It’s nice to start the month off with a positive review. I’ve eaten at Fork twice since they opened a couple of months ago and I enjoyed my experience both times.
Fork is a tapas bar. They called it Fork because everything on the menu can be eaten with a fork (there are no knives on the table). As with most restaurants professing to serve tapas, the food is not spanish but is served in small ‘tapas’ sized portions. There is nothing spanish about the restaurant either, the decor is simple but clean. The smoking section is upstairs and has a balcony which is nice for al fresco dining.
Having been on 2 occasions I have had the opportunity to test a lot of the dishes and they were all delicious. The prices are not cheap but 2 tapas is enough food for 1 person so don’t go wild. The prices range from R25 to R50. There is a vegetarian section on the menu (order the Pasta Roll even if you’re a carnivore). Tapas is meant to be shared and at Fork the food normally arrives in a staggered fashion which is good because it gets cold quickly. Do try the Ostrich Roll, there were some other really good options but I need to look at the menu again to remember them.
The wine list is broken up by region instead of by type so it’s quite difficult to select something without poring (excuse the pun) over the whole thing. I can heartily recommend the house wine which is a Vrede en Lust, Simond (R70). We had it on the first visit and it was so good that I ordered it again on the second visit.
The service was fine, although the place was pretty empty on both occasions (Mondays) so I don’t know how they are under pressure (they’re busiest on Friday and Saturday nights). My only complaint about the place is that you can’t bring your own wine. It’s one thing to discourage BYO with a high corkage charge but there are very few places that won’t let you bring your own (not that I often take my own wine, I just like to know I can).
I recommend you give Fork a try, I think you’ll like it.
Fork
84 Long Street, City Bowl
Tel: 021 424 6634
http://www.fork-restaurants.co.za/