The Backyard Grill & Lounge

Shisa nyama in the city! Personally – I do love a braai, but if you fancy enjoying some grilled vleis – then The Backyard Grill in Sea Point offers a great alternative to enjoying one of our favourite South African pastimes (it’s no coincidence the t-bone is shaped like the African continent!).

The restaurant – squeezed between hair salons and Chinese shops - offers a laid-back beach-chic interior, and a spacious outdoor grill area. They boast a good seafood and meat menu, and you can select a dish from the menu or get creative, and your meat is cooked on the outside grill. Corkage is R30/bottle – but we made special arrangements with the owner Jason to enjoy our own wine; the first ever Constantia Valley red wine to be made from organically certified grapes.

The concept is not entirely new; you select your meat from the counter, and it’s priced per kilogram. You also then have a choice of typical braai sides - roast baby potatoes, garden salad, garlic bread, mielies etc.

We started off with a plate of tender ribs; generously soaked in the signature basting sauce. Tasty – and certainly kept the wolf at bay. This was followed by three platters of rib-eye, fillet and rump. The fillet came out tops for most, with the other two cuts not getting any rave reviews. The Tough Crowd ™ felt we were forced into the owner’s meat selection, to make things easier. We like choosing what we want to eat, not what the owner thinks we should have...

It was a refreshing change from the more formal restaurant vibe though. It’s loungy, comfortable and friendly, and Jason has gone to lengths to source quality meat. Unfortunately TBGL didn’t exactly shoot the lights out for us. It’s a great place to gather for a tjop and a dop, and has a nice homely braai-at-your-mate’s house feel, but Carne can rest easy that it will not be dethroned by the Young Turk.

Overall:    6.5 (average of scores)
Steak:      6.6
Sides:      5.9
Service:    5.8
Value:       7.5

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