Cafe Dijon

11/4/2013

Deep in the heart of vibrant Green Point, Café Dijon wouldn’t be the first name that springs to mind as a venue for Steak Night™. But as it turns out; you should file it under “A”. A for effort, and A for the Angus Beef that is the preferred steak at Café Dijon, a breed renowned for flavour and tenderness.

The evening begins with some complimentary drinks, before our attention turned to the menu. Tonight’s review is limited to their steak, but they boast all the old-style bistro favourites too. We did order some of the specialty Toulouse sausages as starters – made from lean pork shoulder based on an original French recipe. Délicieux.

The (steak) menu offered unusual steak cuts which give the carnnoisseurs some unique choices; and we duly ordered a good variety of cuts. The New York Strip Steak and the signature Angus Beef Ribeye seemed to be the popular choices.

Johan du Plessis’ (Dup) drive for sourcing authentic local meat that meets his high standards has paid off. The general consensus was that the steaks were perfectly grilled, with no frills and heavy basting sauces. The fries were textbook, crispy outsides but fluffy inside – most probably double-dipped.

And the sides -no creamed spinach and butternut here! Instead we enjoyed bowls of Iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing & chives; and tasty garlic mushrooms. The accompanying wilted spinach was perfectly cooked.

We particular enjoyed Dup taking the time to come and chat to us; and his genuine passion for good food was evident. You can't help but feel the team wants you to have a great meal. Everything is centred on uncomplicated quality food. Top it off with great service – and you have a winning recipe.

Does it cut the mustard? Without a doubt, and even more impressive for a bistro that is not an out-and-out steakhouse.

Overall:    8.0 (average of scores)
Steak:      7.1
Sides:       10
Service:    6.1
Value:       9.8

For reservations, visit  www.cafedijon.co.za , or call 021 418 3910

4 Comments

11/5/2013 01:18:33 am

Organisation – 1/5 – Wojt, it seems the hosting of steak nights is not your forté.
Starter cocktail – 4/5 – unexpected, free and followed up by a free bottle. Lost a point simply ‘cause I didn’t think it was lekker and I would never pay for one!
Sides – 4/5 - French brasserie-style fries rank at the top of my ‘101 ways to eat potatoes’. Onion rings were done to perfection. Tomatoes a nice touch, but green salad on a steak night? Hmmm.
Service – 1/5 – our ‘consultants’ forgot my monkeygland sauce and 1 of my 2 drink orders. Nuff said.
This is where my night seems to differ from everyone elses…
Steak – 2/5 – most disappointing steak I have had at a steak night. Ordered rare and it was cooked more than Kev’s medium rare and laced with chewy fat that destroyed what was otherwise a very juicy piece of ‘massaged’ meat.
Value – 5/5 – whoops, full marks are back – considering everything consumed R320 was a steal. Would give Dijon another crack simply for value offered (and proximity to Jade), which brings me to the final…

Overall a 21/35 = 60%.

I had a great night and was comfortably stuffed by the time we left Café Dijon. Thanks chaps.

Olas

11/5/2013 01:58:31 am

Having spent quite a bit of time in France I’m a big fan of the French brasserie, and Dijon scores well above some of the dubious flesh I’ve been served over there. Horse walks into a bar. Barman says ‘sorry mate, we don’t serve food here’.

Steak: 7/10 My signature ribeye was cooked to perfection, and damn tasty, but loses points for not really being as marbled as a ribeye should, and seriously if there’s a 50g ball of inedible fat and sinew on the edge of the steak just trim it.

Sides: 5/5. Awesome, enough said that a bowl of onion rings never made it from one side of the table to the other, chips were great, salads crisp and fresh, and the spinach must have been good cause I never saw any of it.

Service: 2/5. The door guy and the bar staff were great, but the table staff could have been more attentive, snappier, and I know we’re a big table but it took waaay too long to get our meal out. Go have a bite at Theo’s to learn from the master.

Ambiance: 4/5. Makes a nice change from some of the tired steak house offerings around Cape Town.

Value: 5/5. Quality food in a great ambiance at a price that can’t be beat.

Overall: 78%. I think that’s about fair. Dijon is very close to being outstanding, but they fall down in some simple areas that should be easy to fix. A little bit of attention in the kitchen and some management and inspiration for the table staff and we’d have a great shootout between Carne, Theo’s, and Dijon.

11/5/2013 02:21:06 am

Steak 7/10 Not quite the best in town, but a long way from a disappointment. Ditto to Oly's chirp. Trip the fat.
Sides 5/5 Phenomenal sides - great quality, and great quantity. Nom nom nom…
Service 3/5 Send Cyril in for some cross training
Ambiance 3.5/5 Great décor
Value 5/5 I'm not sure if these are opening prices, but if they stay this way then this place should be set for a good future
After dinner kak-praat 5/5 Jade - The tough crowd’s kryptonite. It’s a pity work keeps on getting in the way and keeping the brakes engaged. We should really have a proper old-school, loose night out there some time.

81% - World class! And proud to have it as one of my locals.

Son

11/5/2013 03:08:03 am

I dont think there is much more to say that has not been said already...

Service - 3/5, did not pay enough attention, but managed to keep us satisfied
Steak - 3/5, cooked well, tasted great, but a bit chewy and fatty for my top marks
Sides - 5/5 what more needs to be said, green salad a nice little touch I think
Value - 4/5 great value, R320 for a 400g, nuf said

As usual a great night, thanks gents

Cafe Dijon

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