KwaZulu-Natal

Joop's Place
Established in 1973, this is where the fanatical will reach steak nirvana. Owner Joop Mol was a butcher so his standards are exacting, and he personally cooks the steaks to order. The KZN beef is grainfed, free-range and hormone-free. Mol wet-ages all cuts for three to four weeks and stores them at zero degrees in a cold room that's opened once daily. The interior is old-fashioned and the service remarkably good. On a waiter's glowing recommendation, the hallmark pan-fried 300g fillet in butter was impossible to resist. It's flambéed in brandy to form a crispy crust that is neither dry nor burnt but adds a surprising dimension of flavour to this cut — a melt-in-the-mouth sensation that takes fillet to new heights. Chargrilled cuts are treated with the same love. The rump is particularly good.
Wines: quaffers balanced with reasonably priced quality wines. No BYO.
Morningside. Tel +27 31 312 9135. Mon to Sat dinner, Fri lunch. Steaks R58 – R130.

Havana Grill
Turning over a ton of beef weekly makes offering free-range, hormone-free meat in this restaurant challenging (occasionally grassfed beef is available). But it also translates into quality control as three abattoirs hand over to Havana immediately after slaughter. Most cuts are matured for 28 days — visible in large fridges — and 600g T-bones are dry-aged. The menu provides guidelines on weight, ageing and cooking times. Look for specials including trademark dry-aged prime rib (R125), the ribeye or the unusual "fillet on the bone". Sauces made with stocks and reductions are more inspirational than most. I tried a 350g rump with a small edging of fat. Grilled in a basting sauce, it was deeply flavourful, succulent and cooked to perfection.
Wines: quality staples bulked up by an enviable cellar plus a daily list of bottles available. Corkage R25.
Suncoast Casino, Durban. Tel +27 31 337 1305. Lunch and dinner daily. Steaks R95 – R135.

Butcher boys

Here inquisitive diners can get to grips with their steak. The occasional screech of a butcher's blade may be off-putting but the upside is that customers can specify size, thickness and leanness. Ageing cuts flagged with dates are displayed in fridges, and a book detailing cuts and preparation is available for scrutiny. An easier option is quizzing knowledgeable waiters, who'll tell you that rump and sirloin are wet-aged for 24 days while T-bone and prime rib are dry-aged for 28 days maximum. They'll also recommend what is eating well on the day. Steaks are chargrilled and starch orders even include pap. Overzealous cooking resulted in a chewy exterior for my 350g lean rump, although it didn't detract from the depth of flavour.
Wines: SA selection focusing on reds, backed by good glass options, auction wines, magnums and coveted bottles. Corkage R30.
Morningside. Tel +27 31 312 8248. Lunch weekdays and Sun, dinner daily. Steaks R72–R115.

Jozi and Pretoria

The Grillhouse
The restaurant which moved the steakhouse concept from family outing to sophisticated dining for Joburgers. Both décor and patrons tend to the masculine, and this is big-time corporate territory over lunch. Remarkably professional and charming servers will bring raw meat out on request (additional meat info on the menu wouldn't go amiss, so that waiters wouldn't need to repeat the same lines to every diner who enquires). Beef is all aged on the premises. On a blissfully short menu, almost all cuts are available in dainty and larger portions. The three-fingers-thick 300g rump I tucked into was awesomely flavourful for a grainfed and wet-aged product, no doubt thanks to the hands-on, closely monitored ageing. And theirs are the best onion rings in the business, no question. Sauces, although from the starch-thickened school, are not stodgy, and the elegant green peppercorn is a winner with any steak. Wines: extensive collection, from entry level to auction specials and rare vintages.
Many by the glass. Corkage R50.
Rosebank. Tel +27 11 880 3945/ 8 0. Lunch Sun to Fri, dinner Mon to Sat. Steaks R73.95-R157.

The Butcher Shop and Grill
Probably Jozi's most famous steakhouse, with white wall tiles, a sawdust-strewn floor and even an amazing giant image of knife-wielding abattoir workers driving the butchery message home. This is not just theme quirkiness; there is in fact an extensive and interesting butchery within the restaurant, offering not just beef but also game, goat etc. Sadly, the dry-aged beef that gave the place its edge is long gone (the resulting shrinkage wasn't cost effective). Still, my 300g ribeye, a cut they've always promoted, was pretty good; its distinctive grain made tender by the long ageing and supported by the best chips in the city. There’s one size of each cut on the menu, all grainfed, all aged for around 21 days, and bespoke sizes to order from super-knowledgeable servers on request. The inconsistencies accompanying grassfed beef are understandably tricky for this vast business, but a grassfed option as an "if available" entry on the menu would make a worthy addition.
Wines: vast collection, with extensive house range by the glass. No BYO.
Sandton. Tel +27 11 784 8676/7. Lunch and dinner daily. Steaks R105-R145.

The Local Grill
A light, slick, modern grillhouse, free of any woody feel and aimed at an educated clientele. For years they've offered both grainfed Chalmar beef and arguably healthier Greenfields free-range beef from the Midlands. Dry and wet ageing (depending on the cut) is done on the premises, and super-clued-up servers will provide details of length and ageing processes. Seasons dictate the changing flavour of grassfed steaks. All my experiences here have been intensely delicious, whatever the cut, from a man-sized, flame-licked, grainfed T-bone, to a caramelised grassfed rump with deep flavour and good marbling. Sauces also rate: the béarnaise is made to order (why don't more steakhouses offer this classic?) and you won't find any stodgy-porridgy stuff. Beautifully elegant shoestring chips are also must-haves.
Wines: increasingly interesting list with a separate by-the-glass menu. Corkage R45.
Hurlingham. Tel 011 886 8866. Lunch Mon to Fri, dinner Mon to Sat. Steaks R70 – R220.