As the years have gone by, Belthazar’s offering – in terms of price – has drawn closer to the par, while their value offering in terms of environs, service and table are often ahead of the norm. On a recent visit, the warm interior with its blend of upmarket fittings like good chairs offset comfortably with casual “market” items like tins, wine bottles and books. The bar glows with the wall of wines in a sophisticated vacuum system, while bar-side seats are great for solo dining. The wine list is vast, and well explained, commendably offering vintages when many don’t bother. However, I again ran into the bother of “out of stock” on two wines, while the table next to me also could not order their first choice. My first glass was also oxidised, so do not trust their storage system blindly – even the best cannot keep a wine for too long.
Then, a good glass with a good wine in it, I started with a Caesar that may have made the grade for the best in recent memory had it not been for the overly-sweet dressing, which came as quite a surprise. Sweet dressing with Caesar? The rest of the assemblage was ideal though. My sirloin was perfectly cooked rare, and while fries were a little pale this is a quibble since they were good. At Belthazar they proudly advertise that they use Karan beef, which is, curiously, grain-fed, so not what many would consider the ideal. It’s also interesting that the success of Karan’s marketing has led many consumers to believe that Karan is a type of beef, more than a supplier. Having recently eaten a steak from a four-year old Jersey at Henri’s, I am now of the opinion that it’s not the Karan, Chalmar or Greenfields provenance (not to demean their produce), nor the 28 day wet or dry aged that makes the real difference, it’s the age of the animal at slaughter. This sirloin was young and tasted young (most commercial beef is 18-24 months at slaughter).
Coffee was good, and until then the waiter had been exemplary and free of the up-selling that this restaurant has been accused of (and which I heard another waiter engaging in with a table behind me). I asked for a grappa and two were presented, a local and an Italian. I chose the latter to my unfortunate ignorance – it cost me R80 for a single. Yes, I could have asked, but we all know it’s against the laws of a relaxed lunch to insist of establishing the cost of your grappa. Perhaps the better point is that their wines and spirits are expensive, while the food cost is high but not OTT. Still a good option for good eating in the Waterfront so long as you aren’t budgeting or are happy to remain vigilant.
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7 Comments
Interesting point abut age at slaughter. I am certainly no beef expert, particularly in regard to South Africa, but when I lived in Scotland it was all to do about how long the meat was ‘hung’. What happens here? Certainly meat in supermarkets is a showy red which is unlikely to be the best.
The way I understand it is that hang time is important for proper maturation and secondary flavour, and the best restaurants will do this in-house to control the process. But the age of the animal precedes this “finishing touch” and a young beast will never approximate an older one in primary flavour and marbling as these are developed while the animal is alive.
Price wise Belthazar is a rip off from start to end. Good Steak.
Popped in at The Hussar Grill in Camps Bay for a Steak. Fantastic service – the best steak I have had in SA in some time – flavourful & tender T-Bone R115. Bearnaise was well executed while the pumkin and creamed spinach were very much Mikes Kitchen – They don’t charge for corkage.
Good news: Belthazar have launched a fantastic “reserve list” of wines with every bottle priced below R100. Unlike many other entry-level lists, this one is filled with interesting and unusual picks, what one hopes to find at any restaurant that truly is interested in wine. In addition, they also have a seasonal offer of a steak for R99 – very compelling value indeed if you consider the setting, service and upmarket experience they offer.
Not an usual haunt of mine but tempted by the R99 rib eye, chips and salad offer. I was quite impressed. Pleasant welcome, charming and responsive service from Andrew, excellent wine service from Luke. If you opt for the R99 special you get to choose a wine from the R49-R79 wine list(not an option if eating from the standard menu) which offers very good value – I particularly enjoyed the Pepper Pot from Edgebaston – just R79 and (still)served in Riedel glasses! Nothing about the experience smacked of a ‘cheapie special’. The steak was accurately cooked and flavoursome, the chips not bad, the salad was perhaps rather ordinary, but overall this was a very decent meal. Unfortunately, the creme brulee was poor – cold, stodgy and lacking in vanilla. The espresso was fair but why serve it in an over large breakfast style cup? Despite the latter comments this is a great ‘winter special’ to be enjoyed while it lasts!
On your point regarding vigilance, five of us had supper at Belthazar during the recent Newlands test match. Both wines we ordered were not the vintages listed and both times they were brought to the table with no mention of this fact (i.e. La Bri Affinity ’04 replaced by ’07). There was no appology and when we asked why we had not been informed we were told pretty bluntly that it was ‘difficult to change the list’. The prices charged were consistant with the ‘original’ list vintages.