I’ll order the food for you,” says Neleen the owner, a glint of mischief present in her eyes, “Otherwise you’ll do something silly like order a Sirloin.”
It’s this wry seriousness that lingers throughout our entire experience spent dining at High Timber, an unassuming South African restaurant tucked away on the northern riverbank of the Thames.
We arrive to unseasonably grey skies for August in London whilst the the choppy river waters greet us below. Despite this, the view from our table is fantastic. We tick off a list of London landmarks through the expansive floor to ceiling windows that look out across a south-facing terrace and then onto the river. The restaurant sits in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, just across the water from the Globe Theatre. On a clear summer’s evening with a glimmering sunset, it would make a magical setting.
High Timber was established in 2009 by the founders of the world-renowned Jordan Wine Estate, of Stellenbosch, South Africa, so they know a thing or two about a decent glass of plonk. A glance down the wine list reveals a wonderful array of Stellenbosch staples from a Jordan 2017 Prospector Syrah (£8.50 a glass; £65.00 a bottle) to a Jordan 2019 Chenin Blanc (£6.50 a glass; £29.00 a bottle). For the more adventurous and deep of pocket, there’s a French 1983 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild for a cool £725 a bottle.
The food menu is simple but honest to its roots. This is a carnivore’s paradise with beef dominating proceedings. Alternatives are available like Deep Fried Squid and the curiously named Alex’s very mixed up Tossed Salad.
Steaks are the pièce de résistance though and with three different cuts at four varying weight options, there’s plenty to sink your chops into. Starting at £21 for a small Sirloin and finishing at £52 for a large Rib-eye the prices are appropriate for the location and quality. The beef, I’m told, is all grass-fed and UK sourced.
Davide our waiter sells me on the Rooibos infused Smoked Salmon starter (£14.00), and I opt to accompany this with Biltong Croquettes (£9.00) and Parsley Risotto (£9.00). As a self-confessed risotto addict, whenever I see it on a menu, my eyes light up and I have to try it.
We sip on a gloriously floral white wine, a 2018 Jordan Reisling, and take in the restaurant’s interior as we wait. As if sensing the moment, we are greeted at our table by Neleen, the restaurant’s owner and resident wine expert.
She is slight with short cut brunette hair and a warm, flowing South African accent. Her dark, darting eyes, which seem to be looking everywhere at once, maintain quiet command of her all-male staff.
I’m delighted when she offers to give us the tour, and the cellars downstairs reveal two small, but amply stocked wine rooms. There are 20,000+ wines down here, (“Not enough if you ask me”) each chosen with care and expertise. Amongst the perfectly stacked bottles, they’ve even found space for two separate private dining tables, each topped with a vase of elegant porcupine quills. The after-dinner toothpicks perhaps?
Back upstairs we take to our seats as a colourful spread of starters await us. I’m left underwhelmed by a starchless risotto that needed more stirring. The smoked salmon, with untoasted rye bread and a creamed horseradish, tastes cheap and is too subtle on the Rooibos flavour for my liking. The croquettes, adorned with crowns of watercress, have a mushy grey and bland centre. So far, fairly non-spectacular.
However, I thoroughly enjoy the peppadew ketchup which accompanies the croquettes. The vibrant orange sauce has a smoky roast red pepper flavour that sings and makes some amends.
We switch to red wine for the mains. Preferring the lighter shades of maroon, I opt for a glass of Catherine Marshall 2020 Pinot Noir (£9.50 a glass) but my dinner date goes darker with a gloriously deep red, Jordan 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (£8.50 a glass).
My date then orders Rib-eye medium rare and so (for the sake of variety) I order Fillet, but I’m swiftly rebuked by Neleen who knowingly states that “The Rib-eye is what we’re known for, you’ve got to have it.”
Like a sullen schoolboy who should have known better, I willingly abide. She continues further and orders us some sides; the Creamed Spinach, and Chimichurri.
And, well, what can I say? She did know best. The steaks arrive, griddled slabs of pure protein, glistening in the half-light.
There’s something almost ceremonial that happens when an offering of cooked flesh lands in front of you like this. Maybe it’s the primed sharp edge of the steak knives, or perhaps the deep groove of the wooden board spilling over with the juices of consumption, but for me, there’s a ritualistic element to eating like this.
The saliva-inducing smell that coats your nostrils. The first slice that reveals the meat’s ruby red interior. Taste buds alight with glee. This primal process is all-consuming.
Being a fattier cut than the leaner Sirloin, my Rib-eye retains a wonderful moisture and juiciness as I eat it. The flavour is buttery whilst the texture is tender and smooth. It’s cooked perfectly medium-rare.
The fragrant Chimichurri is zingy and brings a freshness to the heavier red meat. But the Academy Award for the Best Supporting Side Dish has to go the magnificent Creamed Spinach. Here, an unpretentious gloopy mound of spinach, run through with parmesan cheese and cream, sits in a simple white ramekin.
The flavour induces grateful nostalgia for my French Grandmother’s bechamel sauce. The nuttiness of the cheese gives hints of nutmeg and cinnamon whilst the wilted spinach more than holds its own. It’s a delightful, indulgent support act, worthy of an accolade.
Our glasses are swapped for a Riesling dessert wine (fruity and sweet) as we lean back in our chairs and process the feast. There’s little rest for the wicked (or our stomachs) though as Neleen, now gaining confidence in her improved ordering for us, delivers two abundant dessert options to our table.
The first, a devilishly creamy and alcoholic Strawberry Don Pedro, a pink smoothie that is simple yet effective and a welcome refreshment for our palettes.
The second, a light and fluffy Malva Pudding, a caramelised apricot cake doused in a crème anglaise type vanilla custard. This South African staple is similar to a sticky toffee pudding but is less sickly sweet with a moist sponge that Prue Leith would be proud to call her own.
It’s a fine end to proceedings and sums up well our experience at High Timber. Barring the poor starters, the food, done simply with quality ingredients, is frank and delivers on its promises. An exceptional wine list complements a confident steak menu that succeeds at giving this diner a hearty taste of South African hospitality.
The restaurant doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite its central location and expensive wines. Indeed, it is this informality that gives the place its charm.
Neleen is a welcoming host who knows how to put her patrons at ease. Her passion for the tastes and smells of Stellenbosch is obvious, but it’s her quick-witted charm that wins me over.
Perhaps it’s the wine talking, but her casual familiarity, offering the tour and choosing our orders, feels like an old friend asking how your mother is and whether your car has been fixed yet. I leave feeling like I’ve been for dinner at a native Capetonian’s.
Yes, it’s indulgent, but that’s what we signed up for. If it’s expertly cooked steak and fine wine that you’re after, you can really do no better.
