High ceilings, natural light and a warm ambience are the makings of The Grillroom & Sushi Bar – a modern, stylish restaurant which has opened at Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn in Pretoria. The elegant eatery is perfect for special occasions, romantic dinners and business lunches. The venue is easily accessible, well-located and has safe undercover parking within the precinct.

Meet the chef

The Grillroom & Sushi Bar’s Head Chef, Jamie Sutherland has 36 years cooking experience under his toque with a formidable career that has taken him into kitchens across Europe, Asia and Africa. Jamie trained as a chef in the United Kingdom and started his career in 1984 in Scotland where he worked for several hotel establishments before moving to London to hone his skills at its top restaurants.

“I’ve been privileged to travel widely and have experience with French, Asian, Middle Eastern and African cuisine. My style of food is modern with classic overtures but the most important ingredient in any dish is passion. I cook with heart and aim to enhance the full flavour of each dish,” says Jamie.

His love for cooking is paralleled by his love for teaching and mentoring. “I am the sum of the many great chefs I’ve worked under and that same desire to continue learning is what drives me to take junior chefs under my wing and share my knowledge. In teaching, you also continue to grow and learn.”

Jamie promises, “Passion on a plate and a memorable eating experience”. For meat lovers and vegetarians, wine connoisseurs and sushi enthusiasts, the menu boasts a generous selection of modern food with classic overtures. “A great meal consists of the freshest ingredients. We source our meats, fruit and vegetables from the best local producers,” says Sutherland. “Wine lovers will not be disappointed as our wine list has over 100 of the best South African wines with a selection of award-winning international wines. Our resident sommelier is also on hand to assist diners in pairing wines with their food.”

A menu to suit all palates

Sutherland says the restaurant caters for all palates. From the Mibrasa oven comes some delectable dishes for meat lovers including lemon and thyme roasted baby spatchcock chicken, crispy pork belly and good old T-Bone steak. For those extra special occasions, there is local Wagyu beef and 41-day dry-aged Jersey beef from KZN.

For vegetarians, the menu delivers carefully chosen favourites from quinoa salad to the creamy risotto with Shiitake mushroom, asparagus and parmesan and the mushroom and Camembert for something lighter.

When it comes to sushi, The Grillroom & Sushi Bar offers a variety of fresh Maki Rolls, Nigiri and Sashimi with choices for vegetarians too. For seafood lovers, there is soy infused salmon, tuna tartare, calamari and grilled prawns on the list.

For those with a savoury preference, the dessert menu has a cheese board selection with chutney and relishes and for the sweet-toothed, there is the choice of Mille Feuille, lemon meringue tart or the Black Forest brownie.

Design and ambience

The 250-seater restaurant is created to offer a variety of experiences. Whether you’re having a quick business lunch, sundowner drinks with friends, a relaxed family meal or a sophisticated dinner to celebrate a special occasion, your experience is sure to be a memorable one.

Restaurant patrons are safely physically distanced by creative natural demarcations. There are upstairs and downstairs spaces, an outside covered patio area and a relaxed lounge area which provides an ambient environment to have a pre-dinner drink or end the evening with a nightcap. The wine room is designed to give you the feeling like you’re in a private tasting room at a wine farm in the heart of the Cape. The use of warm and inviting colours throughout the restaurant and elements like stone columns and wood cladding adds natural warmth and elegance to the restaurant.

Safety first

The restaurant adheres to the Covid-19 regulations to ensure the safety of all patrons through:

➢ Staff wearing masks

➢ Guest temperature checks and the retrieval of contact details upon arrival

➢ Regulated spaced seating according to WHO protocols

➢ Sanitisation of each table before and after each guest

➢ Regular sanitisation and wipe down of kitchens and bathrooms every 25minutes