Bucket Scene: Cattle Baron - Pearls Mall

There was a time in Durban where there were not that many grill houses around and one had to resort to the basic chain restaurants which while are okay, doesn't give you that same satisfaction that one of the more premium ones give when having a meal. Fortunately times have changed and grill houses are abundant with us spoiled for choice to be honest. The recent opening of the Pearls Mall in Umhlanga has seen one of the big names in Steak Houses occupying a prime location on the malls roadside front. Cattle Baron has a great heritage in the Cape and it's nice to see it opening on the East Coast of SA. I've never eaten at one before so my first experience was at the new store in Umhlanga. 

With the Pearls Mall being marketed as a high end lifestyle center, the introduction of this restaurant is quite welcomed, the decor is modern and the store is spacious but still has the warmth to it that you expect from a grill house. It can accommodate large groups of patrons and also has intimate couch seating for couples and small families. Being on the sea facing end of the mall, there is also an out door balcony seating area which I tried when I first visited, unfortunately with Durban's temperamental weather, it began raining soon after we were seated so we had to move indoors. 

So far I've visited the Cattle Baron at Pearls Mall twice so far, once just after it opened and the second visit was a month ago. While there were slight issues on my first visit in terms of service, I did understand the place was fairly new and long as the food was great, that was all that mattered. Apart from the great wine selection as one would expect at a grill house, they also have a good collection of whisky's which I was quite happy to see. Other drinks on the menu do include beers, ciders, cool drinks and hot drinks. 

While I do frequently visit Steak Houses, I do not eat steak due to religiously reasons but the Cattle Baron does have a variety of cuts and options to chose from. On my first visit I opted for a poultry dish, the chicken parmesan which reads of the menu as "deep-fried chicken breasts layered with bacon, smothered in cheese sauce, sprinkled with Parmesan shavings and topped with toasted onions" enough to make ones mouth salivate. The dish was awesome, chicken was succulent, the cheese sauce was not too over pouring, the onions were light and sweet and the salty, crispy bacon brought all the elements on the plate together beautifully. 

On my second visit I went with my stock standard order at a grill house, Lam Loin Chops. For me the make or break to a good lamb chops is its basting sauce and how it's prepared. I asked for it to be done medium to well which they got right to the t. The meat soft and tender which just melts in your mouth and the basting sauce was superb which found me licking my fingers. It's nice to see that apart from the regular starch that's always offered to a meal, the Cattle Baron also provides a complimentary hot veg for the table as I found myself going for a few helpings of the cream spinach. 

Also compared to other steak houses, the Cattle Baron has quite a few vegetarian options which I found great. 

The dessert menu is also quite extensive and features many of SA's favorites including malva pudding and cheese cake. I settled for a creme brullee and coffee. The sugar top was just the right thickness, I find some places over do it with the sugar and you spend more time try to get shards of sugar out of your teeth than enjoying the custard. Overall both dinning experiences at Cattle Baron Umhlanga were great and satisfactory, with the place having a welcoming atmosphere and keen prices, the staff and owner who made a point of coming to greet each patron added a nice touch and even offered a free dessert to one in our group because her mains arrived late.

*all pictures from the website: www.cattlebaron.co.za

Bucket Scene: The Hussar Grill

When I first heard that The Hussar Grill was opening a branch in Durban I was over the moon, I've heard a lot of this legendary grill from my mates in Cape Town but whenever I find myself in Mountain-land, I never got a chance to experience dinning at one of their many branches. Like most men, I love my meat, and whilst there's many grill houses already in Durban, not many keep that consistancy. One can easily cock-up a steak and it's never a pleasant experience especially if you're paying top dollar for it. 

This is where establishments like The Hussar Grill come in, with over 50 years of experience, they're regarded as one of South Africa's Premier Grill Rooms and with good reason too. They have a loyal following and the reason they keep coming back is for their award-winning speciality steaks and wine selection, along with their superb service an warm ambience. 

This week myself a few mates decided to go give The Hussar Grill a try, with a booking made, it was time to see what all the fuss was about. Upon arrival I was warmly greeted by their gorgeous hostess at the entrance and then escorted to my table. The decor of the place is great, the low lighting sets the tone for a relaxed lounge feel and the restaurants theme sort of an old school library / wine cellar vibe. They're known for their great selection of wines but I'm not a wine person as I prefer my whisky, our waiter for the night was quick to go through their extensive range of single malts and mixed blends with me, I was quite surprised with the selction they have as many restaurants just cater with the popular ones.

Once I had my drink it was time to study the food menu, I'll be honest I already had in mind what I was going to order as I had a good look at the menu from their website prior to arriving. While doing so, our waiter brought some sweet potato crisps and marinated olives to snack on, both of which got snapped up in a matter of minutes. For starters, everything on the menu looks great and you really want to order more than one but when you flip over to have a look at the mains, you want to keep space for that. I eventually settled for calamari as its a personal favourite starter of mine, it was light and tender, crispy on the outside and with the right about of lemon on it. The accompanying tartar sauce was just as exquisite. Even though it is a starter, it was quite a generous portion and could well easily be shared with someone. 

While taking a break with some more good quality whisky, it was time to decide on the mains, the Hussar does have specilas on the day so be sure to check with your waiter when you do visit. Otherwise their menu has enough for to cater for anyones taste buds, whether it be beef, lamb, seafood, poultry or even game, depending on the hunt. Our waiter brought through their meat board to show us the various cuts and explain to us how it is prepared and what is the best way to order it. The menu also offers guidlines to your selection of how you would like your meal grilled. I opted for something off the menu, as the waitor informed me they had lamb steaks, not often you would find this around, lamb is best done medium and it was basted with their rib marinade, served with a side of chips, creamed spinach and a cheese sauce. 

It was quite a decent portion of meat, 250g of lamb with just a sliver of fat, crispened nicely. It was full of flavour and most importantly, tender and melted in my mouth. I also opt for a cheese sauce and I enjoy the taste of it with the lamb. They say you know a meal is good when everyone at the table is quiet and enjoying their meal but its not always the case as with us, each of my mates were raving about their meal, insisting what they ordered was better than the next. There was only one way to settle this, as we all tasted a little bit from each others plates. I honestly couldn't fault any dish I tasted, as everything was prepared perfectly and tasted great. In the end we all agreed that there was no dish better than the other as all were pretty darn good. 

Already stuffed, the waiter brought the menu's again to have a look at the dessert menu and as tempting as it was, I just couldn't eat anything else. But one that did catch my eye was the Hussar Grill Ice Cream, it's described so incredibly on the menu that it almost hypnotises you to order it "This extravagant dessert is a beguiling combination of vanilla ice cream, peanut brittle, marshmallow, nougat, honeycomb and sprinkled nuts. Drizzled with our signature dark chocolate sauce. Sometimes more is better." I mean if that isn't worthy to get your drooling I don't know what is. 

Overall my experience at The Hussar Grill was everything I expected it to be, and a perfect location of a boys night out but equally can be a great place to have a quiet dinner with a loved one, family or even a business luncheon or dinner. Another thing to note as I have mentioned their selction of wines before but if you opt to bring in your own bottle, they do not charge you a corkage free! The prices are very keen when you look at the level of service and quality of food you're getting. I highly reccommend you visit the Hussar Grill to see for yourself why they're one of the best. 

Details:

The Hussar Grill Gateway

Shop G003, Gateway Theatre of Shopping

Tel: 031 566 4047

Facebook: The Hussar Grill Gateway

Twitter: @TheHussarGrill

Instagram: thehussargrill

Braai for Heritage

Often when the 24th of September comes around, its seen as a welcomed break for many from the hectic working week. Many use the day to relax or catch up with odds and ends, like they do on many other public holidays. Its sad that such a few of us take note of why we have the day off . Since South Africa dubbed the rainbow nation is home to such a multicultural population that Heritage Day is set aside to for each of the groups to be proud of the cultural background and beliefs, also to learn about others.

Seeing that the people of SA come from such a diverse cutural spectrum, its funny how we all are pretty similar and like similar things, one of them being having a braai. There's nothing better than to sit around a fire with friends and family, sharing a cold beverage and while waiting for your food to get done on the open flame. This here may seem like nothing but its something that has been pushed for by Jan Scannell, better known as Jan Braai.

In 2007 he and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu helped encourage nation building by celebrating Heritage Day by doing something we love, having a braai! It was then "National Braai Day" was born, there was some upheaval from the Government that people were losing the true meaning of the day so the name was then changed to "Braai4Heritage". Last year Jan travelled to th e 3 major cities being Joburg, Durban and Cape Town whilst having a braai in each one for the day, I was fortunate enough to join him in Durban. This year he travelled the country doing "9 days, 9 Provinces, 9 Braais" wasnt lucky enough to join him this time around as work had kept me busy. Jan also has released a recipe book this year titled "Fireworks" so look out for it at your nearest book store.

Jan Scannell

So come Monday the 24th, dont forget to celebrate your heritage, light a fire, throw a chop on it and enjoy a dop!