Showroom review

Four of us went to The Showroom for dinner the other night. It was a pleasant experience. Most of the reports I have heard were positive, so I’ve been looking forward to checking it out. The decor is very white and modern, some would say clinical. I quite like it. Having a view of the fabulous cars next door was a novelty but nothing to get excited about. The kitchen is open so the patrons can see Bruce Robertson and his posse (collective noun for chefs, anyone?) at work. Sounds like an interesting (although not unique) concept but in the end, also nothing to get excited about.

The food however, was worth getting excited about. I shared the Ceasar salad (R50) with my partner and it was so delicious we were making mental notes of the ingredients so we could try and replicate it at home. I know she enjoyed it because she definitely gave me less than half. The other two starters we tried were the soup (R40) (can’t remember what it was but it was unusual) which was apparently nice but I didn’t hear any exclamations of delight like I heard about the abalone starter (R70). The abalone starter is quite expensive as one would expect but it was a stunning collection of flavours on a plate.

I don’t usually go into this much detail about food but seeing as it’s the main selling point, I am this time. Three of us had the fish (R85) for a main and the other dish was the springbok shank (R90). Bruce Robertson’s forte is his presentation and he didn’t disappoint. The good looking food also tasted good. There is a whole page of interesting sauces from which to choose one for your meal. I thought they were charged for but apparently not. They are very interesting and tasty combinations. The waitress maintained that any sauce will go with any dish but I think that’s a bit optimistic. The champagne sauce was delicious, especially with the fish but I don’t think it would have suited the shank which was very rich. The other sauce we had was very much like pesto. Definitely worth getting a sauce even though you don’t need them, just to experience the different flavours.

Dessert was the highlight. We ordered the 2 dessert platters (R45 each) to share and it was a taste extravaganza. We tasted each thing in turn and shared comments and opinions about each mouthful. Very interesting. We drank white wine, a couple of bottles of ‘Bruce Juice’ (R85), the house wine created buy Bruce Robertson and another Bruce from some winefarm. There is a red version too. The wine list was diverse enough to suit most palates and the service was good. We had an attentive waitress with a nice friendly attitude. She even managed to take my foolish jesting in her stride.

Our total bill for 4 people including tip was about R900 but we had 2 dessert wines and 2 bottles of water as well. So, all in all, I’d recommend you give The Showroom a whirl. I don’t think I would rush back but if I had visitors who wanted an interesting fine dining experience, this would be a good option.

The Showroom
Harbour Edge, Greenpoint
021 421 4682
http://www.theshowroomrestaurant.co.za/