Rocket Restaurant in Rivonia, the vision of owner Sean Barber, a frustrated former accountant, was initially London inspired with major focuses on good Feng Shui and the calmness of a Zen inflected environment.

Warm, Earthy & Relaxed

The concept wins on many levels (not least of all its menu), with eclecticisms juxtaposed to present  a warm, earthy and relaxed eating environment through the use of natural materials like wooden decks and chairs, glass and water. Baber confesses to regularly consulting with his Feng Shui expert just to make sure the balance is being maintained and I think one can feel this.

The ambience can be described as ‘Capetonian’ in that, whilst dining al fresco on the smoking terrace, you could easy imagine the Atlantic Ocean. And the décor, wishing well water features, excellent food and equally excellent service (service being rare in Cape Town’s establishments) more than makes up for its absence.

Stunning Cocktail Bar

 The colours, monotone in taupe and mushroom and darker woods, are washed with subtle down-lighting and accentuated by table overlays and menus in black. The menu is presented as a clipboard with the day’s special clipped over the actual laminate print.

Besides the drop dead gorgeous owner (hands off ya’all, he is married!), the stunning cocktail bar with it’s explosion of concrete, wood, glass, steel and mirror, and it’s feature full-volume glass water-wall is a sight to behold and is definitely the interior’s focal point from which all the other intimate areas hail. 

The Food

The menu is where the eclecticism of the restaurant is highlighted as the culinary delights on offer from starters through to mains are of varied styles and cuisines from Thai, Italian, European/Continental and South African. There is indeed something to whet even the most discerning of pallets, or a fervent lover of all of the above styles, so it was a tad difficult for me to make choices.

The wonderfully efficient and hospitable watrons and sexy managers Erin and Richard are on hand to assist and recommend according to individual taste. And the starter list gives patrons an easy ‘meze like’ opportunity to feast on a few little delicacies (priced individually from R30 to R50), which my two guest and I did…

Welcome Choices

Grilled calamari in the most heavenly garlic crème sauce, chicken satays in peanut butter sauce, crispy veg spring rolls, and golden grilled haloumi fingers with sweet chili sauce cluttered the table and proved welcome choices. One of us also ordered a fresh and generous beef carpaccio on deep green rocket lettuce with dollops of extra virgin olive oil, copious sprinklings of Parmesan and a tisk of ground black pepper.  

If your penchant for starters is more along a cool, lighter and crispier side, then the salads will not disappoint. Firstly, I have not seen fresher salads in a while…pure organic bliss. Haloumi salad; chicken salad; prawn & chorizo salad, and the steak salad (R68) will entice those taste buds.

Absolutely Superb

Having dined at Rocket before, this time I was determined to have something recommended by our waiter. The fillet medallions prepared in a Jack Daniels reduction (hello!!) with Balsamic vinegar and other secret ingredients had been recommended to me on prior occasion, but this was the first time I went with it.

Absolutely superb! The medallions were of a generous thickness and size and the tenderness and taste flawless. The fillet was as soft as butter and the amalgamation of the flavours in the Jack Daniels basting ensured no monotony to a cut that, for me, can be a little tasteless.

Tingling the Senses

Though food presentation at Rocket can certainly pass as French, the portions are certainly not…

My one guest tried a scrumptious chicken dish: breasts smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce, the aroma of which made the olfactory senses tingle! We opted out of grilled veggies, but kept with chips for both our dishes which are cleverly presented in old worlde steel pales, mouth-wateringly spilling out the sides of these cute makeshift buckets.

Tempting Wine Accompaniments

We agreed that a chardonnay would go down well with our food on this balmy evening and so we went for a bottle (we finished two!) of Mulderbosch Chardonnay 2007, which refreshed our palettes as it fittingly accompanied our meals.

At R150-00 per bottle the price for this three-year-old vintage was well priced. And this was about the most expensive of the chardonnays on the wine list, which is thorough but not too extensive (thankfully!).

Decadent Desserts with Toppings of Live Music and Dancing

Desserts are all stunningly decadent, especially items like the crème brule with a twist (a welcome topping of Amarula Cream!!) and the triple chocolate brownies with chocolate sauce and ice-cream.

It must be mentioned that once a month on a Saturday evening is ‘salsa night’ where the floor becomes jammed with embracing partners writhing to sexy, sensual Latin American rhythms. There is also almost always live music.

Rocket is a wonderful up-market, but informal escape that offers most anything for the discerning restaurant patron; and it won’t cost you your arm or leg. For any occasion, lunch or supper, Rocket is truly a must venue for a vibey and tasteful treat!