The Hussar Grill - Camps Bay

The Hussar Grill in Camps Bay is situated at 108 Camps Bay Drive in an elevated position and thus offers a delightful sea view from some of the front facing tables. The surprisingly spacious interior resembles a library and there are book shelves loaded with books throughout as well as paintings on the panelled walls. Green is the predominant colour and there is a substantial use of wood in the decor and interior finishes giving this establishment character and flair.

The ambiance is welcoming and guests feel immediately at home on arrival. There are white table cloths and comfortable leather chairs. Despite the establishment's Diners Club Platinum Medal for its wine selection there was no corkage fee listed in the menu. Proudly Hussar Grills serve only South African grain fed beef and wild cuts.

The restaurant was very busy on the Tuesday evening when we dined there and our waitress Bussi was efficient and friendly despite the number of guests that seemed to arrive almost simultaneously. We enjoyed sweet potato chips and rosemary and garlic olives on arrival and these delectable pre-starters were served on the house.

I couldn't resist the 2 Courses for R99 Special recommended by Bussi. I ordered the French Onion Soup which was served with a cheddar croute - a fancy term for a chunk of crispy, cheesy bread and my partner ordered the Mussel Pot which was not part of the special. The soup consisted of chunky onions with a firm texture and an elegant flavour. The generous portion of mussels was served in a soup bowl with a decadent garlic and white wine sauce and three slices of lightly fried crispy flatbread.

For my main course which was part of the R99 Special I ordered a 28 Day matured grilled 200g Sirloin which was tender and bursting with flavour. Bottomless fries, creamed spinach and cinnamon butternut were served on the side but I opted for a side salad instead of the fries. It consisted of frilly lettuce piled high and topped with cucumber, tomato and onion rings. This was not only delicious and extremely substantial accompanied by the vegetables and side salad but also provided exceptional value. My partner's Chateau Briand was flamed and served with a Béarnaise sauce and a cup of freshly prepared, crispy chips. It was fragrant and melted in the mouth - a treat for a celebratory evening.

The dessert selection enticed us at a glance so we ordered the beautifully presented mouthwatering Belgian Chocolate Truffles Connoisseur's Collection and JP's Ice Cream Cake which was a dreamy combination of vanilla ice cream, peanut brittle, honeycomb, nuts and the signature dark chocolate sauce. The cherry on the top was finishing off the evening with Hot Chocolate Vodka. Imagine the thickest, richest, most decadent chocolate drink with a swirl of cream, served hot.

Live in a city long enough, and you build up a quiet list of indulgences — secret escapes and extravagances that are the reserve of the long-time resident.

So it is with me and Cape Town. Cheap, wholesome Asian food at Chef Pon's in Gardens; cocktails and calypso cooking at Cape To Cuba in Kalk Bay, breakfast at Arnold's in Kloof Street; lamb on the spit on a Sunday at Backsberg; lazy Friday afternoons at Forrester's Arms; And my personal favourite — a large, rich, fall-off- the-bone plate of ribs at the Hussar Grill.

There are three Hussar Grills now dotted around Cape Town; I haven’t been to the Camps Bay restaurant, the newest of the lot, but reviews have been modest.

The original

The Green Point affair is excellent, capturing much of the spirit of the original institution; but it's to Rondebosch I return time and again for a small and unassuming 44-year-old steak house that revels in its old-fashioned menu, ample wine list, and above all, those ribs...

The Hussar used to be a monthly refuge from the culinary gauntlet that was cooking in my university digs. Of my three housemates, AJ famously tried to boil chips in water; Mark produced what he insisted was Mauritian cuisine, thus excusing what he called exotic and the rest of us dubbed inedible (to his credit, he's now a master at creating at Creole feasts); and Henri, who believed all meals should require either a bottle opener or a corkscrew.

Once a month, then, money that would normally have gone into the consumption of beer, was instead directed the way of a small, dark establishment that at first glance hardly suggests you're in for an outstanding meal.

The menu only furthers that view: it's a tribute to old-school eating, the starters awash with snails, crumbed camembert, prawn cocktail, Carpaccio, traditional staples of the restaurant's opening course.

'A truly glorious slab of meat'

A glance further into the menu offers the first hint of something different, however, as assorted game takes pride of place amongst a richly carnivorous offering.

Exactly what's going on a particular night changes, and the first time I was at Hussar, I tried the only meat I've come across to seriously rival warthog: a deeply flavoured, soft textured piece of gemsbok sirloin, a truly glorious slab of meat that only increases my bemusement at vegetarians.

Gemsbok, kudu, impala, eland, the more conventional springbok and ostrich — they all appear regularly on the Hussar Grill's venison menu, and along with a wide range of excellent steaks, make this a grand night out for the meat eater.

But it's the warthog ribs that ultimately steal the show, unashamedly fatty, bursting with flavour, and impossible not to tear into like a famished Obelix.

For a particularly unattractive animal, then, the warthog is exceptional eating; I'd imagine it's a relative of sorts to the wild boar Asterix and co. pursued so enthusiastically, and it's not hard to understand the attraction once you've sunk your teeth into them for the first time.

Surprisingly tender, warthog ribs are gourmet cuisine and comfort food rolled into one, both a nostalgic throwback to university days, and a regular escape for one of the Hussar's stauncher fans.

The restaurant does offer assorted fish — although a poorly cooked piece of butterfish several years ago created internal fireworks, as poorly cooked butterfish always will.

They also have vegetarian offerings (including a house specialty tomato and gin soup starter) which gets regular thumbs up from those steering clear of dead animal, which, if you're at the Hussar Grill — and particularly the Hussar Grill in Rondebosch — makes absolutely no sense.

Warthog ribs make for the best dish in the city by some distance; throw in either a wine list full of reasonably priced robust red, or a bottle of your own (the Hussar Grill charges no corkage, a wonderful rarity in Cape Town), and you've got my favourite meal — and my simplest.

Dan Nichol