I once went to a restaurant which advertised itself as a Mediterranian-European-Asian-fusion-style-restaurant-with-an-American-and-South-African-undertone. There were so many choices on the 26 page menu that I promptly picked myself up and left.
I am not a great fan of enormous variety on a menu because it spreads the kitchen to thin. Whether it is that the chefs weren’t able to narrow down their best dishes; that they felt that having 400 million options made them seem more capable; or that they were attempting to accommodate to many tastes, it makes for a weaker menu and a higher risk for disappointment. Also, when there are to many options to choose from, I get stage-fright, unable to decide on anything.
Lakjsdhalksdjcnalskjvnlsvjn. Sorry, please excuse my grumbling stomach.
That’s why I love Headquarters (HQ). There is no choice because the menu is set: salad, sirloin and chips. All you have to do is choose how you want your steak done.
Last week Monday, three of us were driving around and trying to decide on somewhere to go for a quick dinner, when suddenly from the back seat a friend gurgled, “Steak. Want. HQ. Now.” And that was it. We all went into panic mode as she frantically called her boyfriend and insisted that he joined us instantly because:
“onmondayitistwosteaksforthepriceofoneandyouhavetohurrynow
becausewearehungrynow”.
15 minutes later and we were seated at HQ, scouring the menu for the perfect cocktail. We settled on a Raspberry and Granadilla cocktail which arrived at the table within 5 minutes and had us sipping contentedly with smiles on our faces.
That was where the swiftness ended. We spent the next 55 minutes staring jealously at the tables around us, first crunching on their breadsticks, then delicately savouring their salad and finally devouring their steak and chips.
We hadn’t been given our breadsticks, hadn’t been asked how we wanted our steak and were starting to get a little bit grumpy. We told the man at our table that it was time to prove his manhood. He frowned, stood up, flexed his muscles and then politely requested that the waiter bring us our breadsticks. Which he did, and we finished them in 30 seconds.
30 minutes later were brought our salads: a mix of greens dressed in a perfectly balanced vinaigrette and topped with Pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. The starter is light enough that you are still able to enjoy your main yet flavoursome enough that it holds its own.
After another 30 minute wait we were finally brought our main course. Succulent 250g Namibian sirloin steaks matured for 35 days then grilled to your specifications and drowned in the delicious Café de Paris butter-based sauce and served with skinny, twice-fried chips. The steak was cooked perfectly, the chips were crisp and the sauce was exquisite. One of the most exciting things about HQ is that the waitrons bring you top-ups of both chips and sauce, both of which I overindulged in far beyond necessity.
You do however get a choice of desserts at HQ. Chocolate fondant, lemon tart, crème brulee, malva pudding, crème caramel and an apple tart tatin are some of the options for only R25 whilst a cheese platter is R45. Since we were now in a rush to leave, we didn’t have any dessert, but I have had the fondant before, and it was perfect.
I can’t fault the food at HQ as everything we ate was delicious. I just wish we had eaten it earlier. It seems that once we were given our cocktails, we were forgotten about for another 50 minutes, so our entire meal was pushed back. When you arrive at a restaurant hungry, it’s not a fabulous mood enhancer.
The vibe at HQ is great and the Monday 2-for-1 special is certainly worth it. All the other tables seemed to get their food on time, so it may have just been our bad luck. And I must say, HQ, you really know how to make a great steak.
PS: Must learn how to make the Café de Paris sauce, anyone with a recipe please send it my way.
Directions to HQ Restaurant
Heritage Square
100 Shortmarket Street
Cape Town
