Dinner at The Monarch

There's a wide choice in the starters too..., including local dishes like Marinated Springbok Carpaccio with Arugula and Parmesan Crisp, which should satisfy anyone with pockets deep enough to afford what's on offer.

We sat near the window on, quite easily, the biggest lounge chairs I have ever sat on. Mike Tyson and Os du Randt would feel at home on such chairs. The decor was plush and old world, the ‘powder room' felt like one had stepped into a bygone era, and the music was surprisingly pleasant. I'm digressing, but don't worry, let's leave the embroidered silk curtains for a while, the starters are arriving...
My partner, being vegetarian, ordered the only non-meat starter, Antipasti of Grilled Vegetables with Haloumi and Pine nuts, which soon arrived, colourful and resplendent in the middle of the plate... it was an artistic creation...would she dare eat it? Oh yes! She was impressed, saying she could taste everything quite distinctly, except perhaps the Haloumi ... my Prawn and Caviar Avocado Ritz was excellent, the prawns were straight out of the ocean, and had luckily managed not to meet any garlic en route to my palate...

Between courses I meandered about the restaurant, taking in the quality local art. There's a wall covered in plates by Ruan Hoffman, some of which bear fairly striking messages, and until end of January you can catch some of Corne Joubert's beautifully textured ceramics, which are outstanding; seriously, it's worth visiting The Monarch just to see these innovative, humorous, moving works.

For main course I imbibed the Beef Fillet with Potato and Carrot Gratin and Grilled Bone Marrow, which was done in a more-roast-than-steak style, with gravy and what could have been horseradish. Delicious - tastier than most fillets I have sampled in the past. My partner, meanwhile, reported that the Mushroom Tortelleni with Sage and Sunflower Seeds met her high standards of approval. The sweetened sage leaves were somewhat of a novelty, reminding her of crispy seaweed - fabulous!

There are seven different desserts too, but we couldn't look further than the Chocolate Decadence. This was, like the Antipasti starter, a creation a sculptor would have been proud to put together. Fortunately we shared our pudding, because this was no miserly portion, and it rounded off our evening in style.
Contact this five-star establishment before you visit at 011 341 2000 as it's not the easiest place to access in Rosebank (it's just off the corner of Baker and Oxford Roads). The security guards will escort you to the entrance. I thoroughly recommend sampling the new menu there.