....………As we are always on the look-out for new different, grand, exquisite and extraordinaril-ii exciting restaurants to eat at where they serve insidious-lii delicious cuisine so with my 66th birthday coming up we decided to pay a visit to Beluga as we have heard of the good vibe and food to be experienced here. The restaurant is located in a well renowned area where most of the old solid red-brick buildings have been upgraded to house many well placed businesses and also a good amount of fine and renowned restaurants. They say that first impressions last the longest and so it is, when you arrive at this solid red-brick building where the signage is well placed you are immediate-lii impressed by the sheer size of the area which they occupy, it is huge. The entrance to the restaurant is on the side where you go through a security manned point and the impression on entering the restaurant is one of royal-tii as the bright-red carpet is laid out right-up to the door. Outside to the one-side is a huge area with big outdoor umbrellas covering the tables and chairs provided for outside seating, in-between are big garden-pots with trees in to enhance the outdoor feeling and where at night-time they light-up the patio-heaters to reduce the chill, kind of very romantic! When you get through the front door the first encounter is with the very snazz-ii pub enclosed in glass from floor to ceiling and has pigeon-holes filled with wines and champagnes and the bluish-lights under the bar-counter real-lii put a touch of panache to it! As you venture deeper into this vast arena you get the feel of state-lii-ness as all the pillars and the ceilings are covered in wood paneling. The big yellow light-fittings cast a pleasant dim setting through-out the entire restaurant. Two walls which forms the corner have huge windows towards the outside roads, absolute-lii magical seating. The walls are sober-lii decorated with large live-lii murals one can see the sense in this as the place is big so small picture on the walls would real-lii gel. There is evidence of what this building was used for in by-gone years can be seen with the big “Block & Tackle with the big hook” dangling from the ceiling (nice display). The manager on duty welcomed us cordial-ii and handed us over to our waiter who escorted us to our window seating, then handed us three sets of menus an Ale cart, Specials and a Two/Three course set menu which offers a choice of 7 starters, 5 main-meals and 4 desserts. We went with the 3 course @ R245.00 pp: - FIRST-COURSE were 1. TUNA CRUNCH (8) Tuna tempura, cream-cheese, tempura battered, QP mayo, sweet chilli reduction 2. CRISPY CALAMARI spiced-fried baby calamari, crispy pickled mix-veg, spicy peanut dressing 3. BEEF CARPACCIO Sundried tomato, parmesan, balsamic reduction. All were On-Point and scrumptious. Because we decided on Fish & Meats we got a bottle of D’Aria “Blash-Rose’” fruit-ii and not too dry! SECOND-COURSE were 1. MISO LINEFISH Roasted veg, tomato salsa 2 & 3. FILLETS Roasted baby potatoes, peri-peri reduction, crispy-pickled onions. The fish with Miso was good, taste-tii but a bit dry but the steaks were of the finest cuts and succulent and prepared perfect-lii as ordered. THIRD-COURSE were 1. White Chocolate Beignet (very Yummii and sweet) 2. Coco-Mango Balls (this dessert was quaint in a nice-way but intriguing-lii fascinating, it tickled the taste-buds the juice was mint-ii but not sweet and the choc-filled balls (not sure if it was a chow-pow filled with chocolate) darn-good stuff we will come back here if it’s only for the Coco-Mango Balls! 3. Vanilla Creme Brulee very cream-ii and the burnt-sugar crust was not a solid-block just nice and thin, easy to break-through! Our whole experience here was great the staff was friend-lii even if they were not serving your table they smiled and acknowledged you and the duty-manager even made a point of coming around to small-talk. We will definitely come back here in the future……………………..