Sensational Sirloin at Headquarters Steak Restaurant in Cape Town

At the stylish HQ you can order anything you want, as long as it's salad, sirloin and chips!

Normally, being spoilt for choice is an assumed part of fine dining, but Headquarters – a new steak restaurant in Cape Town’s unique Heritage Square – is doing things a little differently, by offering just one dish: salad, steak and chips.

At HQ, the waitrons don’t ask you what you’d like – they ask you how you’d like it done. They are of course referring to the prime 250g cut of sirloin – premium-grade, organic, free-range beef sourced and certified from Namibia, a nation renowned for its superior African meat and German “Gründlichkeit”.

Paris... Oo La La
The HQ restaurant concept is based on the famous Parisian restaurant, Le Relais de L’Entrecote, in its homage to meat, which is aged for 35 days before reaching the kitchen and has its quality been certified by various quality assurance boards.

One wouldn’t normally place steak and chips too highly on a list of classy cuisine, but Headquarters Restaurant has succeeded in lending a number of different elements of elegance to this timeless favourite, with just the right measure of sophistication… and sauce!

The delightful concoction accompanying your prime cut of heaven is the Café de Paris butter, the recipe for which is a well-kept secret.

Don’t for a moment think the salad is just a drab splash of green on the side; HQ’s salad is fresh in concept and in taste.Various lettuces are tossed in a classic vinaigrette and then topped with toasted pine nuts and parmesan.

The fries are thinly sliced and double fried, making them a worthy partner to the Parisienne buttered fillet.

Our personal recommendations for an accompanying wine are the Haut Espoir Gentle Giant or the Schalk Burger No.6.

Fancy something sweet to round things off? Dessert at HQ is where you DO get to choose! Ten decadent traditional desserts are on offer, desserts that have been around since the beginning of cooking, such as crème caramel, pavlova and apple tart, as well as cheese platters.

Close to Caveau - a plus!
An intriguing and appealing contrast inherent in the HQ experience is that it’s situated next to Caveau Wine Bar in one of the oldest blocks of buildings in Cape Town – Heritage Square – yet the décor is modern and cosmopolitan.

Almost everything you touch and see inside HQ Restaurant and Bar was made by Fritz Rachu, who custom-designed and built every piece of furniture, from the red leather chairs to the marble tables and modern lamps.

The atmosphere at HQ is one of effortless elegance. The simplicity of the menu, combined with the cosmopolitan feel of the setting, creates a dining experience that pleases all your senses at once. Well, it did ours at least.

Start and end your evening in the chic lounge of HQ Bar (there’s also a fire place), sipping on something special from the notably well-stocked bar. This is one of the very few places where you can find the premium locally-brewed Jack Black beer on tap.

Ultimately, HQ is a restaurant for life-loving people who appreciate style and quality in a setting that is sophisticated yet relaxed.

So, steak and chips, anyone?

HQ (Headquarters) Steak Restaurant:
Location: Heritage Square
Address: 100 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town
Telephone: +27 (0) 21 424 6373
Email: info@hqrestaurant.co.za
Website: www.hqrestaurant.co.za
Open: Monday to Saturday, Kitchen open from 11h30 to 22h30, bar open late.


There’s live music at Headquarters every Friday night courtesy of longtime Cape Town favourite, DJ Rene The Frenchman; for more info see our Events Section.

Find the best places to go in Cape Town in our overview of selected Cape Town Nightlife.