City Grill is the oldest steak house at the Waterfront and has been passed down from the original owners to their kids. When a restaurant has “grill” in their name I assume that they do a mean steak, so when they invited us, I was keen to get my steak on.
Starters
The starters didn’t start things off so well. We had Tempura Prawns (R105), Carpaccio (R95) and the Biltong Plate (R89). The prawns were well cooked, but needed seasoning, the smoked springbok carpaccio was delicious, but a small portion, and the biltong plate could have done with different types of biltong to try, not just shavings and two pieces of dry wors. Overall the presentation wasn’t great on any of the plates, which was my main issue.
Mains
The mains however, SAVED THE DAY. Seriously. Seriously delicious. I had the Steak Diane (R259). The moist succulent, tender grilled fillet that I have ever sunk my teeth into. For R259, I would have hoped so, and I got it. Served on a toasted French baguette and then topped with a mushroom, garlic, red wine, cognac and cream sauce, served with creamy mash. It was a plate of absolute heaven. I could eat this every single day and I would be happy with my life.
Marvin had the Kudu Steak (SQ) which was sauteed, with a mild green peppercorn sauce and dotted with sultanas. I avoided the sultanas themselves like the plague, but the hint of sweetness that they gave to the sauce, was really delicious with the meat. It was served with roast veg and whit rice.
Dessert
To end off the night, we had a gigantic slice of Cape Brandy Pudding (R75), which was packed with dates, nuts and a great glug of brandy and served hot with vanilla ice cream – this bad boy is perfect for sharing.
City Grill did grace me with the mean steak that I was hoping for, but they also have crocodile, kudu, ostrich, springbok, zebra, warthog, and more. They’re halaal-friendly, have live entertainment, cater for events, and allow the booking of the restaurant for private functions. I think they should relook the starters as a whole, because they weren’t a great start to what was then a delicious meal. The restaurant was absolutely packed for a Monday night, and not just with tourists, with South Africans too – so make sure you book!
PS: Be sure to sign up for their VIP card, onto which 15% of your bill will be added as credit, and you get a R300 voucher on your birthday!
