Narina Trogon

Last Thursday, I went out for dinner. Jacqui (AKA my favourite Joburger) booked for Narina Trogon, which I thought was an Ethiopian restaurant.

It's not an Ethiopian restaurant.

Which was a slight relief - because: 

1. I'm not such a big fan of sharing between 6 people a giant pancake laden with various stews (standard Ethiopian cuisine, I'm told);
2. I'd have been forced to bring out my small bottle of dettol waterless sanitizer (an OCD fixation that developed during two weeks of illness); and
3. I've been told that the Ethiopian district in Joburg requires a Bhuddist non-attachment to one's virtue and one's possessions.

A sigh of relief later, I remembered that the Narina Trogon is a type of bird (I remembered because Wikipedia stopped being in blackout and reminded me). When I first saw its picture, I automatically assumed that it was a bird of paradise located somewhere on an island in the Philippines (because naturally, all birds of attractive plumage must come from an island somewhere near Asia). 

Also wrong. Wikipedia reminded me that their home range is, in actual fact, Africa. 

So Narina Trogon is aptly named, and it specialises in "urban comfort food". And on a Thursday evening, the urban crowd needs a little comforting - especially in Joburg.

Narina Trogon in Town

On arrival, the outside section that we had booked was being fully occupied by two smokers. So we sat inside and ordered wine. The wine list was covered in crimson velvet, which I thought was a bit bizarre. That said, my 2011 Christmas lunch was spent at a vineyard that didn't have a wine list (Oh Cape Town...) - and the wine had to be specially requested (not because of snootiness, but because of general ineptness). So frankly, ever since then, I've just been grateful to see a wine list at all.

And the wine list is the kind I like. The selection does not leave you overly burdened by choice (a good thing) - and the minute I saw Springfield Whole Berry listed under the Cab Savs, I was happy to order almost anything off the menu. Which was another relief - because often I'm asked to pick a wine; at which point I pretend to be in the know and start commenting on the nose and the tannins and the quality of the barrelling process. But really, I just know that there are some wines that I like, and some that I've heard of. And I'll order either.

The white was a Tamboerskloof Viognier (delicious). Viognier is not a particularly dry variety, so it's normally mixed in with one of the drier wines to give a fruity bouquet to the blend. However, I really like it on its own. Personally, I'm a giant fan of the Vrede en Luste Viognier. It's often sold-out at the vineyard - so if ever you find it, you won't regret it (unless you only like your whites dry). The red was an Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon - which is practically the definition of "value for money".

For starters, I shared a beef carpaccio in a mexican dressing with my new favourite NGO employee, Suzie Q. I'll admit that I was aiming for a beetroot rosti with smoked salmon and horseradish cream - but SQ was out for beef. So we had beef. And it was very pleasant. Personally, while a mexican dressing is an interesting twist, I'm still a fan of old-school carpaccio with the rocket and the balsamic and the parmesan shavings. But that's a personal taste issue.

Continuing the beef story, I followed SQ's lead and order the sirloin with the béarnaise. 

The Sirloin

The pros: 

1. The homemade chips were fantastic - my inner fat kid screamed in carbohydrated delight. Honestly. So good.
2. The sirloin was cooked perfectly to specification (medium rare).

The cons:

1. Possibly not the best cut of sirloin. I realise that sirloin traditionally has sinew in it, but this had more than usual. 
2. The béarnaise had too much vinegar in it. So it went really well with the chips (inner fat kid: "HURRAH!!") but not so well with the sirloin.

At this point, Jax got upset with me. Apparently, I should not have ordered the sirloin. So I tasted her lamb and herbed couscous. She was right. I should not have ordered the sirloin. Because that lamb is worth another visit.

I passed on dessert and ordered an espresso. That blend tasted most promising - I look forward to drinking it in cappuccino form. 

Observation: the dessert menu I found to be a little short on variety. But I'll admit to a personal bias here: I'm not a fan of chocolate in desserts, and I have to be in the right mood for a baked pudding (the malva, the sticky toffee, and so on). I think that the dessert menu felt too wintery for a balmy summer's evening. Summer is about fruits and berries and italian pannacotta. I'd like to see what they can do with pavlova. And sorbet. Yes please.

As we left, I got told to go and look at the aardvark. 

The "Aardvark"

Wikipedia then reminded us that it's actually a pangolin.

Wikipedia for the win.

And visit NT for the lamb.