I’ve always been a bit of a carnivore, so when an invitation to check out The Hussar Grill popped up in my inbox, I was pretty ecstatic. Obviously. And when the Hussar Grill in question was the latest Mouille Point acquisition, that ecstasy escalated. Summer days, ocean smells (nice ones, at least), Sunday lunches, and juicy steak – I mean, what’s not to love? So I grabbed my fellow steak-loving friend Marcel and off we went for a Sunday Funday adventure.

I’ve always loved the interior of Hussar Grill. Probably coz half of it is made to look like a mansion library and the bookworm nerd in me does a little romantic happy dance. I have yet to venture into a Hussar Grill at night devouring steak, a bottle of red wine, and some sherry (or brandy) like a real mansion library owner would, but my Sunday experience came close enough so I’ll bank that dream for now.

Love the decor

Cosy seating

The Welcome Snacks

Hussar Grill quite surprised me when they brought out their ‘welcome snack’ – a bowl of potato crisps and a bowl of olives. Now that’s a welcome I like, and immediately got The Hussar Grill some extra brownie points. And according to the Instagram messages I’d received commenting on my story about this, it’s not a new thing. So yay! We also got a bowl of thickly-cut biltong, which is any South Africans dream welcome – and great for tourists to experience a local flavour!

Marcel and I had tons of catching up to do, what with me having spent the last few months in London, so our lovely waiter popped open a bottle of the Hussar Grill Red House Blend – which was surprisingly good – and we completely forgot that we were actually supposed to look at a menu and order food. And maybe that’s a mark of an already-good experience, when a restaurant can provide you the space where you feel comfortable enough to chat forever, enjoy the ambiance, and get to the food when you’re ready. With red wine keeping you company along the way, of course.

The Hussar Grill menu

The wonderful Hussar Grill house blend (red)

Potato crisps ad olives

Thickly-cut biltong

Meat Boards

At some point towards the beginning, the chef came out to present the meat board. He expertly explained the different cuts of steak, marbling, and what’s best served with what. Marcel and I are both steak connoisseurs – Marcel more than me – but it was still good to get a nice reminder of all the different options out there. I think it’s very easy to stick to one cut that you’re familiar with and like, without exploring all the other options.

The Meat Board

Starters: Marrow Bones & Camembert

But it would still take us another hour or two to get to mains. First, starters. The Hussar Grill has a pretty good selection. It could make it incredibly difficult to decide, but I immediately spotted Marrow Bones (R70). Marcel was torn between the Springbok Carpaccio (R90), Bitterballen (R70), Camembert (R90), and Prawn & Avo Cocktail (R90), but eventually went for the camembert. Good choice. It was divine. Coz I ate half of it. Haha. The marrow bones were also lovely and full of flavour – I only wish I had been less worried about carbs and dunked the croutes into the sauce to soak up all the goodness!

Marrow bones and camembert

The Steaks: Chateaubriand & Ostrich Fillet

For mains, Marcel eventually decided on the 300g Chateaubriand (R215), while I went for the 250g Ostrich Fillet with wild berry and apple schnapps sauce (R215). For sides we shared potato mash (R30) and creamed spinach and cinnamon-infused butternut (R35).

It’s not always easy to make a steak look pretty, but I think presentation-wise our respective dishes could have been upped a little to aid that all-so-important visual aspect of eating out. We both ordered our steaks medium rare, and they were beautifully done on the inside, though a little dry towards the edges. Unfortunately they were also a little lacking in flavour, and I found myself having to add salt, which I’ve never done before. That said, I did really like the flavour of the sauce. Marcel wasn’t too happy with the consistency of his Bearnaise, but I really liked it and gladly stole as much as I could.

Ostrich fillet, mash, butternut, spinach, and chateaubriand

Dessert: Ice Cream & Chocolate Vodka Martinis

On the dessert side, we both immediately set our eyes on the Hussar Grill Ice Cream Dessert (R55). This is described as ‘a beguiling combination of vanilla ice cream, peanut brittle, marshmallow, nougat, honeycomb, and sprinkled nuts’. We both expected some sort of ice cream cake and were a little disappointed by the Spur-like dessert we were presented with – but other than that the description is pretty accurate and the dessert was simple yet delightful.

I was pretty stuffed at this point, but The Hussar Grill wouldn’t let us leave without trying their Signature Dessert, a Chocolate Vodka Martini (R40). This was divine – literally like drinking a glass of molten chocolate with a dash of cream. Of course, this also makes it super filling and we couldn’t finish it, no matter how much we wanted to. I think next time I’ll skip dessert and head straight for the Chocolate Vodka Martini.

Ice Cream Dessert

Chocolate Vodka Martini

Final Notes: The Upmarket Casual

All in all, the experience was lovely though the food was a little underwhelming. Given the appearance of The Hussar Grill, we had expected a more fine dining experience. At the end I’d describe it as an upmarket Spur, which is a good thing if the mix of casual and fine is exactly what you’re looking for! The service and ambiance were outstanding, though, and we had a great time. Of course, being in great company helps. The restaurant was also packed by the time we left – with couples enjoying the views, families enjoying Sunday lunch, and kids’ birthday parties livening the atmosphere – and I have no doubt that The Hussar Grill will remain the popular spot that it is.

Visit The Hussar Grill

Get all the details on The Hussar Grill in Mouille Point below.

The Hussar Grill

Address: 163 Beach Road, New Cumberland Building, Mouille Point, Cape Town

Opening Times: Monday – Sunday (12:00 – 22:00)

Website: www.hussargrill.co.za

Call: +27 21 433 2081

Email: mouillepoint@hussargrill.com

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Written by Benike Palfi
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Article Date: December 2018

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