Over the last couple of years the area around Stanley Street in Richmond Hill has developed into a hub of restaurants, side walk eateries and deli’s and has become one of the best places to go for a meal in Port Elizabeth. One of the restaurants I have heard a lot about but hadn’t had a chance to visit is the Bain Street Grill (32 Bain Street, Richmond Hill) just around the corner from Stanley Street. But this was about to change when I made a booking to visit it with a bunch of visiting journalists. My first surprise of the evening came as soon as we walked in the front door. The Bain Street Grill is a small cosy restaurant (for some reason I was expecting a big “Spur” like place) with only about 9 or 10 tables which means that there are far less noise and much better service. On the night we were there there was one waitress handling the orders for all the tables (and doing a very good job) while a second made sure drinks were delivered and topped up without anybody going thirsty.
My second surprise came when we weren’t handed menu’s but rather was told that everything on offer is up on the walls. This meant that there was a lot more discussion between everybody on what to have rather than the usual hiding behind the menu and peeking around it wondering what the others are having. Another thing I liked about the restaurant was the open plan kitchen in which you could see the chef preparing the food and, even though he was probably busy as hell, he looked as cool as a cucumber.
My big surprise was the food. Priced lower than it’s competition, the food was excellent and the portions generous. No fancy garnishes and things (In Afrikaans we would say “fieterjasies”), just plain good food. I thought that the vegetable kebab was a brilliant touch so in between the calories, cholesterol and carbs you do get something healthy in as well. Although there were a lot of stuff on the menu that looked good I was recommended the Ribs beforehand and I wasn’t disappointed. F-I-N-G-E-R L-I-C-K-I-N-G good and “fall off the bone” soft.
One of the ladies had fish, Cajun Kingklip if I remember correctly. My first thought was why order fish as a grill restaurant is often associated with meat, but according to her she would order it again any day. She also opted for the healthier option and had it with veg.
I’m not a prawn man myself but I have to admit that the Surf and Turf option of steak and prawns looked divine. Other than big smiles and thumbs up I didn’t get a comment on this dish though cause the ones having it had their mouths full all the time. All in all I have to say that we had a stunning evening of good food and good company in an excellent and recommendable restaurant and I am honestly looking forward to my next visit to Bain Street Grill.
We visited Bain Street Grill on a recommendation and not on invitation and paid for the bill
I'll have the Kudo steak. No, maybe the ribs. But I also like fish. Dang, it all looks good. The Spur was OK, but big and noisy.
Megan, yours is one of the first restaurants to visit when I am next back in South Africa. Bless you xx
Wow – what a fantastic review! My name is Megan, and I'm the owner of the Bain Street Grill, and was so blown away to see this article. As for our “little spot” – we're small, intimate, and down to earth. We're all about good food, which we believe goes hand in hand with good service. We pride ourselves on knowing the names of our “regulars”, and recalling what they prefer to drink and eat (our “front of house” [Jo] is the best in PE!). We look forward to many more years of serving fab food to the PE public!