosebank
Ordered a rare fillet. They ask you to opt for spiced or basted. I'm not usually fond of messing around with a good steak like this but I went for basted. Steak came correctly cooked, lovely and rare in the middle. Meat was well rested so texture was lovely and consistent. I am not sure what is in the baste that they used but rather liked it. Again I thought the meat was a little lacking in flavour (hard to judge with a fillet though as naturally it will have less flavour than say a sirloin). Chips were fine - similar to the Butcher Shop. Cellar looked good but the boys looked after the business end so didn't really get a look. Service was a bit better than the BS. Room is well laid out, lots of dark wood and leather, but it still feels a bit like you're eating in a shopping centre (which you are). Overall I think this place has the edge on the above. Steak was better, it has a more cosy feel and better atmosphere and lighting and slightly better service.
Tomorrow I'm off the Wombles - watch this space......
Biltong - where to get the best?
I am in Joburg at the moment. I bought a bag of biltong from woolworths which was perfectly pleasant but nothing special. Last night was dinner at the Meat Company in melrose arch so I bought some of their biltong to take away. Haven't tried it yet but it looks pretty good. Bought it in a whole strip which they then chopped and vac packed for me which is great as I can take it back to London.
Any other places I should check out? Anyone know what the biltong is like at the Butcher Shop in Nelson Mandela square?
If I get one reply I'll be surprised but it's worth a try!
Borough Market (London) strategy, Saturday a.m.
I would try and grab a table at either of Wright Brothers or Brindisa tapas
Jo'berg
I am resurrecting this thread.
Off to Wombles tonight for dinner. Will report back tomorrow
Where to buy fresh anchovies in London?
The ones at Brindisa are called boquerones and you can get them in little tubs - just look in the glass display cabinet. They are marinated in more of a light oil and vinegar mixture rather than in lemon juice (I think) but they are delicious
Visiting London from New York
There's a place near Roast called Wright Brothers it's an Oyster house. they have a bar and you can eat and drink and watch them cook and shuck. Great food and has a great atmosphere too. All the places around Borough are great for people watching so good if you're dining alone. If you go to Roast try and get a window seat and you can peer down through the window on the punters below
Progressive Eating- Favourite Food Tours
I'd add one to the 'around Marylebone' - up near Alfie's Market (Church Rd) on a Saturday (maybe more often not sure) they have a lot of stalls on the street. One of them is a stall that does charcoal grilled meats. They make their own breads cooked with ghee (chapati? not sure not an expert). I go to this place without fail if I am in the area - it is outstanding. Get a chicken kebab with chilli and yoghurt sauce (comes with the basics - lettuce, tomato, cabbage). These things make me drool
Only problem is you'd not have room for much else afterwards.
Has anyone else tried these??
Progressive Eating- Favourite Food Tours
I know it's an obvious one but what about a turn around borough. something like:
A martini and stare out at the punters up in the bar at Roast
a dozen oysters and a glass of champagne at Wright brothers
Charceuterie, olives and a glass of albarino at brindisa
Actually I don't think you'd get me out of brindisa after that - would move onto some puds and a glass of amontillado
or a nice big plate of cheese
