Baby/Family friendly

Before Kayden was born, it was very easy to decide where to go out to eat as we didn’t have to worry if the restaurant was child friendly or not. These days, that is priority. We need places that are baby friendly, to accommodate him in his stroller as well as the possibility of him testing his vocal cords, which is the stage he currently is at.

Fortunately for us, we learned that there is a Turn ‘n Tender Steakhouse close to home. Situated at the Square @ Midstream shopping mall, with ample parking and easy access from the car park to the restaurant, we strolled Kayden into the restaurant on a very cold evening, welcomed with a warm and friendly greeting by staff.

We were escorted to a table specifically selected to accommodate Kayden in his stroller. The restaurant was very spacious on the inside, but still created a lovely atmosphere. This was emphasised by strategically positioned lighting, which created a wonderful ambience without being too distracting. Our friendly and polite waitress, Xoli, offered us a baby seat, which was welcomed.

Great Menu Selection

Wines

There is an excellent selection of wines available, carefully selected to complement the meals offered. As we knew beforehand that we were going to try out the steaks, wine was an absolute necessity, perfect for the cold evening.

Starters

If you’re a biltong lover, there’s a menu with biltong starters just for you! Who knew that there are so many ways to eat biltong.

There is of course, the usual starter menu as well. I love the variety of the menus, there is something for everyone. I ordered the haloumi starter. My hubby ordered the boerewors trinchado, something we had both not heard of before, so he was feeling a little adventurous when he opted for this. Fortunately for him, it turned out to be great! It was a delicious boerewors in a tomato chutney, perfectly spiced, with some bread rolls on the side. I could not resist the urge to taste some – something I have a habit of doing, which my hubby has gotten used to…eventually! This is certainly something that I would order as a starter on our next visit. If you like boerewors or the traditional trinchado, this is something I would recommend you try. This was from the “special” menu. Be warned, both starters were very generous servings – and I would imagine other starters are the same, so do take note, especially if you plan on having a full three course meal.

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Main Meal

The problem with having such a variety to choose from on the menu, is that I can be very indecisive at times. When this happens, I usually ask my hubby for his opinion and sometimes, like in this instance, I asked our friendly waitress Xoli for her recommendation. She suggested the “ENTRECÔTE” which was from the Grill menu – a 350g Steak cut from the rib, with natural fat that gives it extra flavour. She had me at “natural fat…extra flavour” so at that point, I didn’t pay attention to it being 350g and decided that is what I am going to have and ordered it.

A few minutes ago, Xoli had brought us a few cuts of uncooked steak on a board, explaining each, but I must admit, I was feeding Kayden at the time, so wasn’t 100% attentive and missed the size of the ENTRECÔTE at that point.

My hubby ordered the ARGENTINIAN fillet steak, which was topped with something called “Chimichurri” which was a mixture of onion, red pepper, garlic, chilli, parsley, white wine vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice. I liked that we were given the option to have it served on a plate, a skillet or a steak board. We both chose the skillet. When both of our main meals arrived, we were a little overwhelmed as they looked much bigger than we had expected and after eating our starters, we knew then, we were most likely not going to finish the main meals.

My decision to listen to Xoli’s recommendation was affirmed; I enjoyed my steak with the mash that I ordered as a side. My steak was perfectly cooked and the extra fat was charred, just the way I like it. I must admit, as delicious as my steak was, I could not eat all of it. I felt guilty to waste such a good steak but I was so full! If I had paid attention earlier and seen that it was a 350g steak…I most likely would have not ordered it – so I think it was a good thing that I missed that!

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At this point, it was past Kayden’s bedtime, so he was restless and needed to sleep. I looked around to see if other people were getting irritated and fortunately not, it seemed as if no one even noticed that he was restless, which was a good thing for us. I know I used to be judgemental of unruly children before we had Kayden, so I think I am a little more self-conscious about this whenever we go anywhere. Besides the fact that it was time for us to take our child home, we were also so full and therefore had no place for dessert. My hubby would have most probably had the Crème brûlée and I would have most likely chosen the Chocolate Volcano or Italian Kisses. On our next visit, for sure!

The Service

Turn ‘n Tender Steakhouse Midstream was very welcoming. The staff was all very friendly. The owners Ashley and Brett briefly chatted to us, to make sure that we were comfortable. There wasn’t anything that I could fault on the service. Our waitress Xoli was professional, she even suggested items on the menu for Kayden. She was very attentive to us and our child, as the owners were too. I would suggest making a booking if you want a nice table as it got busy quite quickly. It was a pity that Kayden was restless, we would have loved to stay longer and enjoy the atmosphere over a few more glasses of wine. Now that we have discovered Turn ‘n Tender Steakhouse in Midstream, we will undoubtedly be returning.

Turn ‘n Tender Midstream Details:

26 Square @ Midstream, Olifantsfontein, South Africa
Tel: +27 12 942 1100
Email: midstream@turnntender.co.za

Visit them on Facebook: Turn ‘n Tender Midstream

If you enjoyed this review, check out previous posts:
Kream Restaurant – Mall of Africa
The Local Grill
Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa

Disclaimer: I was hosted by Turn ‘n Tender Midstream and my views expressed in this post are honest and my own.