Hi Friends,
High ceilings, loads of natural light and a fresh warm ambience are the makings of The Grillroom & Sushi Bar, a modern, stylish restaurant that has just opened at Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn in Pretoria. The elegant eatery is perfect for special occasions, romantic dinners and business lunches. The venue is easily accessible, well located and has safe undercover parking within the precinct.
Passion on a plate...
Head Chef Jamie Sutherland promises “passion on a plate and a memorable eating experience”. For meat lovers and vegetarians, wine connoisseurs and sushi enthusiasts, the menu boasts a generous selection of modern food with classic overtures.
“A great meal consists of the freshest ingredients. We source our meats, fruits and vegetables from the best local producers,” says Sutherland. “Wine lovers will not be disappointed as our wine list has over 100 of the best South African wines with a selection of award-winning international wines. Our resident sommelier is also on hand to assist diners in pairing wines with their food.”
Menu to suit all palates...
Chef Jamie says the restaurant caters for all palates. From the Mibrasa oven comes some scrumptious dishes for meat lovers including Lemon and Thyme Roasted Baby Spatchcock, Crispy Pork Belly and good old T-Bone. For those extra special occasions, there is some tender Local Wagyu beef and 41-day dry-aged Jersey beef from KZN.
For vegetarians, the menu delivers carefully chosen favourites, made to perfection - from the refreshing Quinoa Salad to the Creamy Risotto with Shiitake Mushroom, Asparagus & Parmesan to the Mushroom and Camembert for something lighter.
The Grillroom & Sushi Bar offers an extensive variety of fresh Maki Rolls, Nigiri, Sashimi with choices for vegetarians.
Fish and seafood lovers are not forgotten with Soya Infused Salmon, Tuna Tartare, Calamari and Grilled Prawns on the list.
The dessert menu has a cheese board selection with chutney and relishes for those with a savoury preference and for the sweet-toothed, the choice of summer surprise Mille Feuillet, Lemon Meringue Tart or the Black Forest Brownie will be a delight.
Design and ambience...
The 250-seater restaurant was designed to offer different experiences for their varied clientele. Whether you’re having a quick business lunch, sundowner drinks, having a relaxed family meal or a sophisticated dinner to celebrate a special occasion, we will make sure your experience with us is a memorable one.
The restaurant patrons are catered for through creative natural demarcations - upstairs and downstairs spaces, the outside covered patio areas and the relaxed lounge area which provides an ambient space to have a pre-dinner drink or end the evening off with a nightcap. The wine room was designed to give you the feeling like you’re in a private tasting room at a wine farm in the heart of the Cape.
The use of warm and inviting colours throughout the restaurant and natural elements like the stone columns and wood cladding add natural warmth and elegance to the restaurant.
Safety first…
The restaurant adheres to stringent Covid-19 regulations to ensure the safety of all patrons;
- Wearing of masks by all staff
- Recording of guest temperatures and contact details upon arrival
- Regulated spaced seating according to WHO protocols
- Sanitisation of each table before and after each guest
- Regular sanitisation and wipe down of kitchens & bathrooms every 25minutes
Autumn/Winter Menu Highlights
With the weather cooling down, The Grillroom & Sushi Bar has put together a delicious and hearty autumn/winter menu to entice your tastebuds and take you on a journey of culinary delights. I was lucky enough to be tasting the vegetarian options for myself and totally loved the same very much.
“Think warm, spicy, rich, creamy aromas to slow roasts, pies and the Classic Bread-And-Butter pudding. Our menu boasts some South African favourites made with a classic twist,” says Head Chef Jamie Sutherland.
He says the menu at the newly launched restaurant in Brooklyn, Pretoria, features dishes made from homegrown produce to support local farmers.
The starter menu highlights include sautéed Warm Chicken Livers with a creamy green peppercorn sauce served in a crispy potato skin basket, and a classic Steak Tartare cut from prime fillet steak, made with cured egg yolk and accompanied by a light tartare sauce and teriyaki sauce to lift the flavour combination.
New dishes featured on the main course menu are a bean casserole infused with chorizo sausage for a warm kick, served with a 36-hour Slow Roasted Marinated Lamb Shank, slow-roasted for 8 hours. The Grilled Venison Pie with red wine infused gemsbok is cooked with lovely chunky vegetables to produce a rich thick stew. This is topped with a light puff pastry lid and served with a smooth parmesan mash.
The Kassler Pork Chop is marinated for three days before being lightly smoked in the Mibrasa oven for two hours to give it a distinct smoky flavour and it is then char-grilled to perfection. The dish is served with a warm baby potato salad with green beans and a light vinaigrette dressing. A roasted red pepper salsa adds a little kick to the dish.
The slow-cooked Succulent Pork Belly has distinct flavours of cumin and thyme and is served with sweet potato mash infused with grated Granny Smith apple, braised red cabbage and a grain mustard and cream sauce.
For vegetarians, the Grilled Butternut Salad is a must-have, served with mixed leaves, cream cheese, garlic dressing, dried cranberries, toasted pumpkin seeds and crispy onions.
Desserts Make It Big...
New desserts added include the tale of the Decadent Cream Tart. The melt-in-your-mouth sweet pastry crumbles to reveal a smooth chocolate sponge with a layer of rich chocolate ganache topped with strawberry curd and finished with a creamy crème patisserie. The blood orange sorbet when combined with a spoonful of the tart brings out the sheer beauty of this dish.
The Chocolate Smore, with a salty crunchy base and a rich chocolate mousse, is topped with toasted marshmallow and a thin layer of fresh raspberries to cut through the sweetness. The restaurant’s home-made coffee ice cream adds to the combination of textures and flavours.
The Millionaire Shortbread will have you nostalgic for Granny’s desserts. This crumbly shortbread is topped with rich salted caramel and covered in dark chocolate. For a little extra treat, we serve it with Cointreau-infused orange bonbons and a home-made bitter orange ice cream.
The Coconut Panna Cotta consists of toasted coconut-infused cream and a raspberry sponge combined with a delightful surprise - a beetroot jelly and a home-made rose and beetroot sorbet. When you combine all the components on your spoon and place It in your mouth, the flavours explode into a heavenly delight.
Passion-Fruit Brulee is a flavourful rich cream dessert, topped with crunchy caramel. The home-made pomegranate and black pepper sorbet helps to reduce the richness but takes nothing away from the flavours.
The Classic Bread and Butter pudding layers brioche coated in butter and apricot jam, together with dried cranberries and is baked with a fresh egg and cardamom flavoured custard. The dessert is complemented by home-made cinnamon ice cream and fresh cream.
“If my mother made bread and butter pudding like this, I wouldn’t have left home. Our menu has everything for everyone, and I have no doubt you’ll be back for more,” concludes Chef Jamie.
About The Grillroom & Sushi Bar
The Grillroom & Sushi Bar is a modern, stylish restaurant that has just opened in Brooklyn Bridge Office Park, in Pretoria. Perfect for special occasions, romantic dinners and business lunches, the restaurants offer an exquisite culinary experience for all palates.
Meet the GM – Mark Williams
Passion and service excellence are the front and centre of hospitality says Mark Williams, the new General Manager at The Grillroom & Sushi Bar.
“The customer-facing service of the restaurant needs to equally match the amazing food coming out of our pristine kitchen – our peerless backend,” says Williams who trained at the Swiss Hotel Management School in Switzerland and obtained a BA Honours in Hospitality and Events Management.
The well-groomed restauranteur’s friendly nature and professionalism reflect his thirteen years’ experience as a manager at leading restaurants in South Africa’s economic hubs of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.
He understands the importance of providing consistent quality dining experiences.
“The stakes are high in this industry, now more than ever, and the customer demands real value for money. Providing consistently high-quality dining experiences is non-negotiable,” says Williams.
The Grillroom & Sushi Bar’s head chef Jamie Sutherland says Williams brings an energetic vibe and elegance to the restaurant. “Williams is an effective communicator with intimate knowledge on operating both the front and back of house seamlessly and profitably which he shares selflessly with the team.’’
Meet the Chef: Jamie Sutherland
The Grillroom & Sushi Bar’s Head Chef, Jamie Sutherland has 36 years of cooking experience under his toque with a formidable career that has taken him across kitchens in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Jamie trained as a chef in the United Kingdom and started his career in 1984 in Scotland where he worked for a couple of hotel restaurants before moving to London for the next decade honing his skills at top restaurants.
“I’ve been privileged to travel widely and had vast experience with French, Asian, Middle Eastern and African cuisine. My style of food is modern with classic overtures but the most important ingredient in any dish is passion. I cook with heart and aim to enhance the full flavour of each dish,” says Jamie.
His love for cooking is only paralleled by his love for teaching and mentoring. “I am the sum of the many great chefs I’ve worked under and that same desire to continue learning is what drives me to take junior chefs under my wing and share my knowledge. In teaching, you also learn and continue growing.”
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