Summer at The Suburbs, a fresh menu for this sizzling venue #Preview
Briony Wilson
11th May 2021
Last week was a busy week for us. As hospitality plans for return to indoor service are in full service, while some continue to take advantage of their outside seating areas.
We were kindly invited to spend two days with Kingdom and his fabulous team at both The Yard and The Suburbs, getting a sneaky preview of their plans for reopening. This was a lot of eating and drinking that we were more than happy to assist with. We shared with you our fabulous experience at The Yard in last week’s newsletter, so now it’s time to get down to business with the new menu from The Suburbs.
I have always loved the Suburbs primarily for the cocktails, I must admit; but the food is always so tasty you just have to give something on the menu a try. A reoccurring favourite of mine is the Steak Platter to share. I am very happy to say despite the team deciding to change the menu and offer some new lighter dishes, the old favourites are sticking around, including the Steak and Steak Platter, all the fabulous Burgers and the Braai box. Having tried these all before we skipped those options, as we felt the 15 new dishes was just about enough for the day.
You can’t start a visit to The Suburbs without trying the oysters, they are so fresh and such a signature on this menu, they come in a flight of 3 with different toppings, Lemon and shallot Vinegar, Pickled cucumber, and caviar. This was my first Oyster experience, and I loved it. Such a fresh, light start to a meal.
Next on the list was the Meat and bread board, I love a good sharing board and despite the Yard and Suburbs having the same lead chef and owner, they have made the boards different between the venues. This board, I have to admit, is my favourite of the two because of the cheese, we got to enjoy Sliced Italian meats; Prosciutto, Chorizo and Salami, biltong, brie and blue cheese plus Olives, Homemade bread and a delicious chutney. This is ideal to share between a group and would accompany many of the new great wine choices.
The bread board was enjoyed at speed, we were obviously big fans, so moved swiftly on to the Chicken Liver pate. This smooth pate with clarified butter on top, is served with homemade red onion chutney and sourdough croutes. Pate is never my top choice on a menu, but this was packed with flavour and so smooth, I will be bringing many guests to The Suburbs to give this pate a try, especially with that chutney, such a great pairing.
The next course was one of the lightest and brightest dishes we sampled, the Parma Ham and compressed melon; in an olive oil and garnished with chive oil. This is a lovely light starter and so instagrammable with all those colours. This dish brought back memories of holidays abroad, which now feel like a distant memory, so pop down to the Suburbs and give this a try if you are in need of that summer holiday feeling.
This next starter was my standout favourite and once again Carl Noller, the Executive Chef, has created a vegetarian masterpiece which can compete against some fabulous meaty dishes. The Beetroot Tartare is a vegetarian version of the classic beef tartare. The beetroot is packed with flavour and vivid colour, it’s so light and refreshing with a cured egg yolk, adding to the wonderful creamy texture of the tartare, sprinkled with chive oil for extra impact and crunchy sourdough croutes. This is a must try dish.
The next dish is the staff recommendation; Kingdom’s Gin cured Salmon with gin-soaked orange segments and topped with fresh chicory and radish salad. The colours in this dish are stunning and if you are salmon fan, you will love this. We enjoyed a very similar dish at sister restaurant the Yard where the salmon is cured with Limoncello- but I think Kingdom’s gin steals it for me in this dish. I personally loved the textures of this dish, and I can understand why it is such a hit with staff and customers.
Next to the table were the Chicken wings, which now come in 3 flavour options: Honey and Hoisin, Piri Piri and Johannesburg Buffalo. To me chicken wings are the ideal Suburbs dish, perfect to share, go great with a couple of drinks and packed full of flavour. I loved the honey and hoisin, and despite not being a fan on getting my fingers dirty when I’m eating- you have to just bite the bullet with these and dig in -they are very much worth it. All 3 flavours were brilliantly balanced and just the right level of sticky, with juicy flavourful meat. The Johannesburg buffalo wings were a big surprise for me as I expected them to be Spicer, but instead they were powerful and sweet at the same time. For those that don’t know Johannesburg buffalo sauce is a combination of bbq sauce and hot sauce popular in South Africa. And if you like your spice, I recommend the Piri Piri, a little hot for me but not enough to take away the great taste of the different flavours.
Alongside the Wings we enjoyed the Sowetan Fried chicken – this is like no other fried chicken I have tried before. It was not greasy, but the meat was so juicy and the Cajun style batter, added a great bite and crunch. But that sriracha mayo that tops it off is so sexy. These are not spicy but balanced and you could taste so many different spices- I think I kept going back to this dish – they are first on my list for my next visit.
From meat to more meat, but this time something a little different. The Bobotie Fritters, which are a spiced lamb mince, bread crumbed and deep fried. These bites of goodness are packed full of flavour- I know I have said this so many times in this review, but its true. The batter was crunchy, and the filling was so well spiced. The fritters came with a side salad and the famous Mrs Balls Peach and apricot chutney adding a great sweetness to the dish. My explanation of this dish does not do it justice and you will simply have to visit and give it try, to understand.
On to our final Starter, the Pork Belly bites. Whilst I have called these starters, I think the ideal thing at the suburbs is come with a group and try a selection of all these dishes, they all go well together despite being very different and the portion sizes are ideal to share, or if you just fancy a light meal.
The pork belly is cubed having been slow roasted and flattened for 12 hours, served in a lovely sticky Char sui sauce on a bed of pickled cucumber salad, adding a great freshness and then sprinkled with sesame seeds, which add a brilliant textural element.
Following the brilliant range of starters, we took a short break and enjoyed a couple of wonderful cocktails. Refreshing and fun, the cocktails at The Suburbs are always on point. There is a real fresh ness to the drinks and the garnishes reflect that. The pineapple-based cocktail came with frozen shattered raspberries adding a burst of colour as well as flavour.
On to the mains and this is like the Pork belly upgrade if you want something more than the starter. Like the previous dish the Pork is slow roasted and flattered for 12 hours, but it is served with confit potatoes, tender stem broccoli and veal jus. The sauce steals the dish for me, the clarity of the jus and the rich taste, it doesn’t get much better. The broccoli adds that crunch and the buttery potatoes are the perfect side.
Next up my favourite main, I will certainly be back for, and this one, I won’t be sharing I’m afraid. My favourite main mixed with my favourite snack, does it get any better than Biltong Mac and cheese? The cheese is so gooey and there are at least 3 varieties of cheese in this. The paprika and bacon crumbs add something special to and already fantastic dish, this is a must try for any cheese lover.
On to our last meaty main, this is Duck like you have never experienced before. I have always loved crispy duck, and this is that but on a new level, its refined, flavoursome, pretty and damn tasty. You receive 1 full confit duck leg, which is slow cooked in it’s own juices making it super moist inside but with brilliantly crunchy skin, served on a vivid Asian slaw that adds a sharpness to the dish. With very light pancakes and the famous Mrs Balls chutney once again giving that spice and sweetness to balance the whole dish. If you like duck, then this needs to be on your list of first dinner experience post restrictions lifting.
Now if I hear ‘Bloody Mary’ I think of Kingdom Thenga, but did I expect that to be combined with a brilliant bowl of beautiful mussels? No, but I’m glad it has happened. The mussels are fresh from Scotland and the colours in these shells are stunning. The bloody Mary sauce packs a punch and is made in house, then the whole dish is garnished with bacon, thyme crumb and celery salt. This portion is huge, and I would strongly recommend it for sharing, and order some bread and a spoon for the end to mop up all that sauce, you will not regret it.
Our last dish of the day and we finished on a high with the Cape Malay Fish Curry. Yet another throwback to South Africa, this mild fish curry, is made from salmon and white fish. Served with kidney bean coconut rice and garnished with mussels, chilli, and spring onion. This is a lovely refreshing but hearty dish, with so many flavours. They work together so well and would be beautiful with some of the new wines on offer at the Suburbs. Following the food tasting we joined the team for some Wine tasting and their knowledge now and recommendations for each dish are on point, you are in good hands with the Team at the suburbs on your next visit.
Tori is much better with the wine side of things than I, so here are a few of her wine highlights from the day.
The wine menu includes a wonderful combination of the expected and the unexpected. With standards such as Italian Pinot Grigio from I Castelli which is light and fruity and would go with the mussels, to a fruity and fresh Charlie Zin – White Zinfandel which as Rose’ would pair beautifully with that duck.
For me, the more exciting wines are more unique and surprising. Mention must be made of the Cramele Reacas Pinot Noir which is, unbelievably, Romanian and would be spot on with that Biltong Mac n Cheese. It’s powerful but rich in ripe fruit and perfectly balanced.
They also stock the Te Papa New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which is my current mouth-watering obsession.
Finally, I really loved the Fat Barrell Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, which I hope they will forgive me for saying is like feisty Ribena! Great with those spicy Chicken wings or the pork belly bites.
All in all, The food and wine at The Suburbs has had a delicious and exciting uplift. It’s refreshing and perfect for the upcoming Summer of food and drink and we fully expect you to thoroughly enjoy the new and improved Suburbs dining experience.