The Wooden Shoe review
(17 votes, average: 4.06 out of 10)You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...I remember quite a while back I mentioned The Wooden Shoe in passing, saying it didn’t look very appealing. I had someone email me and give me a hard time about that, insisting I should try it before knocking it. So when I was recently invited to dinner there, I was looking forward to seeing how right or wrong I was.
The Wooden Shoe is a steakhouse in the traditional sense of the word: been around for ages, dingy and quirky. Other equivalent venues would be the Nelson’s Eye, Buzby Grill and the original Hussar Grill. I’ve realised I don’t particularly like traditional steakhouses (I did not enjoy Nelson’s Eye at all), I find them to be too dingy, and generally lacking in many areas, especially value.
It seems that traditional steakhouses are frequented by a small loyal following with the occasional ‘visitor’ who usually doesn’t come back. The loyal following will defend their favourite steakhouse with all their strength. So I will probably get some flack for this review.
The Wooden Shoe is a very small restaurant, with about 20 seats inside and another 3 tables outside which won’t be used much in winter. Due to the limited amount of tables, there is only one waiter. While she does a good job, it does mean that you do a lot of waiting before getting attention or receiving whatever you have ordered. The chairs make waiting for service quite uncomfortable as they are hard.
The winelist is short and and inexpensive. It contains wines which we did not recognise so we ordered the wine they were promoting and it was undrinkable. I ordered the 300g fillet with pepper sauce (R133.50), friend from the UK had the plain 300g fillet (R102.50) and flatmate had the pork fillet with mushroom sauce (R102.50). As you can see, the prices are not cheap. My steak was good but not great, certainly not better than the steak I would have at most other restaurants for the same price or less.
The place definitely has character. The decor is themed with clogs all around and the owner is in the tiny kitchen cooking the steaks. You can sit at the bar and watch him cooking the steaks if you like. I’m sure the waitress has been there for ages because she knows what she is doing. So I can see the attraction for the regulars but I won’t be rushing back, I would prefer to go back for the excellent steak I had at Sevruga.
The Wooden Shoe
Cnr Regent & St Johns Roads, Seapoint
021 439 4435
April 28th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Absolutely agree with your review: I live in the area and am amazed that this type of place is alive and thriving…when you see the decor, you expect it to be cheap but far from it. There must be an extremely large profit margin on all food sold..
May 8th, 2009 at 11:04 am
We had a terrible and very expensive meal there with very average steak and microwaved jacket potatoes – open kitchen remember! The place is dusty and definately not the cleanest I’ve seen, althought this may be because everything is so old? The SPUR is better!!
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:29 pm
I drove by this place my whole life (I am 40). April 2009 my wife and I finally went in. Boy can the chef cook! There is a reason why a place that does not advertise and spends nothing on decor is still going after all these years. The food is fantastic! If you like steel, glass and pretention, then this isn’t the place for you. If you want an excellent steak with a few friends and are not in a rush, this is the place for you.
July 16th, 2011 at 5:05 am
In another article about The Wooden Shoe, Willi refers to the original owner as, “some Dutchman”. That Dutchman’s name is Hans Roukema, he also opened Le Sabot on the foreshore not too long after he opened The Wooden Shoe on a shoestring. Such a tight and short shoestring that his friends and their friends were the ones, myself included, who actually put the place together…down to the Delft tiles on the walls, mixing the sauce the steaks were dredged through and prepping all that had to be prepped. Then when he opened we served as the wait staff. You could start with Maatjes Haring, Shrimp cocktail and numerous other delicious starters, followed by a delicious steak with baked potato and salad. Yum for the monkey gland steak!
That was all way back in 1961. During the 80′s we visited Cape Town and while walking down that way I happened to notice The Wooden Shoe! What a surprise that they were still in business, but alas they were not open for lunch. Fast forward to 2009 and once again I am in Cape Town. I passed by there on a Friday night and there was a line of people waiting outside, so I decided to wait until the next night. Arriving to a closed and chained shut door, noone there. Some ladies passing by said he would be there later, if not there then…or maybe he has gone fishing! Sunday morning I left to return to the USA, never having the opportunity to dine there again.
I just read that “this establishment is now closed”. Good bye old girl, you gave all of them a good run for the money.
July 18th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Thank you Joanne for that tribute to the Wooden Shoe. When we don’t know the personality behind the restaurant it’s easier to criticise, but there is often someone trying to make a living and perhaps share a passion.