If you are a foodie, the chances are that you are often on the look out for the 'next best thing' - that dish which captures a moment in food history or makes you stop in your tracks and try to guess that mystery ingredients. However, there are still restaurants which we return to again and again - maybe even chain-restaurants - which give us the familiarity which is so comforting.
The Cattle Baron Chain in South Africa is one of those restaurants. I particularly like the one in Cape Town in Tableview which is near the beach. It isn't fine dining but 'd*mn, it does some good steaks' and some classics starters and sides.
Very few places have the b*lls to serve prawn cocktail, avocado ritz and calamari rings - and they do it well without an ounce of irony. They know it isn't trendy but to be honest they don't care and neither do their customers.
The mains are the real stars of the show with my favourite being the rolled beef escargot which is a lovely piece of beef topped with garlic sauce and snails. Cooked to perfection - eaten with a nice glass of red wine as the wind howls outside the restaurant during a Cape Town winter - there is nothing better.
Other dishes include blackened peppered steak, t-bone steak and steak-roll. Sides include onion rings, crumbed mushrooms, butternut and creamed spinach (which is incidentally amazing).
After a 600g steak, I don't tend to look at the desert menu but it touches on the classics such as tipsy tart and ice cream Sunday's. All wonderfully retro.
Don't hesitate to try the Cattle Baron if you get a chance.
Lx
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