Clifton Second on steroids
The Grand in daylight is Clifton Second on steroids. If you go to Clifton, you have to climb down about three billion stairs, dragging your cooler box weighed with now-warming Peronis and a few bites from Woolies. After paying some sneaky guy who has monopolised the beach R150, you get a creaky old plastic deckchair and a mildly useful red umbrella. Alternatively, you can spend a few hours relaxing in the glow of the South African sun at The Grand, sipping on extravagant cocktails (which average R45), and sharing reasonably priced pizza (think R120 for a metre-long pizza). This is The Grand's best-kept secret: it's actually a highly affordable lunchtime venue. Break out the cosie and towel, and drag your friends down there to impress them. On a side note, the one key difference between Clifton and The Grand is that you have to book, otherwise you run the risk of the venue being used as a film set (twice) or being turned away because they're super full (once).
Night-time is a different story. Lavishly upmarket in its plush old-world décor, at night it is inviting and warm. Of course, the menu is the same, but the clientèle commands a much more evocative experience. They are not there to sunbathe, they are there to dine. Whilst I have enjoyed The Grand's lunch experience many, many times in the brief time it's been open, my review night was my first dinner. The food was, in short, fantastic. The starter selection is well put together and enjoyable, but larger groups tend to opt for a pizza starter. The focus of the main course is definitely seafood. We decided to go for a seafood platter for two (priced at R740), which, I can assure you, did not disappoint. Having developed something of an affinity for crayfish, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and consistency of the platter. It is also absolutely humongous - there were leftovers, despite both myself and my review buddy being pretty hefty guys.
Understandably, though, no restaurant is perfect. The Grand Café and Beach is the third restaurant owned by the group and bearing the name. The first, in Plettenberg Bay, is a boutique hotel and private, cosy restaurant. The second, in Camps Bay, is well known to many locals. Since this third restaurant was so wildly different and, dare I say it, adventurous, there were some teething issues. Whilst I personally never had a bad experience, I have had many friends who went there since its December launch who have complained bitterly about the service. Some have even vowed never to return. Watching the restaurant tick during the course of my evening there, however, I noticed a massive improvement in it. The waiters seemed properly trained and highly efficient. Managers kept a beady eye on the staff and were constantly on the go, ensuring service delivery. Thankfully, despite being a review table, I didn't get pestered 18 times in a sitting to find out "how your meal is" - a pet hate of mine. It seems that although it has only been open a little over four months, the service has been revamped to the point where it can compete with other high-end establishments.
The bottom line here is that The Grand is a highly versatile venue. Romantic, secluded, and upbeat during the day, it transforms into the perfect celebration venue at night. It seems that I wasn't the only one feeling that vibe, with a number of tables featuring guests celebrating anniversaries or bachelorette's. I am certain that The Grand has solved any service problems it had at the beginning, and it will continue to be on my list of "nice stuff" that I like for a long, long time.
Beach Road, Granger Bay
Tel: 021 425 0551
www.thegrand.co.za
