A few weeks ago I visited The Fairway Hotel in Randburg. It’s part of the Guvon Hotels group and boasts several restaurants and bars.

We arrived at The High Ball Craft Bar on a chilly winter’s night for sundowners. The bar offers a wide variety of gins as well as craft beers. It’s a modern contemporary spot perfect for enjoying a gin cocktail or two. Our sundowners were followed by dinner at the Balata Restaurant alongside a cosy fireplace. The Balata Restaurant boasts a great wine list. We opted for a bottle of Spier Merlot. For starters I chose the West Coast mussels. They were served in a white wine garlic and parsley cream sauce with toasted bread. And they tasted absolutely delicious. My benedict opted for the French onion soup as a starter. This was a classic brown French onion soup served with gruyere croutons. For my main I selected the braised oxtail (one of my favourites). The oxtail was served in a rich hearty red wine sauce over buttered beans and garlic mashed potato. The oxtail was beautifully cooked and literally fell off of the bone. It was the perfect winter comfort meal. My benedict opted for the beef fillet served with a side of potato chips. For dessert I chose the butterscotch crème brulee. This was a beautiful and uniquely presented dessert which tasted every bit as good as it looked. My benedict chose the Amarula malva pudding with dessert. It was served with a toffee syrup and homemade custard; another lovely dessert.

The service at the Balata Restaurant was great; we were well looked after during our visit. The restaurant has a lovely elegant feel to it and the fine dining experience was thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to visiting again soon in the near future.