Rumours Of Something Tasty

Situated just off Bismark Street and attached to the ever popular Kapps Hotel, Rumours Grill is a little wooden shrine to good meat. The restaurant is made up of individual booths, separated by partitions and constructed almost entirely from stained wood, giving the whole room the feel of a 1950’s American diner crossed with a Wild West saloon; a curious find in the middle of the Namib desert!

The grill menu boasts a selection of meat, fish, pizzas and light meals typical of many Lüderitz establishments. However, Rumours also has a couple of curve balls up its sleeve; along with a cheap and cheerful takeout menu, offering chips, chicken and toasties, the restaurant also has a couple of rather unusual dishes available, the most unique being a plate of smoked oysters on toast with strawberry jam which comes from the starter list. On the night we reviewed Rumours oysters were unfortunately unavailable but that didn’t stop us from sampling some of the grills other treats.

Garlic Butter Mussels on Toast- N$40: Rumours offers several toast-based starters (toast with chicken liver, oysters, mussels etc.) and, having failed to sample oysters and jam, I felt that garlic mussels were a good bet. Hot and soft like little kisses from the sea the dish of six mussels were marinated in garlic and, whilst the accompanying slices of toast seemed a slightly off serving suggestion, the starter was a nice light beginning to the meal.

L’escargot with Bread- N$55: L’escargot is often made with too much garlic – yes, it can be too much of a good thing – but at Rumours they seem to have found a good balance between the actual taste of the snails and the amount of garlic added. Served with enough bread fingers this is a great appetizer, which sets high expectations for the main course.

Beef Fillet with Fried Onions Chips and Veggies- N$90: The brief months that I have spent in Namibia have brought out the carnivore within me- I crave chops, revel in wors and delight in biltong. This meat-related gluttony has refined my tastes considerably and receiving a plate of sub-standard steak can put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Luckily the beef fillet at Rumours Grill does not disappoint; the slab of meat is soft and tender and oozes with natural juiciness. Accompanied by cheesy cauliflower and sweet baby carrots cooked in butter and herbs, the dish is topped off with a pile of spiced chips that are not unlike the fries available from takeouts- much more exciting than your average friend potato!

Cordon Bleu with Chips and Veggies- N$85: The meat is well prepared and nicely spiced, unfortunately cheddar cheese is used to fill the Cordon Blue and – bearing in mind that traditional Swiss and blue cheeses are hard to come by in Lüderitz – a less common cheese might have done the dish more justice. The dish is served with a large serving of delicious crispy well spiced chips and a nice side salad. Overall this dish has a great money to value ratio and I can recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good meal outside of the house.