My dinner at The Clubhouse

So on Tuesday evening my friend Melaine and I were treated to dinner at The Clubhouse at the Claremont Cricket Club.  Now I know what you’re thinking… eating at a cricket club?!  Yes, I had the exact same concerns.  I mean in my life to date I have never seen a sports club eating area that has left me very excited, so I will admit that we approached with caution…

Luckily there was absolutely no need to because The Clubhouse, she is beautiful:

This family style restaurant with it’s easy Bistro style menu serves both lunch and dinner (or can be booked for functions).  They have a variety of big and small tables, a bar area if you wish to just have a drink and maybe a quick snack, a fire place (big winter bonus) and apparently great views (however it was too dark when we arrived to see those).

I loved the freshness of the decor.  It’s simple, but welcoming and of course that fire keeps things perfectly warm & cosy inside.  There’s really nothing more I could have asked for.

On the food side, they’ve just launched their new winter 2014 menu.  The menu covers starters (R40 – R65), focaccias (R30 – R35), salads (R55 – R85) , light meals like chicken & leak pie  and a duo of burgers (R59 – R75), pizzas (R68 – R115), main meals (R85 – R135) & desserts (R35 – R50).  Those are good prices no?

Melaine and I both went for the salt & pepper calamari starter which is served with lemon & paprika mayonnaise (R49). Then I had the 250g sirloin served on garlic mash with a side of sautéed spinach (R130 + R15 for an extra peppercorn sauce), Melaine went for the lamb shank which is slow cooked in a rich tomato & red wine sauce and then served on a bed of creamy mash (R135).  For dessert we also copied each other again with the deep fried banana (R50), I mean who could resist this description:  Banana stuffed with dark chocolate, sprinkled with toasted nuts, wrapped in phyllo pastry, deep fried & served with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with hot chocolate sauce… mmmmmm…

I loved that their menu isn’t overly complicated and that their dishes are good portions of really comforting and delicious food.  The service is friendly and as fast or slow as you want it to be (we asked for little gaps in between dishes so we could do a good girls catchup).  And the general vibe of the place is relaxed and comfortable.  I could see why this makes for a good family spot as well.

Overall I’m going to give The Clubhouse a on the Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale.  It really is a lovely spot and I’ll happily recommend it to friends, family, and whoever else will listen.

To further tempt your tastebuds, do check out their newly launched Winter Menu via EatOut.co.za over here.

They are open:

• Tuesday to Saturday 12noon-11pm
• Sunday 12 noon-6pm

And you can contact them on:

• 021 794 6314
• theccclubhouse@gmail.com

xxx