One Night with a Red Rabbit - Guest Post

Lisa is my running partner, bootcamp wingman, bridesmaid and basically a sister and every so often she lets me cook in her kitchen! Everyone say Hi! Having recently been to Johannesburg on business and visiting a fabulous sounding new restaurant called Red Rabbit, agreed to do a guest post restaurant review on the new French Grill. Hope everyone had a super Mother's Day Weekend!

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Enjoy! xx C

The disclaimer attached to this piece is that I am by no means a qualified restaurant reviewer. I am however a regular restaurant patron at good and not-so-good establishments in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, giving me much fodder to write about. The opinion that follows is gathered from a recent evening at the newly opened Red Rabbit French Grill in the Nicolway Centre on William Nicol in Bryanston.

The Red Rabbit is the second restaurant from well-known restaurateur Thomas Barker of the wildly popular Thomas Maxwell Bistro in Parkmore, Johannesburg.  The Bistro has been open for as long as I can remember and is fully booked most of the time. A good option for a cosy Winter night out I might add.

 Red Rabbit, Nicolway Centre

If you are in to celeb spotting, the Nicolway Centre is the place to be at the moment. With most of these newly opened centres, specifically those that feature Sandton’s favourite brunch spot, Tasha’s, you are bound to spot an SA schleb or two. In my case we were graced by the lovely Kerry McGregor at the table next to us. Many an embarrassing moment ensued when various buffed up Morningside-gym goers approached the table to greet the beauty whom they assumed would remember them from that fleeting introduction at a cocktail party 6 months back. Alas not, to our immense satisfaction.

The setting of the restaurant is good, but if you are looking for a quiet slow environment, then this is not for you. The restaurant is split in two by a walkway and as a result, there is constant pedestrian traffic. You will need to book to get into the Red Rabbit, and I would recommend asking for a table either well within the ‘indoor’ part of the restaurant, or up against the glass of the ‘patio’ side.  

Another must-know is that the Red Rabbit is not yet licensed to serve alcohol. Once we were past the horrified gasps at hearing this news, the waiter quickly reminded us that the Woolworths in the centre is open until 8pm. I am sure it won’t be long until this is sorted, but in the interim, remember to take a bottle or 5 with you.

 Some little nibbles!

Wine in hand and voyeurism under control, we studied the menu. At first look it is relatively limiting,  but the options are in line with what you might expect at a French Grill. I opted for a Salmon Tartare for my starter. The plate arrived and it was beautiful.  The raw Salmon was neatly stacked into a cup shaped pile on the one side of the oblong plate with what appeared to be a crème fraiche and caviar topping. Accompanying the dish was a dollop of mayonnaise and another round of black caviar. Excuse my caviar ignorance! The dish was lovely – the finely chopped red onion rolled into the Salmon stack added a bite to the smooth deliciousness of the Salmon and the accompanying melba toast was put to good use in mopping up stray caviar, mayonnaise and Salmon. A great option and I think fairly priced at R75 given the sizable portion of salmon on the plate.

 Salmon Tartare Starter

For mains I went with a bowl of Chilli and Napolitana Mussels with crispy fries on the side. I have to confess that I almost lived at the Belgian restaurant Belgo’s in Convent Garden during my time in London, so I had high standards for these mussels, and while very different, they didn’t disappoint. The Chilli was mild, and given the sometimes blandness of mussels, I reckon they could ramp up the Chilli in the dish. I emptied small portions of the crunchy chips into the Napolitana sauce and then scooped them up with a mussel for a taste bud ménage a trois.

Chilli and Napolitana Mussels with Crispy Fries

I was disappointed when it came to choosing a desert. The options included strawberry ice cream, more ice cream options, a chocolate fondant and a cheeseboard. Obviously the chocolate fondant won. We were informed that there would be a 15-20 minute wait for the fondant, which lucky for the waiter suited our wine appreciation schedule. The plate arrived looking spectacular. The fondant itself was slightly hardened on the outside with a soft and juicy interior. This chocolaty goodness was accompanied by ice cream and a sliced strawberry as well as a few drops of what seemed to be a berry mixture. It might be the only chocolate option on the menu, but it is a winner.

 Chocolate Fondant

Overall, we had a great night out and the service was good. Go and try it and post your experience below!

To get in touch with Red Rabbit:
http://www.redrabbitfrenchgrill.com 
or call (011) 706 1731

P.S All Images by Lisa