Since it opened a little over a year ago, Chop House at Radisson Blu in Upper hill has grown to become a favourite among meat lovers. They recently introduced a new menu that features steak and seafood dishes all developed with utmost creativity and I was among the first few people to have a taste. Some of the signature dishes include the New York striploin prepared in Josper fashion, beef carpaccio, jumbo prawns and scallops complemented with a fun and enhanced range of desserts and starters.
I was eager to experience something new and the chef behind the innovation, Chef Jeff Gitonga did not keep us waiting. We started off with the hot oak smoked salmon with lemon and horseradish balm, blistered scallops with caper berry cream sauce and langoustines in parmesan and Cointreau liquor foam. This was paired with the Decanal Chardonnay white wine a well suited match for the seafood dishes.
I am not one who enjoys seafood but the smoked salmon did a good job on my palate. The smoky flavour was rich and balanced perfectly with the lemon. The fact that it was seared on both sides made it all the more flavourful. The soft and fleshy scallops were seared just right and the caper berry cream sauce brought more oomph to the meal.
The second starter was the minced beef carpaccio wellington; a thin layer of prime fine steak rolled in a rich brioche slice with wild mushroom duxelle, red wine and beet root puree, drizzled with tarragon hollandaise sauce. This was not a traditional beef wellington; however it was colourful with a sweet aroma. The two hour brined beef was moist and soft and the combination of the red wine and beetroot puree and hollandaise sauce resulted to a meticulous fusion of flavours. I greatly enjoyed the starters; they gave an enticing introduction to the evening.
The star of the night was the ‘Art of the Josper’, a 500° C charcoal grilled New York striploin served with homemade ‘devil’s sauce’ (a hot and sweet sauce made with chillies, sugar, honey cayenne pepper among other spices). The steak was accompanied by salted classic fries and sautéed garlic long beans. This was paired with the Kumala Pinotage red wine. I had my steak medium done and being a stickler for hot and sweet flavours, I loved the combination of the charred steak with the devil sauce.
By this time, I was almost full but I had room for their inviting dessert. The Chocolate Heaven dessert was a warm chocolate fondant cake, butterscotch sauce and burnt orange ice cream. It was paired with Nobile Rosso Al Ciocolatta, an irresistible chocolate temptation in a glass – a mix of warm and cold in one plate. The chocolate fondant cake was moderately sweet and paired perfectly with the burnt orange ice cream thanks to their complimenting flavours.
While Chop House has retained some of the items from the previous menu, the new items are unique and creatively crafted. They also have vegetarian options such as grilled asparagus, salads, soups, halloumi cheese and zucchini fritters, smoked chilli tagliolini among others.
Throughout the month of April, Chop House will be having a Seafood and Wine Affair. Guests will be treated to a three course meal featuring a variety of seafood dishes including salmon, mussels, prawns and oysters paired with the Durbanville Chardonnay wine for Ksh. 5,500 per person.
