This fine-dining restaurant at the Saxon offers a relaxed yet elegant environment for a special occasion. Zodwa Kumalo-Valentine reviews Qunu Grill.

Food

Qunu Grill’s fine-dining experience is tempered by an accessible menu and generous servings. Three soft butters flavoured with balsamic vinegar, garlic and roasted peppers, served with thinly sliced seed bread, prepare the appetite for a menu selection divided into soups, salads, starters, fish and pasta, as well as meat and seafood both under the grill and fine-dining section. Recommended starters include the traditional Caesar salad topped with ciabatta wafers and Parmesan cheese, which is prepared to perfection. Also a treat is the salad of warm scallops and orange with marinated artichokes and shaved fennel. For flavour and ceremony, the main dish to order is without question the ’80s-fad steak Diane, which is seared and cooked to your liking with oodles of butter; drenched in a sauce of cream, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and finely chopped onions; flambéed in brandy; and served with vegetables that are firm to the bite.

The whisky salad at the Saxon Qunu Grill. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Drinks

An exhaustive book of a wine list features local and imported wines. The sommelier can guide you with pairing suggestions, also with regard to the whisky and cocktail selections.

Service

The service is attentive but not overbearing, even when at times it seems there are more waiters than patrons in the restaurant.

The table setting at the Saxon Qunu Grill. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Ambience

African-inspired table décor and detailing in red and brown tones, and a pianist playing from 8pm (with a full band on Friday and Saturday evenings) add to a relaxed yet elegant ambience, ideal for a special occasion.

The interior at the Saxon Qunu Grill. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

And…

The menu, which is designed by celebrated chef David Higgs and his team, caters for vegetarian and vegan diners, and features locally sourced ingredients and grass-fed beef from the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

Eat Out critics dine anonymously and pay for their meals in full. Read the editorial policy here.

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