Siphiwe Mphe

Food
If you are unfortunate enough to regularly attend those tiresome kid’s birthday parties – and eat - at the place where the staff make a right spectacle of the Happy Birthday song, you will praise the gods after your meal at The Local Grill. For 16 years, the owner Steve Maresch – a beef obsessive – has been perfecting the art of the elevated steakhouse experience. Beef – both grain fed and grass fed - is sourced from local farmers and as a far afield as Brazil. It is aged (wet or dry) on the premises and cooked to your heart’s desire.

Kitchens are important and the fact that one can tour this one and hear the beef story is not only a nice touch and popular, but great for transparency and peace of mind for clean freaks, like my companion.

There are starters for varied palettes, our recommendation being the Smoked Salmon served with Avocado and capers, or if you want to make it a total meat fest, the Venison skewer, which is 'rubbed, grilled and served on a bed of rocket, drizzled with cranberry port jus.’. Amen.

She had the juicy 500g Sirloin on the bone - with added bone marrow – perfectly medium rare, with mustard sauce.
I went for Sausage feast, with boerewors, Persian lamb sausages and venison wors. Served with tomato pepper relish and pap (you can also have mash). All the sausages were juicy and flavourful, with the robust venison a stand out. Just as well, because I would have been upset that I decided against the pork ribs, brushed with herb butter or basted with honey soya.
I was shocked to come across a Vegan option, but there it was, a Cous Cous and Vegetable medley, with seasonal vegetables and a tomato pepper relish.

Prepare to spend over R 500 for two. That is with two courses and nominal drinks.
If you fancy a group experience, you can book the Beef Experience or Beef Appreciation session, in a private dining room. Look forward to comparative beef tasting and demonstrations in their kitchen using their Weber grill, and the Himalayan salt they cook the meat on. Book well in advance.

An extensive dessert selection from ice cream (three scoops of vanilla topped with a bar one sauce) and home made chocolate brownies, to Bread and butter AND Malva pudding.

Ambiance
The mood is versatile, and because of the size of the space and delineated areas, is suitable for a date, while equally appropriate for a birthday celebration or a schmooze business lunch.

Service
The service is friendly, in a formal, gentlemanly manner. All the waiters know the menu well and have excellent training.

Drinks
As one would expect from an establishment centred on quality beef, their proactive wine selection process - valuing boutique wine farms and patron feedback – is exhaustive and as, ahem, fluid as their finest Pinot Noir. Only the tried and tested survive the quarterly swing of the sommelier’s sword, chopping away from the ‘living list’ those wines deemed by the clientele to be unworthy.
If the only companion you can imagine for your bloody steak is a robust red, then you are looking at between R250 and R470. For just under a grand, you could opt for one of the nine Bordeaux Blends. The bubbly straddles decent local, right up to Moët and Veuve for just under R1500.

Best for...
Some of the best meat you'll ever have.

(2018)

Eat Out critics dine anonymously and pay for their meals in full. Read our editorial policy here.