THE EATERY WOOD FIRED GRILL
* * *
Appetising, fresh and flavourful food
Belvedere Square, corner Belvedere and Keurboom roads, Claremont
Tel: 021 0034505
Open daily 12 noon to 10pm
www.belvederewoodfiredgrill.co.za
GPS: 33° 58’ S / 18° 28’ E
Opened just six months ago, The Eatery Wood Fired Grill is already |popular. The menu varies according to what’s available locally, writes JOS BAKER.
AFTER a week plagued by intermittent internet access, I needed to relax. I craved the casual ambience of a neighbourhood restaurant, with simple, good food and no pretentions.
I’d heard good reports of this local grill, which opened six months ago – and which proved even better than the feedback suggested. In fact, I had the best grilled ostrich fillet I’ve ever eaten; medium rare, tender and served with a beguiling sherry and mushroom sauce and crisp, fresh salad.
Tucked away in a small shopping centre in Claremont, with its catchment area of schools and students, the busy venue is ideally placed to attract custom. Already boasting regulars, its reputation has reached Gordon’s Bay, and Saturdays find seaside residents making a journey inland.
But that’s the icing. The restaurant is aiming at the locals – and the place was packed the Thursday we dined. So what’s the attraction? Tasty fresh food cooked on an open wood fire, and a varied menu (with vegetarian and fish options) offering value for money. If you’re after a bargain, book for a Monday “steak night” when R99 buys you a 300g sirloin and chips Added plus is that although the restaurant’s licensed, you can BYO at no cost, and they’ll provide an ice bucket.
To put this friendly, noisy venue into context, it’s a sister restaurant to the Eatery Wood Fired Grill in Wynberg, – which is next door to the owners’ first outlet, Eat Out The Box takeaway and delivery kitchen.
Bent on the expansion trail, owners Deon Pedersen and Marius Pieters added the Eatery Wood Fired Grill to their portfolio in 2014. “Food is our passion,” explains Deon. “All our meals are freshly prepared daily, with care and attention to detail. The menu’s not static, but varies according to the fresh produce available from our local suppliers.” Fish, for example, is not specified, but baldly listed on the menu as “grilled vis”. As for the open fire, see the menu for the owners’ philosophy: “Here in South Africa, to braai is an obsession – and the only cure for it is to eat some.”
With over 20 years collective experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, these entrepreneurs are confident that they know what the South African market wants and how they want it. “We offer great fresh food, cooked by a resident “braaimaster” and priced to be enjoyed with your favourite bottle of wine and some great friends and family.”
Opting to sit indoors rather than on the deck overlooking the street, we were welcomed by a slip of a student with an engaging sparkle and assured manner. That she genuinely loves her job shows in her welcome. She knows the menu, can describe the sauces – even allows you to taste. All with infectious enthusiasm. And she asks if you’ve a bottle to open as you arrive.
Steak-lovers are well-catered for. Classic “Sir Loin”, is rubbed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh rosemary, thyme, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper; butter-tender “Tender Loin” fillet is given the same caring treatment; while “Argentinean” sirloin replaces the herbs with fresh chimichurri sauce. You could order the full BBQ rack of pork belly ribs, dusted with homemade BBQ dry rub, slow-roasted till tender and then basted with homemade BBQ sauce, but you’re warned “it’s a beast”. Seems a half rack is more manageable. But customers are obviously good trenchermen: both were sold out when we enquired.
Orders are swiftly executed and delivered and helpings are generous. You could start with Ma se bobotie rolls and Mrs Balls, but the heat dictated something lighter. We shared a platter of S&P squid. The tender baby squid tubes and tentacles, dusted and fried till crispy, were served with lemon and lick-the-bowl homemade aioli. We skipped the gourmet burgers, although the unusual “bra figgy” (brie and sweet green figs in syrup) sounded tempting. My Cordon Bleu companion settled for a veggie patch – a mammoth mix of roasted and grilled vegetables on a base of greens, topped with parmesan, roasted tomato and olive relish.
Though we heard a diner at the next table extolling the pleasures of churros, light and delicate South American deep-fried doughnut fingers dusted in cinnamon and served with vanilla ice-cream, we settled for a winner among the desserts, sharing a smooth, classic New York cheesecake, made in house and baked with love.