Headquarters – or HQ as it is more commonly known - is an unusual restaurant. One first course Salad! One Main Course Steak and Chips! Choice of 8 classical desserts and a cheese platter.
HeadQuarters interior
Situated on Heritage Square, HQ is owned by the team which owns the fabulous two branches of Caveau, one in the square itself looking out on to Bree Street, and the other in the so beautiful Josephine Mill behind the rugby stadium in Newlands.
I lunched there with Christophe Durand who runs the Santam Classic Wine Trophy each year. He has a gaggle of French and Belgian wine judges out each year for this unusual competition which judges South African wines for the European palate.
The salad was so simple, just the freshest crispiest lettuce, a mix of Iceberg and Cos and a dressing which Jean Yves Muller described as classical French. Perfect balance of oil and vinegar. A few strips of parmesan.
The steak was free range grass fed essentially organic Namibian, aged to Jean Yves’s specifications for 35 days and served with a rustle of chips – French fried naturellement – and a generous pat of Buerre de Café de Paris. Heaven on a plate.
Headquarters Steak 'n Chips
With a menu as simple as this – the only decision you need to take is how you like your steak cooked and this is written with a flourish on the paper table cloths.
All this gives you time to make up your mind about what wines from the excellent short list – we chose Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir which had been chilled to the perfect temperature.
An excellent meal with brilliant service in good company – I’m definitely going back.
A couple of days later the winners of the classic Wine Trophy were announced and they were:
Santam Classic Wine Trophy
Santam Classic Wine Trophy (Overall Winner)
Warwick Wine Estate
Best White Wine Trophy
Hoopenberg ‘Integer’ Chardonnay 2006
Best Red Wine Trophy
Vriesenhof Pinot Noir 2007
Best Sweet Wine Trophy
Klein Constantia ‘Vin de Constance’ 2005
Christophe Durand and me with wine writer Angela Lloyd