FILLING | FAITHFUL | FLAVOURED

‘Food’ seems like such a simple and seemingly reductive word for what Chefs Warehouse teams do. The Red Room – the latest offering by the group’s Liam Tomlin and chef/partner David Schneider – does more than serve food.

The meals are, of course, wholly delightful – not a surprising feat for the restaurant group comprised of award-winning restaurants and coveted chef talents, young and older, in residence at some of the Southern Hemisphere’s bustling acclaimed outposts.

But The Red Room isn’t simply a practical epicurean pick off a bland Travel Guide punting passionless packaged experiences around the Cape.

This is a visual, textural, and tasteful delight.

Welcome to The Red Room.

The Belmond-based restaurant feels as worthy of ravenous whispers as secreted-away gems like Mosuke in Paris or Gjelina in Los Angeles – places that only those in the know of major tourist destinations, know and frequent.

With a purposeful fresh palette and palate made for sensual play, the ‘underground den’ type Red Room sits where the dinner dance venue, ‘The Grill Room’, once made its home in the 80s.

Now, this is a space pulsing in saturated colours that Asian cultures associate with prosperity & happiness and is laden with other apropos design elements like silk lanterns, smokey glass wall panels, bamboo fixtures, and lacquered staircase. Scarlet, gold, and black adorn the walls and seating, and elements such as skirting were preserved from the hotels’ bygone era, while lush velvet upholstery now makes for comfortable and chic banquette seating not dissimilar to a Bond film set in the East.

Not even the bathrooms or entryways are exempt from the restaurant’s overall vision!

The interiors’ gutting has made way for a musical chairs play for guests:

• The lounge – Deep booth seating and communal tables where a snack à la carte menu allows guests to sip anything from Sake to a bespoke house cocktail (delicious tea infusions abound!), and nip small plate morsels like prawn toast, oysters, or even a fortune cookie – before and after the kitchen closes!
• The central bar – Singapore Sours, another Asian-inspired libation, a non-alcoholic bevvy (think Imperial Lapsang Souchong tea), or a glass of wine from the eclectic wine list? Sit front row along the low-lit glimmering bar and be dazzled by mixologists in motion crafting or pouring up chilled servings.
• The dining room proper – The decadent set R850pp “Chefs’ Choice Menu” deserves a setting to match, and The Red Room‘s dining room proper is idyllic for a night spent sharing and biting into culinary starlets like Karaage Cauliflower with black bean paste, or Chicken Wonton with Hot & Sour Tamarind Dressing.

The 12-plate Pan-Asian set menu is not a true blending of gastronomies typified in this part of the continent – “fusion” being a word so few chefs run from now, but which presently describes the logic of so many South African eateries in particular.

At The Red Room, everything from the juxtaposition of the hotel’s exterior and the restaurant’s interior, to the tableside manner and the mise-en-scene dance from arrival to palate-wetting to dining, is actually a dialogue between different cultures; Việt Nam, Japan, Malaysia, China etc. getting their individual chances to shine.

It is the diner that truly wins with the retro-sophisticated celebration of Pan-Asian cuisines though!

Peking Duck, Miso Broth, Filipino pork ribs Chicken Wanton, Mushroom Sando and so much more (including the house-made condiments and dipping sauces) on the a la carte menu, have no equal in the realm of mono-Asian food served in the Cape area. At this level, these dishes (special shout-out to the Duck Consommé and the Korean BBQ pork steamed buns) serve up the very best in authentic ingredients, a loyal but exciting recipe approach, and unfussy fine plating.

And should diners seek further adventure, give your server or in-house beverage experts carte blanche to bring you a recommendation from their intriguing drinks menu.

Meat, pescatarian, vegetarian or the like?
While the restaurant is accommodating, those with particularities around gluten, Halaal classifications, and nut allergies should clearly communicate your wants and needs from the restaurant in advance, to assess whether there’d be a more than decent accommodation for your culinary experience.

VERDICT?

The Red Room is about provenance, satisfaction, and moody seduction to get you to return.

Fantastic, filling meals true to their origin, decent design that’s not at all gaudy, AND the drinks to match – It’s a triptych of taste!

It’s not every day that epicurean offerings operating at a high level genuinely impress with more than an acclaimed chef name and the (inevitably unmet) promise of a bucket-list-worthy feast.

“It’s not trying to fancy up a dumpling. Let’s serve it as it should be. Let’s make it amazing.” – David Schneider. (2024). EatOut.

I definitely recommend The Red Room though. This place, in the underbelly of what is arguably Cape Town’s most renowned hotel, is almost cinematic in its relative anonymity and rich floor-to-roof narrative.

In truth, The Red Room is just one sultry John Powell score away from immersing their diners into feeling like movie leads if for only a night!

By my recommendation: THE RED ROOM at Belmond Mount Nelson

The Mount Nelson, 76 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town

(+27)021 483 1516 | reservations@cwredroom.co.za