There was a time, not so long ago, when it seemed as though the only restaurants in South Africa were good ol’ fashioned steak houses – lined with dark timber, with plastic leather wrapped booths and fantastic South African meat served on a hot, white or cast iron plate on top of a wooden board. Along came contemporary Italian, followed by Cajun blackened chicken, and eventually, ending in a mad craze for sushi where steakhouses, bars, night clubs and cricket clubs converted at least half of their kitchens in order to have someone dressed in a white kimono serving raw fish.

Some prized institutions made it through these crazy, trend-driven days and one of them, is the Hussar Grill which started way back in Rondebosch, Cape Town in 1964. The Hussar Grill brand has continued to grow into numerous restaurants around the Western Cape.

Initially, you may think this a place to go to when you have a craving that can only be satisfied by a 500 g slab of meat grilled to perfection, but the Hussar offers so much more. It’s a place where regulars sit squeezed in at the bar on a Friday night, large parties of people relax in its unpretentious environment, families chat about their kids achievements or lack of, and all are welcomed by the friendly doorman and manager, Gary, who greets most patrons by name.

Hussar Grill has spent 46 years honing their skills. Maybe it is more correct to say that they have spent 46 years consistently serving the food they know at the highest level, in an environment that has hardly changed. In a world that changes with every new high tech fad, it’s reassuring to know that some things haven’t. Order a rump steak with chips and a side order of pumpkin and spinach and you know that you’re going to love it – just as you did on a hundred previous occasions.

Their menu is complimented by an award winning (Platinum Diners Club Award) wine list – you just can’t go wrong in this place.

I decided to try something a little different in this place of constants by ordering fillet on the bone (one of the specials for that evening). Our friendly waitress said that the bone would give extra flavour to the meat and of course, she was right. The Beyerskloof Pinotage by the glass – which was close to a jug in volume – went perfectly with the rich, red meat.

The Hussar Grill is the place to go when you feel that the world is just moving too fast and you need to return to a sense of normality – the service is friendly, the food is uncomplicated, yet completely delicious and the manager knows your name, your favoured cut of meat and, will possibly put a small plaque on the wall above your favourite table if you should happen to end up in the clouds – where there is no such thing as high cholesterol.