I try out Zepi Grill & Bar at the SunSquare Cape Town Hotel

I was recently invited to try out  Zepi Grill & Bar which is situated inside the SunSquare Cape Town Hotel  in Mill St, Gardens.

Now I know many people completely disregard hotel restaurants… But I can tell you that I’ve had a couple of fantastic experiences at hotel restaurants – this being one of them.

My wining & dining partner-in-crime for the evening was my lovely friend Kim, and we started with a glass of wine at the bar to enjoy the last bit of the live music set (which is a regular Friday feature from 5pm to 8pm).

If you’re in the mood for something light, you can also order from their Terrace & Bar menu, which goes well with their cocktail menu. Their terrace overlooks the garden & pool area which makes for quite a nice spot to hang out in summer. (there’s a good tip there people – just saying)

After a bit of a catch up on the week’s skinner at the bar, we moved over to the restaurant area…

Decor wise I really loved the space. My favourite part was the open plan kitchen setup which allows you to see what’s happening behind the scenes. It actually makes you feel like you’re in a friend’s kitchen (a fabulous friend who possibly married rich of course), but it definitely gives it a warm, welcoming feel. The rest of the dining room is elegant without being too stuffy. And if you catch a seat by the window, you can also enjoy a bit of a city view.

Things already started on a high with the bread basket. Both Kim and I turned it down at first, wanting to avoid feeling too full for our meal to come, but the allure of that pink, beetroot-infused butter was just way too much… So we dug in… And just like that, we were in carby-buttery heaven:

On their menu you’ll find starter options ranging from R40 to R60, mains & grills from R80 to R140, and desserts all priced at R45. So from a pricing perspective you’re looking at really good value. (Have a look at their menu over here.)

But then they also do a daily menu which is written up on the black board. This daily menu consists of a few more adventurous things created by Executive Chef Shaun Bruce & his team, and changes based on what’s freshly available:

Kim and I decided to give this menu a bash.  For starters we went for the calamari & wild mushroom ravioli.  For mains we tried the pork belly & the lamb shank.  And then for dessert, we shared the citrus tiramisu with berry salsa.

This is what it all looked like:

The verdict?  Their food is beautiful.  For a “grill” I was expecting things to be quite basic.  But these dishes were nothing close to basic.  You’re getting amazing flavours, generous servings and top quality ingredients at really reasonable prices – there’s really not much else you could ask for.

Other notable mentions:  The service is friendly & professional, and as I mentioned above, the setting is really lovely too.

The only thing that’s missing is ambiance – but that’s where people come in…  So this is me asking you guys to put all your hotel restaurant prejudices aside and give them a try.

I’m going to give Zepi Grill & Bar the following score on the Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale:

And they will definitely be seeing me again…  To book your table, give them a call on 021 465 1311.

Finally to Chef Shaun and the rest of the Zepi team, I have to say a big thank you.  We had an absolutely lovely evening with you guys. 🙂

xxx