As a growing hub located on the eastern fringes of central Cape Town, the 'East City' is now home to two new dining offerings, East City Grill & Yakiniku.
What took root as an idea and a love for Japanese culture and food among friends, namely The SteakBoyz, a group of steak-loving friends on a mission to find the best steak in town, alongside Duncan Parker, the founder and owner of 84 Harrington Street, has been realised as Cape Town's latest dining destination.
"There was some talk about my future building plans and jokes about creating a private SteakBoyz hangout with mountain views. That idea sparked the vision for a restaurant. By 2016, I secured a rundown building on Harrington Street, now home to East City Grill and Yakiniku," shares restaurant and building owner, Duncan Parker.
Housed under one roof, the two dining offerings seamlessly blend Japanese cuisine with African flavour in both cuisine and setting.
Fuelled by flame
At the heart of the two restaurants' ethos is fire cooking, taking centre stage at both East City Grill and Yakiniku.
With this in mind, the restaurant's dining offering is led by Executive Chef Jaycee Ferreira, a passionate and talented chef who shares a fiery passion for all things flame.
“Fire is the great equaliser. It demands patience, precision, and respect. Whether it’s a braai in the Karoo or a Yakiniku table in Tokyo, the language of flame is universal," states Jaycee.
East City Grill
The East City Grill heralds South African flame cooking with a menu that features dry-aged cuts, local wagyu and the like, combined with layered flavours of Asian ingredients.
In an interview with Time Out, Jaycee provides insight into the key elements of East City Grill's menu.
"The East City Grill menu is designed to showcase our very own South African culture with some classic steak house dishes reimagined with Asian influence."
The menu boasts a succinct offering of snacks, small plates, main dishes, specialities, sides and desserts, each weaving in flavours of each respective country.
With a strong emphasis on meat throughout the menu, the restaurant ensures that the cuts are grass-fed and in-house dry-aged from MKM Butchery.
"Mathais handles all our meat personally with love and respect to ensure only the best quality," adds Jaycee.
Dishes that spotlight the merger of the region's ingredients include the Wagyu boerewors, which features chakalaka, tomato, cheese and onion braaibroodjie alongside the Katsu sandwich, a standout and elevated take on your everyday sarmie and features panko crumbed wagyu beef, pickled cabbage, tonkatsu sauce, beef onion and gravy all layered between soft milk bread that melts in your mouth.
It is no easy task for a chef to pick their top dishes on the menu, it's like asking a parent to pick their favourite child. However, up to the challenge, when asked which are his top three recommendations from the East City Grill, Jaycee shared, "My favourites are the double-baked cheese soufflé, the Wagyu boerewors and the Hokkaido cheesecake."
Time Out Insider Tip: We can strongly recommend the cheese soufflé, layered with simple yet elevated flavours. This dish features a truffle emulsion, parsley apples and a tomato butter that make you want to lap up all the sauce on the plate.
The Hokkaido cheesecake is a baked cheese cake dusted with matcha and paired with toasted rice ice cream, rice puffs and ginger curd, resulting in a treat that is not overly sweet and hits the spot at the end of a meal.
Diners can expect familiar flavours elevated with East-Asian influence.
Yakiniku
Located across the room from East City Grill, Yakiniku is a separate, intimate Japanese-style grill house.
Inspired by Tokyo's post-war concept of yakiniku-ya, also known as a Japanese open-flame barbecue restaurant, the tables are equipped with South Africa's first downward-extracting tables imported from Japan.
This state-of-the-art feature enables diners to grill premium cuts of meat from the comfort of their seat, immersing them in a Japanese-style BBQ experience.
"This yakiniku restaurant is all about Japanese food, and the art of yakiniku, where the Wagyu and rice take centre stage in its simplicity," shares Jaycee.
"The grills work with gas and a first-ever extraction unit that sucks the smoke downwards," points out Jaycee.
Holding true to the tradition of a Yakiniku, the menu features slices of Wagyu beef, Niigata Koshi Hikari rice, Japanese kimchi, cucumber salad, fresh lettuce and Yakiniku sauce.
Traditionally, this is eaten in layers with the ingredients combined together on a crunchy lettuce leaf, folded and to be savoured in one bite.
The bespoke Yakuniku menu includes starters of a bento box, the Takiniku main course and dessert, which features chewy glutinous mochi.
All the Wagyu meat has been carefully sourced from Elansberg Farms in the Riebeek Valley, a leader in South Africa's Wagyu industry since 2016.
Signature sips
Working alongside master mixologist of ANTHM bar Tetsuo Hasegawa, known for his deep knowledge and talent of crafting Japanese cocktails, the restaurant has three unique cocktails on offer, the Little Red Rooster, Zen Garden and the Cherry Blossom Waltz.
The extensive wine menu has been curated by sommelier and restaurant operator, Marc Botes, who has extensive experience having worked in globally renowned chef Gordon Ramsay's restaurants in London.
The setting
The entry of the restaurant features a welcome and waiting area for each section of the two restaurants. Designed with refinement in mind, this is one of the few restaurants in Cape Town that features an additional space before you dine.
Welcome drinks and cocktails are served at the cocktail bar area for East City Grill diners and the private lounge for Yakiniku diners, to set the tone for the dining experience ahead.
Each section of the respective restaurants has been designed with the menu theme in mind.
The East City Grill area features a laid-back yet refined setting with elegant and lighter-toned finishes, whereas the Yakiniku section features a more dark aesthetic with hints of red.
Both spaces are imbued with Japanese minimalism and attention to detail in mind, from the chopsticks set at the Yakiniku tables to the low overhead oval-shaped lighting at East City Grill.
Japanese elegance and African authenticity are merged in the space to create a warm and inviting dining setting.
Need to know details:
Address: 84 Harrington Street
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm to 9.30pm. Closed on Mondays and Sundays.
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