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Daily Maverick
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
After dark in the Stellenbosch restaurant the world is noticing
Dusk, in central old Stellenbosch, has made a considerable mark in a few short years. The space is suitably dark and elegant. The food is inventive and playful. The wine is perfectly matched to the exemplary food. Is this not enough? The first course arrives and suddenly you're a contestant on MasterChef Australia. Two slim spoons on a plate contain little coloured rounds that look like boiled sweets. The waiter looks at us like he's a MasterChef judge, eyebrow raised. Choose one each and guess what the flavour is. Your time starts now. Eek. One is orange, the other yellow. Intern Naomi Campbell is with me for dinner and I must have said something disparaging about orange at some point, because she says, with typical courtesy: 'Tony, I know you don't like orange so how about I take that one and you take the red?' I must have muttered something about some or other orange garment earlier while browsing high street boutiques, but I love orange and even have a great big orange wall at home. But no orange shirts. I take the red one in deference to Naomi's thoughtfulness. It's strawberry or maybe raspberry, but when the waiter returns I say the former and it's correct. It's an easy one, as strawberry's flavour is distinctive and hard to confuse with anything else. The orange flavour, less so: is it peach, or is it apricot? Naomi vacillates between the two and says apricot. But it's peach. I wouldn't have been sure either. It's a fun way to get the palate paying attention to the many flavours that lie ahead. Our palates did need a refresher. We'd been to VUUR for a very long lunch. I got back to Bonne Esperance Boutique Guest House at 5.30pm, climbed into bed and set my alarm for 7.15pm. Woke up, had a refreshing shower, and met Naomi at Dusk — or actually at 8pm, some time after dusk. The menu says dusk was at 18.10. I was expecting it to be dark inside, and it is. That kind of dark that works because it makes everything else disappear into the background except for the food and wine on your table. And you need focus here, because this is a restaurant with a philosophy. With a vision. Oh, and a mission. Contemporary fine-fining buzzwords abound on the Dusk website. Immersive. Bold. Disruptive. An experience. Quality local produce. Bold. Fresh. Did I mention Bold? Bold is a good food word. Disruptive? Well, if a dozen or so restaurants in your region are also doing food that is bold, fresh and creative, how disruptive is disruptive? This is not to diss the food, wine and the Dusk 'experience' in any way — I'm talking about the use of words, and how they cancel each other out if everyone uses the same ones. It would be more disruptive not to say anything. Of all the Cape restaurants doing this kind of thing, does Dusk more than hold its own? It does. Does it do more than that? Well, I don't know but they also say that Dusk is 'unlike anything else on the South African dining scene'. That sure is a bold claim. I'm not sure why it needs to be stated at all. Hear verbatim how they view their approach: 'Chef Callan Austin leads with a bold and creative culinary vision. His menus are built around storytelling, nostalgic memories from his childhood, subtle social and political commentary, and a sense of mischief that adds charm and depth. While inventive, the food is always rooted in bold, expressive flavour.' The place is refreshingly in neither the La Colombe nor Luke Dale Roberts stables, yet is clearly in competition with them (and others such as FYN and The LivingRoom) and more than holding its own. Three stars (Eat Out) for two years in a row says a few things. Not only that, the Eat Out judges are paying attention. At a cosy table, TGIFood intern Naomi Campbell and I are game for another long meal. And here comes the food, to paraphrase what she said earlier at VUUR about the wine. Duck and citrus. That's a marriage made to last. Duck l'orange is not a classic for nothing. This is the 'snack' course: duck liver (and poultry liver is also a perfect match for citrus) is prepared with yuzu, an Asian citrus fruit that looks like a lemon but — like a lemon — is too sour to enjoy as it is. Even more so than lemon. They look like chocolate truffles on tiny round biscuits. Dark and intense, a luxurious pâté that sings to the Boland night. Alongside, a crunchy pretzel-like biscuit concoction seemingly from the cuisine of another planet. It looks like a lot of trouble for a bit of fun. Tastes nice, very crunchy. Pairing the wines is sommelier George Young, a bodybuilder with an apparent shyness that seems at odds with his physique. Anna Trapido wrote about him last October when he was based at Vergenoegd Löw not far away — we were to go there the following morning for an indigenous food and wine pairing. We were hosted by the ever-smiling Le Roux Malan and Billiard Rasai, known as Billy. On a sunny Boland morning we tasted bokkoms, amasi, roosterkoek and biltong, paired with their own stupendously good chenin, chardonnay, merlot, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon blanc. Indian Runner Ducks do their thing in the vineyard on cue, munching anything that moves, then stroll around the lawns. I can't wait to explore more of this breezy estate. What a grand and pleasant alternative to the more formal wine tasting everywhere. Back to those little rounds of duck liver: George Young's chosen wine for this impeccable pâté is De Wetshof Lilya rosé 2024, and even the colour of the wine seems to like this dish. Next: Scottish salmon gravalax in a course called Freshness. Maybe this was from that salmon that eyed me at Wild Peacock Fine Foods earlier. This is what I wrote down: 'Salt, sugar, herbs and lemon powder. Horseradish panna cotta with curry leaf extraction gel. Finished with trout roe. Carrot and tamarind broth infused with smoked kombu oil to finish dish.' The menu calls it 'Freshness: salmon gravlax, horseradish, curry extraction, tamarind broth.' I loved every morsel and was intrigued by the savoury panna cotta. Fresh it is, it sings of it, revels in it. But there is a question… Is it unreasonable to ask, given the stated commitment to quality local produce, whether it has to be Scottish salmon? Would a play on local salmon trout (yes, I know it's not salmon as such though it is in the same family) not be worth exploring? And a bolder choice? Dare one suggest this would bring the menu price down too, while making it more 'of Stellenbosch'? George Young matched the salmon with DeMorgenzon Maestro 2021 white blend, redolent of fresh apricots and orange zest; perhaps my palate has been influenced by thoughts of that apricot puzzle earlier on, and its colour. It's a blend of as many as six cultivars, predominantly Roussanne. Somebody must have got pretty drunk in the blending of this. How's this for pretentiousness, from the back label: 'At DeMorgenzon, Baroque music is continuously played, which is believed to have a beneficial effect on the wines produced.' I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The next course is called 'Modesty': we're promised sweetbreads, gnocchi, wild allium and smoked cream. My notes also mention amadumbe; I don't remember why; I blame George Young. I explain quickly to the pescatarian that a sweetbread is usually the thymus gland, sometimes the pancreas. She goes a bit quiet. But she is being brought alternatives, which she may write about separately. The sweetbreads are surrounded by a generous pool of smoked cream, perhaps sensible as a counterpoint to the dark richness of the focal point. A red wine, Rainbow's End Cabernet Franc, is meant to be paired with this, according to the menu, but George brings us the fabulous Raats Family cabernet franc 2021. I see online that it retails for R800; excuse me while I grab the sal volatile and get up from the floor. Next: 'Culture: cold-fired sea bass, dhania, cashew and coconut curry.' A Catherine Marshall riesling, vintage 2024, accompanies this delightful dish. It's fruity, honeyed and citrusy, an ingenious match for that pool of saffron-hued sauce on my plate alongside the moist, soft fish. The fish is Moroccan sea bass. I was too tired to ask why, but if a fish can please a palate at this stage, who's complaining? It was fired in the Diablo oven, we're told. The fish was sublime, wherever it came from. A dhania relish. Apricot emulsion. My notes tell me that we were told it was a 'cashew and almond Thai curry sauce'. It was delicious, but why Thai? We're at the Cape, right? Are Cape curry traditions so dull that we have to look East? Still, my palate was delirious. On the side, a tangle of 'slangetjies', slimmer versions of the shop-corner snack beloved of generations at the Cape. This sort of thing is great, especially when your table companion is not from around here. So I explained what it is, that the real deal is somewhat thicker, that they're made of chickpea/gram flour, that the name means little snakes, and that dhania is our Cape name for cilantro/coriander leaves. None of which involved any profanity, but we're told to wash our mouths out with soap anyway. This phrase, which I remember from my boyhood (Mrs Belelie across the road in Oranjemund was always yelling at one of her seven children: 'Daniel/Michael/Cathy, I am going to wash your mouth out with soap!') We lost touch so long ago. I heard along the way that Danny died young. This is — let me see — the seventh course of the evening, or 13th of the day, if you count that MasterChef taste-off. A lidded soap dish is placed in front of you. It's removed to reveal a rather rude bar of soap (when did a 'bar' of it stop being called a 'cake' of soap?) draped with white foam. In ironic gold capitals, the bar/cake screams FUCK. There's a mound of what could be soap gratings at the other end. It's a sweetly delicious palate cleanser and tastes nothing like it looks. Things get meaty, so Naomi is getting very different food now. On my side of the table, there's a venison loin that we watch being plated on the pass. As perfectly medium rare as could be. Cremonzola with pink peppercorn dust, fired cabbage, and with it a Shultz Family Wines 'Dungeons' cabernet sauvignon. Then, 'Breakfast for Dinner': sheep's yoghurt, granola, and an almond financier, with Graham Beck Bliss Nectar, flying me back to the launch of Beck's MCCs in 1991 after having bought the farm near Robertson in 1983. They've been a beacon of fine Cape 'Cap Classiques' ever since. I've never liked the name Cap Classique; why does it have to sound pretentiously faux French? I'd still go with Vonkelwyn, but what do I know? Talking of which, next up is 'Nostalgia: banana, peanut butter, cardamom cake, rum & raisin'. I confess: with almost zero exceptions, desserts at this level of Cape dining are always excellent, moreish, etc etc etc, and this one was too, but where is the one that lands you on the floor and has your eyes popping out, while you scream for more? That's the dessert I'm waiting for. Oh wait: Donkieskloof Hooiwyn accompanied this. That will do very nicely thank you. *** Is this food 'unlike anything else on the South African dining scene'? No South African restaurant can lay claim to such an impossibly rare standard, and why should they? This is exemplary cuisine at a level that can be found in at least a dozen other restaurants at the Cape. Does it need to be more than that, or is it about garnering awards more than about feeding people food you're proud to serve them? Remove such hyperbole from the picture, and you undoubtedly have one of the finest restaurants in the country. That's enough for some of us. Oh, a note about the service: just so friendly and expert, an absolute treat. Everyone was a gem, and every single one of them appreciated. DM
Daily Maverick
16-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
It's time to kick off — let's take on the world with our prime steakhouses
It's time to have a bit of a barney with Australia and the world. The current score: Aussie 17, SA 2. It's great to have something on the board, but nowhere near good enough. Let's scorch our way through their tally next year with a searing victory over their steakhouse successes in the global rankings. Beef & Glory. Firedoor. Fireside. Char. Beefbar. Burnt Ends. Woodfire. VUUR. Knife. The names of steakhouses all over the world tell stories of fire and char, sear and sizzle. And all of the aforenamed are in a newly published list of those purported to be the best in the world. Did you spot that? VUUR. In Proud Afrikaans Capitals. Our own Boland steakhouse worshipping at the altar of flame. And VUUR is their Best Steakhouse in Africa too. Steakhouses are valid restaurants, and many of them were there long before most of the now famous and laurelled eateries attained their gilt-edged status as palaces of something that is somehow strangely more than just food. It's the idea of food. But to hold their own in the world of awards bestowed on their adored peers, steakhouses have to have their very own awards systems. One such is the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants list for 2025 announced this week. VUUR is at number 87. And this Stellenbosch venture is not alone. Creeping in at number 97 is The Blockman in Johannesburg. Two out of 100 in the entire world is a number not to be sniffed at. That's two of our – who knows how many? – steakhouses recognised as the best on the planet. But if you looked down the list and tallied up how the competition is doing, we'd all be crying into our Klippies and Coke. Look at Australia. They have 17 steak restaurants in the top 101, of which 11 are in Sydney, six in Melbourne. The US has 19, of which nine are in New York, three in Chicago and others spread further afield. The UK has nine (England 7, Scotland 1, Wales 1 — so we've beaten the last two but not London where all of England's seven are). Japan has eight, Spain seven, Argentina and Singapore four each, and Belgium and Italy three each. Now glance our way again: Johannesburg one, Stellenbosch one, Cape Town nil. So are we going to do something about this? If you're a steakhouse owner, get on their website now and get involved. Draw attention to yourself. Who are 'they'? The annual awards are organised by London's Upper Cut Media House whose CEO and publisher, Ekkehard Knobelspies, helms the assessment of 900 restaurants on the planet. They pledge that restaurants are evaluated independently and incognito, by 21 'steak ambassadors' who judge establishments according to 28 criteria such as the quality, sourcing and ageing of meat, cooking precision service, wine and extraneous aspects such as service and ambiance. Own a great steak restaurant? Make yourself known to them: find their contact details here. They're not going to let you know when their 'ambassador' might visit, or their identity, and they may never assess your steakhouse at all. But if your establishment is on their radar, you might get lucky. There are nine criteria, verbatim as per their website: Quality of the meat offered, considering taste, terroir, character, marbling, cut and preparation; Selection and variety of meat cuts (ageing process, origin, breeds), including both primary and secondary cuts; Service quality and expertise in meat. In-depth product knowledge is essential; Detailed description of the meat cuts on the menu (including breed, origin, gender, ageing process, feeding methods, slaughter age and preparation); A curated wine list featuring selections from top winemakers, enhancing the overall dining experience; Ease of use and efficiency of the reservation system, including the handling of reservations; Your own online presence that caters to the needs of an international clientele, including your own Instagram account and website available in English; Interior design, ambiance and overall look and feel of the restaurant; and Above all, no 'pay-for-play' practices for the listed restaurants. Their anonymous 'steak ambassadors' visit restaurants incognito. The website explains that '2-4 experienced Steak Ambassadors with a broad industry background over decades (awarded chefs, certified meat- & Wagyu masters, food journalists, etc.) are evaluating for us on every continent'. Among the 101 on the list, South Africa is in the company of Canada, France and Hong Kong, which have two steakhouses featured. And we are one restaurant ahead of the following countries, all of which have just one eatery on the list: Austria, Canary Islands, Cayman Islands, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand (hah!), Portugal, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Yes, war-ravaged Ukraine has an entry at number 79. The entry elaborates: 'In the heart of Kyiv, BEEF meat & wine continues to assert itself in 2025 as one of the world's premier destinations for serious steak lovers and wine connoisseurs alike. With its sleek ambiance, expertly sourced meats and impeccable service, BEEF is more than a restaurant – it's a benchmark of contemporary dining in Ukraine. 'The moment guests step inside, they're welcomed into an environment that balances urban sophistication with inviting warmth. The interiors blend dark wood, modern lighting and elegant design touches, creating a space equally suited to intimate dinners, business gatherings, or celebratory evenings. The open kitchen remains a focal point, offering diners a window into the fire-driven artistry at the heart of the BEEF experience. 'The menu is a confident celebration of premium beef, grilled over charcoal with precision and restraint. The steak programme spans an impressive range – from A5 Japanese and Australian Wagyu to USDA Prime ribeye and local dry-aged selections. Each cut is treated with reverence, expertly seasoned and grilled to accentuate the richness, texture and origin of the meat.' Here's a case in point: the original Hussar Grill I happened to dine at one of South Africa's longest-serving steakhouses recently: Hussar Grill in Rondebosch, Cape Town. And while I was there, I was thinking about how ignored steakhouses are in our restaurant awards systems. Not surprisingly, because this was late March and I was there for the annual Eat Out awards, which were happening the following evening at the Baxter Theatre a short walk away. Never mind the many Hussars there are all over the place now. Maybe even at your local mall. When I was a naughty truant in the early 1970s, my mom (then a newly 'single mom' after my dad had scarpered back to the ships to drink himself out of a job two weeks later) and I lived in a little flat across the road from this original Hussar Grill, for a few short months until she could no longer afford the rent. It had opened in 1964. The steakhouse was a mystery to us, but I could smell the aromas when I walked past its doors on Main Road. The Baxter hadn't been built yet, and I couldn't have imagined that only 15 years later I would be in the Baxter bar after shows with Baxter artistic director John Slemon and the late film director Manie van Rensburg (Manie and I would talk into our whisky cups; I could never keep pace with John though), and interview the likes of Sandra Prinsloo, Jana Cilliers, David Kramer and Jeremy Taylor. Not to forget the great Sean Taylor, who was the best company once he hit the bar post-performance. But when you're a stupid kid, you know nothing. You can only dream. Which I did. Wonderful, then, to go back to that little corner as a very much grown man, approaching his 70th birthday (now passed), and for all of the people mentioned above also to have grown old. Or gone, like the wonderful Irishman John Slemon. Stepping up to the front door, strangely, my mind flits to old Hillbrow. Maybe it's how busy, how vital, everything is, nothing like sleepy 1971. Looking around the walls, I realise that there are posters and photographs on them that would have been there even then, when that kid walked past with his hands in his jeans pockets. Step inside, kid. Have a table. Let's see what's on the menu. Hits of early decades caress the corners of the ceiling. Billy Joel's Uptown Girl. The astonishingly powerful falsetto of Morten Harket on A-ha's Take On Me. Out the window, it's not dark yet. Students everywhere. A barman who suddenly transforms into a waiter says he's been here 21 years. It's a start. I order a glass of the HER sauvignon blanc, in honour of my proud, brave waitron, who tells me her pronouns and that she is transitioning. I observe that people don't dress up here, they come right off the street in what they're wearing. Except for one party of selfie-snappers in black and shiny white and too much faux fur. Feeling a sort of a rush in my head, something to do with that kid now being here as a man more than 5o years later, I spot the name of a red wine and I have to have it. Taste of the Hussar Grill 60th anniversary premium blend. Sniff, sip. Almonds. The taste of time, love and patience. The reward of labour and consistency. (This after only one sip, promise.) Hollandse bitterballen. Retro delight. They're perfect: 'Double cream béchamel studded with beef jus and beef bits.' How steakhouse-y is that? And Dijon. Of course. My steak is a 300g chateaubriand served medium rare, with baby potatoes swimming in garlicky butter, and a Béarnaise sauce. I see, on other tables, that standard side-vegetables are pumpkin and creamed spinach, very old-school. The meat is slide-through tender and incapable of improvement. One dessert is almost requisite: the sort of dish that if removed from a menu would inspire a lynching party. The chocolate vodka martini. It's warm! (I write in my notes). It's also delicious and terribly moreish but I pull myself together and call for the bill. Meanwhile, when next you visit your local grill house, if you think they truly cut it, tell them about these awards and persuade them to do something about being noticed by the organisers. Does the original Hussar Grill deserve to be a contender for a top award for steak restaurants? Or which ones do, in your experience? Write to me at this address and let me know your thoughts. Please name the city or town where your recommendation is. Let's get something going here. Find the full list below. DM The Whole 1o1 Here is the full list of the 101 restaurants, listed in alphabetical order of the countries in which they operate. Their rankings are alongside. All restaurants link to their entry on the list's website. Argentina Don Julio Parrilla, Buenos Aires 1 Fogón, Buenos Aires 35 Elena, Buenos Aires 56 Hermanos, Buenos Aires 95 Australia Margaret, Sydney 2 Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney 12 The International, Sydney 14 Firedoor, Sydney 16 Victor Churchill, Melbourne 18 Porteño, Sydney 20 The Gidley, Sydney 32 Aalia, Sydney 36 Steer Dining Room, Melbourne 37 Gimlet, Melbourne 45 Shell House, Sydney 51 Matilda 159 Domain, Melbourne 57 The Cut Bar & Grill, Sydney 62 Meatmaiden, Melbourne 91 Grill Americano, Melbourne 92 20 Chapel, Sydney 93 Bistecca, Sydney 99 Austria Beef & Glory, Vienna 65 Belgium Carcasse, Koksijde 19 Gillis, Ghent 22 Maven, Antwerp 74 Canada Elisa, Vancouver 26 Jacobs & Co, Toronto 76 Canary Islands Char Fuego y Brasas, Tenerife 61 Cayman Islands Firewood, George Town 68 Denmark Capa, Copenhagen 21 Ecuador Tributo, Quito 30 Finland The Grand Bar & Grill, Helsinki 72 France Anahi, Paris 34 Clover Grill, Paris 42 Germany Grill Royal, Berlin 64 Greece Brutus Tavern, Athens 101 Hong Kong Fireside 50 The Steak House 80 Indonesia Meatguy Steakhouse, Jakarta 90 Italy I Due Cippi, Saturnia 4 La Braseria, Osio Sotto 25 Regina Bistecca, Florence 29 Japan Nikuya Tanaka, Tokyo 27 Miyoshi, Kyoto 40 Kitan-In, Osaka 46 Niku Kappō Jō, Tokyo 83 Okadamae, Tokyo 86 Fukutatei The Okai, Osaka 96 Sugita, Tokyo 98 Wagyumafia, Tokyo 100 Mexico Holsteins, Monterrey 67 Monaco Beefbar 33 New Zealand Fife Lane, Mount Maunganui 94 Portugal Sala de Corte, Lisbon 81 Singapore Burnt Ends 5 Bistecca 53 Cut by Wolfgang Puck 59 Shatōburian 66 South Africa Vuur, Stellenbosch 87 The Blockman, Johannesburg 97 South Korea Born & Bred, Seoul 15 Spain Laia Erretegia, Hondarribia 3 Bodega el Capricho, Jiménez de Jamuz 6 Casa Julian de Tolosa, Tolosa 7 Lana, Madrid 8 Los 33, Madrid 28 Amaren, Bilbao 31 Asador Nicolás, Tolosa 48 Sweden Ag, Stockholm 9 Switzerland William's Butchers Table, Zurich 82 Ukraine Beef, Kyiv 79 United Arab Emirates 11 Woodfire, Dubai 38 United Kingdom Ibai, London 11 Hawksmoor, London 23 Brat, London 24 Lutyens Grill, London 39 Aragawa, London 41 Blok, South Wales 55 The Devonshire, London 70 Porter & Rye, Glasgow 85 Guinea Grill, London 89 USA Cote, New York 10 Asador Bastian, Chicago 13 La Tête d'Or, New York 17 Gwen, Los Angeles 43 4 Charles Prime Rib, New York 44 Knife, Dallas 47 Niku Steakhouse, San Francisco 49 Jeffrey's, Austin 52 Keens, New York 58 The Bazaar, New York 60 Minetta Tavern, New York 63 Prime + Proper, Detroit 69 Swift & Sons, Chicago 71 Gallaghers, New York 73 American Cut, New York 75 Bavette's Steakhouse, Chicago 77 Izzy's Steaks & Chops, San Francisco 78 Nuri Steakhouse, Dallas 84 Gage & Tollner, New York 88 Vietnam Koki, Hanoi 54
