Steak, salad and chips. Oh, and wine. I can’t forget the wine! Is there a sweeter combo? Okay, unless you somehow add chocolate to that combination (Raise your hand if you have a sweet tooth!) But seriously, picture perfectly done medium rare steak and skinny fries accompanied by a delicious glass of red wine. So I say again, is there any sweeter combo? Especially when the steak is lobbed with HQ’s signature Café de Paris butter. Yes, I’m talking about date night at HQ Restaurant!
Cape Town has a smorgasbord of delightful restaurants to choose from. Believe me, I know full well I am only tipping the iceberg of what there is to offer. Having only relocated to Cape Town six months ago, I’ve made it my personal mission to taste and experience the cities finest. From before I had even moved here, I saw delectable imagery on social media that put HQ up at the top of my food bucketlist, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before myself and my hubby made our way there.
For those of you who haven’t heard of it before, HQ is a Parisian-inspired steakhouse and lounge set in the historic Heritage Square in Cape Town. Known for great entertainment and a romantic setting, you couldn’t pick a better date night location. And they have a Date Night special on Tuesday for all the couples out there!
So what’s date night at HQ?
So at the HQ Date Night you get two salad starters (it’s their signature salad), two steaks with skinny fries and two glasses of Boschendal Larone for R295. That’s less than R150 per person for two courses and wine. Such a steal!
So..how was the food?
The food was SO good! Starting with the crunchy, modern looking (!) breadsticks I knew the food was going to be delicious.
The starter is their signature salad which is very simple but delicious. It’s made with cos & iceberg lettuce salad with toasted pine nuts, Parmesan shavings and a vinaigrette dressing. The toasted pine nuts are so tasty, I could easily eat a whole bowl full!
The steak is a 250gram sirloin which is topped with their famous Café de Paris butter. If I could buy a bottle of that stuff, I would! I like my steak medium rare and this one was a little closer to rare, but was still absolutely tasty and I don’t think I would have had it any more cooked. It was really great the way it was!
I have used one of HQ’s photos from their website to show you their steaks, as the lighting was so terrible on the night I wouldn’t be able to do these steaks any justice! Photo credit: http://www.hqrestaurant.co.za/food-gallery/
Myself and my hubby really deliberated about whether the steak is better than the succulent goodness we had recently at Chinchilla in Camps Bay. For now we’ve decided that they are neck and neck, and we will look for another competitor in town to see who will take the prize. If you’ve ever been to Chinchilla, you should read my review here.
Service
The service was really great and I really don’t feel like I can critique anything in this regard. Our waiter, Ange, was friendly, upbeat and attentive and made an effort to make sure we always had whatever we needed. I suppose if I had to critique something, it would be that the service is so fast! This is not a real problem and the opposite is always much worse, but I think if I went next time I’d ask them to wait a bit between the starters and the mains because they come out in such short succession. But this is really not a catastrophe at all, and I like I said the opposite problem (food that takes foreeevveer) is much worse)
The Boschendal Larone was delish!
A detail that stood out to me was that the waiter wrote how you would like your steak done on the paper tablecloth! So, when the steak is brought out they placed the plates exactly with it’s rightful owner.
Ambiance
I’d definitely say the atmosphere is romantic due to dimly lit, cosy setting. This immediately invites one in to relax and enjoy your meal and the company! However I know that some nights of the week HQ also have live entertainment, so I’d love to return for that. Because having live music is always a winner! The tables are quite close together (it all adds to the Parisian feel of the restaurant) but I didn’t feel like that took away from the ambiance of the evening.
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Portion Sizes: 5/5
Overall Rating: 4/5 – they serve steak and…steak so if you’re a vegetarian you can pretty much eat fries and salad (which are delicious but one would like some options!)
Their Date Night special is available every Tuesday night, call 021-424 6373 for table bookings.
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Please note this was not a trade exchange in any form – I went there completely as a patron and loved it!