Rick's Café: Steak with a Moroccan Twist

To kick off the year, our culinary compass pointed us towards Rick's Café, a Casablanca-themed establishment promising a blend of Moroccan, Mediterranean, and local cuisine, complete with a rooftop terrace and mountain views. It sounded like an intriguing departure from our usual steakhouse haunts, and we were eager to see if it could hit the mark.

Sides & Starters
Beyond the main event, the sides and starters left a bit to be desired. The bitterballen received a nod of approval, but we definitely wished for a more generous serving of fries.

Steak
The moment of truth for any steak club outing is, of course, the steak itself. Rick's Café presented a mixed bag in this regard. While some of our members reported their ribeyes were enjoyable and enjoyed the accompanying vegetables, others found the execution inconsistent. The overall consensus was that the kitchen struggled to deliver uniform quality and timely service for such a large order of diverse steak preferences.

Service
Unfortunately, the service proved to be a significant pain point of the evening. Our server, while seemingly trying hard, was  a bit out of his league when faced with our large group. The delays in food delivery, specifically the uneven timing of our steak orders, can largely be attributed to the kitchen's capacity, but the front-of-house service didn't quite manage to mitigate the issues.

Ambiance
A redeeming factor of the night was the ambiance. Rick's Café embraces its Casablanca theme, creating a distinctive and engaging atmosphere. We were comfortably seated in a "nice private-ish room" that perfectly accommodated our group. The square table setup showed a thoughtful effort in catering to larger parties, fostering a communal and lively dining experience. The mountain views from the roof terrace (though we didn't dine there) added to the overall appeal, and it's certainly a place with character.

Value for Money
In terms of value, Rick's Café landed squarely in the middle. We deemed it "decent value" when compared to the average cost of a dinner out. While not a bargain, it wasn't excessively priced, especially considering the themed ambiance and generally good quality of the food.

Overall Impression
Despite the mixed reviews on the steak and the struggles in service, our evening at Rick's Café was, surprisingly, still a very enjoyable one. While the kitchen clearly isn't set up to handle a large steak-centric order with perfect precision, the unique Moroccan-styled offerings, combined with the excellent German wheat beer and comprehensive wine list, provided appealing alternatives for those not solely focused on steak. The captivating ambiance helped save the day, and while Rick's Café might not be our go-to for a perfect steak, it certainly has its charms.
 
Steak     5.4
Sides      2.8
Value     3.0
Service  2.1
Ambiance 3.7
Total       5.6
 
Rick's Cafe Americain
103 kloof street Crn, Weltevreden St
Gardens, Cape Town
021 424 1100
rickscafe.co.za