Review of the Hussar Grill
Practice makes perfect, as they say and after 54 years of practising the art of cooking steak, The Hussar Grill does it perfectly.
After a summer of grinning and bearing my dear friends' braaied offerings, I needed a professional touch and so visited the franchise's original restaurant in Rondebosch. I was not disappointed.
I loved the decor - celebrating the restaurant's rich history, from the iconic brass doors, to the dark wood and the photos on the walls, and the busy trade says a lot about its popularity.
A restaurant with so much history, is bound to have classics: those dishes that it is known for and as it was our first visit, we thought we would stick to those, starting with the Hussar beef biltong, which they've been curing themselves since 1964.
The restaurant promises no corkage ever, but we came empty-handed.
Good thing as the Hussar Grill 50th Red, a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with ripe dark fruit and red berries flavours and a hint of spice, went perfectly with our meat heavy meal.
For mains we ordered the sirloin on the bone and the rump, both with blue cheese sauce, and the rib-eye with truffle-infused compound butter. Our array of sides included creamed spinach and cinnamon-infused butternut, fries and a side salad.
The medium rare beef was beautifully marbled on the outside and perfectly pink on the inside. The sides were adequate accompaniments, but the meat was definitely the stars of the show.
Throughout our meal, the hiss of the grill from the open kitchen added to the ambience of the buzzing steakhouse.
If you are not in the mood for a sizzling steak, the Hussar Grill also has pork belly, poultry and seafood and even a vegetarian option, fried halloumi served on a bed of sauteed green beans, roasted tomatoes and roasted veg.
If you still have some space, their dessert choices doesn't stray too far from the traditional grillhouse menu options: malva pudding, crème brûlée , baked cheesecake, chocolate fondant and ice-cream.
We just could not do it, so our waitress suggested another Hussar Grill signature dish, a Chocolate Vodka Martini.
The chocolate infused vodka topped with cream was just enough to end our lovely meal on a sweet note.
The Hussar Grill has all the tradition that comes with being around for over 50 years, and why mess with something that works.