Carne July'14

Steak Night™ out these days is not exactly a quiet affair, and this month saw eighteen hungry chaps descend upon Cape Town’s premier steakhouse. This was our third official outing to Carne, and expectations were high – especially from a few newbie first timers.

Nothing has changed much – as the old adage goes - it ain’t broke, so don’t try to fix it. The dining space is as trendy as ever, and the basement setting creates an authentic atmosphere. Our waiter Ernie brought the usual meat-board to the table, beautifully arranged with their massive variety of cuts.

Like a rainbow trout to a woolly bugger, the 1.2kg La Fiorentina T-bone (for two) enticed the usual few diners along with some brave orders of Flat Iron (the chuck cut) and Safari platters. The showstopper was undoubtedly the La Costata Di Manzo though – a 24 month grass fed beef prime rib, on the bone. A separate platter was presented – and guys eagerly selected their individual cuts for grilling.

We enjoyed a variety of starters and sides – bread sticks, lamb shoulder ravioli and caprese salads beforehand. Mixed feedback from the table, but guys were probably just champing at the bit for some meat!

The kitchen did an exceptional job of delivering 18 meals virtually together, and as usual – the meals were well presented and plated.  The meat is generally served sans sauce or basting, usually just a selection of mustards on the table. With such a variety of cuts though – reviews were as varied. The Gusher was at it again – rating his steak as “utterly sublime”, and the La Costata Di Manzo certainly appeared to be the pick of the night. The rib eyes and fillet medallions all received good feedback, but unfortunately the flat iron steak fell…..flat.

The evening was topped off with some perfect chocolate fondants – slightly crispy and filled with hot gooey chocolate lava.

A night at Carne can be a bit on the expensive side if you order a few courses, and we certainly did (along with about a case of 7 year old Shiraz) – so we can’t really fault them here. As always the service was slick and professional.

So once again Carne delivers a great night out, serving exceptional quality beef. And even when all is not perfect, it’s still a bloody good steakhouse and remains one of the best in the city.

Overall:   7.1 (average of scores)
Steak:     7.6
Sides:     6.4
Service:  8.4
Value:     5.4

70 Keerom Street, Cape Town
+27 (0)21 424 3460
+27 (0)21 424 2432
[email protected]
carne-sa.com

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