I'm not a fan of restaurants in shopping malls. Not because the food is necessarily of lesser quality than restaurants that overlook vineyards or bustling street-side terraces, but I battle to wrap my head around the idea of walking through a shopping mall to reach my table.

 

My personal idiosyncrasies aside, I quite looked forward to dinner at 221. A quick Twitter survey (completely scientific, of course) revealed that not many in my circle had eaten here and uncharted territory is always intriguing.

The restaurant is located on the top floor of the V&A Waterfront with views over the harbour. Inside chic, modern décor dominates. Little lamps placed on each table give the restaurant a romantic ambience - a nice touch to otherwise minimalist décor.

I've often said that a restaurant can be judged on its breadbasket – serve me something different to the usual white French loaf and it sets the tone for a very pleasant dinner – and 221 gets it right with a dollop of porcini mushroom and parsley butter served with the bread.

At the suggestion of our waiter, I tried the signature starter – prawns wrapped in kadaifi pastry (a Middle-Eastern pastry of shredded phyllo dough), deep-fried and served with a Cajun butter sauce (R68). Often Cajun sauces are insipid, others are simply too spicy, but this sauce had a good bite that was complemented by the soft, light flesh of the prawns. My partner opted for a creamy biltong soup (R39) and was suitably enamored with his choice.

Seafood and steaks dominate the bulk of the mains menu (with just one vegetarian option). The pangasius (a soft, white fresh-water fish, with a rich texture) baked in verjus and topped with buttered fresh green asparagus was particularly good (R95), although I suspect some may find the dish a bit too salty and the rice could have been jazzed up with some seasoning or garnish. At the other end of the table the Cognac peppered beef fillet (R135) was a hit and my partner insisted was some of the best fillet he has eaten. His knife, which I must point out was not steak knife, really did glide through the meat.

Portions are generous, so we did not have much space left for dessert and opted to share the nougat ice cream with berries (R40). I felt that the helping of berries was perhaps a bit sparse, and the ice cream was not particularly memorable, but then I don't have much of a sweet tooth.

The wine list has been well thought out and is very well priced, especially considering the restaurant's location in the V&A and some of the ludicrous prices we've seen of late, but disappointingly it does not include vintages. We drank Springfield Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (R180), while other good options included the Teddy Hall Chenin Blanc (R210) and Whalehaven Pinot Noir (R245).

To get back to my aversion to shopping malls, I'm pleased to report that once one's inside 221 you could be in a fine-dining restaurant anywhere in the world. The best tables are outside on the deck at the windows where one can appreciate the views.

Tel: 021 418 3633