The Red Bar & Grill at the Park Inn by Radisson

Easy dining with a colourful edge in Cape Town’s Foreshore

Admittedly, hotel dining can often best be compared to a somewhat less morbid version of Russian roulette, and at an eatery like the Red Bar & Grill, the Park Inn Cape Town Foreshore’s in-house restaurant, the chances of emerging unscathed would seem even less likely.

You see, the rbg - as it’s casually referred to - is part of the international Rezidor hotel group, and while such esteemed association can guarantee a certain level of service standards and efficiency, it often also translates into inevitable banality.

But, on the contrary, the Red Bar & Grill is anything but boring; with its colourful, edgy easy-dining environment, it casts off any attempt to be something pretentious – a fault of many hotel restaurants – and rather embraces its home in the Cape Town city centre with an eating experience as hip and heart-warming as the surrounding streets.

“It’s a no fuss restaurant - an easy come, easy go eatery,” sums up the Park Inn’s sales and marketing coordinator Liza Nieuwoudt swiftly and to the point.

Which doesn’t mean that the rbg lacks decorum, but rather that it approaches eating with a funked-up, casual attitude.

In between the clean lines and the open-plan kitchen, fire engine red chairs that would be just as fitting on a floor spot at the Design Indaba face handsome, charcoal booth seating and a modern-day, steel fresco of a city skyline.

Playful touches, like multi-coloured coffee mugs and an asymmetric lighting installation, add further flair, and the 11th floor sunroof terrace – a natural extension to the indoor dining venue – brings the swagger.

“It’s the most spectacular oasis in the CBD,” insists Liza, as we ride the elevator up to the top.

And in truth, it’s difficult to argue otherwise. Low-key lounge music, an enticing splash pool and tables and chairs assembled to look out over an impressive panorama of Table Mountain and a portion of the city centre cascading below make for an ideal after-work, beat-the-traffic happy hour haven, or in this case, an alluring space to break bread.

It’s an uncharacteristically balmy May evening in the Mother City, and a full moon is already burning its big, orange way to the peak of the glowing night sky.

My partner and I are already one glass of wine down – it’s hard to say no to a house red engineered by the legendary Franschhoek winemaker Anthonj Rupert - as we settle in for dinner.  

The distinctly continental cuisine on offer – the menu features everything from Catalan cream to caprese to beef salad, Asian-style – is a logical attempt to appeal to a vast international guest registry, but the rbg Cape Town Foreshore couldn’t resist integrating some authentic South African flavour.

As Executive Chef Morne Botha, a man with nearly 20 years of industry experience behind him, so succinctly put it, “I’m now cooking really uncomplicated, local, lekker and real food.”

I resist the urge to indulge in the rooibos crème brûlée, the lamb curry or the smattering of seafood though, and rather opt for a main that the hotel restaurant has become well-known for on a worldwide level: charcoal, grilled beef burgers.

Served one of three ways, and with a choice to substitute with chicken (there’s also a portobello mushroom option), the patties are always piled high with a balsamic tomato and tobacco onion rings. I forego the additions of mature cheddar and crispy bacon though, and stick to a classic served with shoestring chips (French fries). 

As a preamble to the main, we shy away from the healthier grilled chicken Caesar salad and rather select chicken livers cooked in garlic, chilli and port to share. The dish arrives steaming hot from the kitchen floors below and plated for two – a telling example of service that goes the extra mile without even so much as an ask.

Our mains arrive, and in a city where burgers have become trendier than a hash tag, I can safely say that the rbg can give long-time institutions like Royale Eatery and Hudsons a run for their money.

We’re too stuffed to risk dessert, and with the promise of tomorrow morning’s breakfast buffet – eggs to order, sausages, mushrooms, bacon, cereals, mueslis, fresh fruits and meat and cheese platters – already hovering on the horizon, we bid farewell to the friendly wait staff and head to bed.

Against all odds, the rbg not only proved itself to be added value to a handsome and conveniently located hotel, but it also firmly established itself as a legitimate and enticing dining option in the Cape Town Foreshore.

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Opening Hours: Breakfast 6:30am - 10:30am (Daily); Lunch 12pm – 3pm (Daily); Dinner 6pm - 10:30pm (Daily)

Tip: Beat the crush of post-work traffic congestion with a cocktail or a beer; the hotel has a buy-one-get-one-free happy hour special that runs between 5pm and 6pm from Monday to Thursday. And for those who place more importance on food than drink, there are daily lunch specials on offer (burgers, chicken Caesar salad and sirloin steak).

The Bill: Great value for money. Starters range from R38 to R58; mains from R55 to R165; and desserts from R45 to R60.

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Read more about the Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore or find out about more hip restaurants in Cape Town.

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