This past Monday HQ steakhouse in Cape Town kindly invited us to their 2-4-1 steak night. My folks have just moved from Namibia to South Africa and I thought it would be a great venue to introduce them to so that they could return with their friends, in the future. I’d had a long day at work so wasn’t up for a hassle, but HQ always has consistently delicious food that I was looking forward to having.
We drove to town (where it’s always 5 degrees hotter than the Southern suburbs) and looked for parking. We chose the parking lot opposite HQ that provides ample space for visitors to Heritage square and I really appreciated that the “guard” told us it was, “R35, pay after”. Clear cut and easy, thank you!
We entered HQ and were shown to our seats on the second floor. Paige Mac was playing. I enjoyed her music after seeing her at the Civil Twilight gig earlier last year. Our waitress took out drinks order and kindly explained to my folks how the restaurant works: one set menu and how would you like your steak? Clear cut and easy, thank you!
We listened to Paige and chatted over our starters – a simple salad with shaved Parmesan and toasted pinenuts. Simple but delicious.
While waiting for our mains, we noticed the volume of the music increase. The monitors were facing the roof (where we were sitting) which made it too loud to talk over. We found ourselves yelling at one point, which caused the music to became the focus of the occasion. Luckily, the mains arrived and were absolutely divine! My Dad can’t have garlic so he went without the sauce and still thoroughly enjoyed the meal. My Mom said it was one of the best steaks she’d had in Cape Town. Mine was also one of the best steaks I’d had at HQ (and for a while) which I really appreciated and enjoyed.
Usually there’s a second helping of chips and sauce but this time it only arrived after we’d finished our meal (which may be fortunate because I easily could have had another portion of the goodness!). We chose not to stay for dessert as I was quite tired and the volume of the restaurant made my bed the winning location.
Thank you to HQ for having us. Monday’s are very busy so I suggest booking and arriving early (or late) if you want a more quiet environment. If the hussle and bustle is for you though, request a table in the bar area to enjoy the music up close (I could see a number of people visiting just for the music).
