The first Turn ’n Tender Steakhouse was opened in Greenside, Johannesburg in by the four Aaron brothers, Mervyn, Steven, Howard and Brian. Today there are 21 Turn ‘n Tender Steakhouses in South Africa and one in Zambia.
Rightly famous for their steaks, Turn ‘n Tender, offers a wide variety of cuts as well as an award winning winelist.
Ever wondered how a rare vs well done steak should look? Well, the Turn ‘n Tender website has a fantastic video that takes you through the full range from blue to well done. Click here to watch the video.
A few years ago Turn ‘n Tender began their partnership with Famous Brand.
“Our vision of 1977 is very much the same vision we have today: to offer a casual dining experience which showcases the best in food and service within a warm and welcoming environment,” said Brian Aaron.
This is precisely what I have discovered when dining at Turn ‘n Tender.
Personal Experience at Turn ‘n Tender Ballito
My sister and I share a common business interest but we live in two different parts of the country. We often chat on the phone but seldom have the opportunity to get together to bounce ideas, have an in depth chat and do some long term planning.
Our families had gathered in Ballito for a brief holiday and my sister and I took an afternoon off to have lunch. A love of good food is something else we have in common and so we chose to eat at Turn ‘n Tender in the Ballito Junction Mall.
The busy Christmas Holidays had just begun and so we made a reservation. On arrival we were welcomed and shown to our table by Michael, the manager.
Our waiter, Vincent, was polite, efficient and knowledgeable. We quizzed him incessantly about the menu and he had a deft answer for all our questions.
We were on holiday and so began our lunch with cocktails. I went with the frozen Margarita and my sister had the Grapefruit Fusion G&T, a Turn ‘n Tender classic.
For starters my sister had the marrow bones and I had the calamari and beef chorizo. Vincent said that it had been recently added to menu and was delicious. He was right, it was great.
The marrow bones looked fantastic and, judging by the immediate lack of conversation, my sister thoroughly enjoyed her marrow.
I am a very big fan of Turn ‘n Tenders steaks and went with the Steven’s Sensation of the Four Brother’s speciality menu. This is normally a sirloin or a rump but I asked for a fillet prepared medium rare. This 300gm steak is topped a white wine, garlic, cream and mussel sauce. I chose a French salad as a side.
Normally I would accompany a steak of this nature with a good red wine of which Turn ‘n Tender has a great selection. However, it was a hot day and my sister and I were in a festive mood and so we went with a L14 craft larger.
My sister chose from the same menu and selected The Boss Steak. This is a 300g Butterflied sirloin, served on a bed of crunchy salted crisps, topped with pan-fried onions ‘n mushrooms prepared in butter. This steak had plenty of fatty marbling and so she chose to have it grilled to medium to allow the fat to saturate the meat and ensure optimum flavour.
In my experience Turn ‘n Tender produce some of the best steaks around and they once again proved their excellence.
My favourite desert at Turn ‘n Tender is their trio of sorbet made up of a generous scoop of mango, lemon and strawberry. My sister had the baked cheese cake and once again silence descended on the table.
We had a little more to discuss and so we order cappuccinos and lingered at the table until we had completed our business discussions.
Thank you to Michael and Vincent for a wonderful meal and great service.
Turn ‘n Tender Menu and Wine List
The menu is comprehensive, and despite this being very much a steakhouse they also have a vegetarian ‘n vegan menu with a Vegan Biltong Salad, Naked Vegan Burger and a vegetarian curry.
As one would expect, steaks take up a large portion of the menu. You can expect to find such speciality cuts as entrecote and point rump as well as ostrich fillet, oxtail, pork and lamb.
The starters offer a mix of traditional favourites such as calamari as well as classics such as steak tartare. There is even a biltong starter section that includes biltong pates and biltong carpaccio.
The Turn ‘n Tender house speciality steaks, of which there are five, are found on the Four Brothers page.
There is also poultry (with duck) and even a seafood (with Scottish salmon) menu, with a salad, burger and combo menu to round it off.
The eight different sauces and extras that include sautéed mushrooms and onion rings will suite all manner of tastes.
The desert menu has all the favourites, ice cream, baked cheese cake, crème brulee and a dom pedro.
The wine and spirits menu is very comprehensive and a foodie and wine lover will have no problem pairing wines with food. There are also a large number of cocktails and beers. If you’re in a celebratory mood then there is French Champagne as well as MCC and prosecco.
What makes Ballito’s Turn ‘n Tender Steakhouse special
Located in the Balitto Junction Mall off Leonora Drive, this restaurant is open seven days a week from 11:30 to 20.00.
The restaurant is spacious and, thanks to the air conditioning, is cool even in the hot and humid summers.
There is also outside seating and the parking is ample and secure.
To make a reservation at Turn ‘n Tender Ballito call 032 586 0975or email ballito@turnntender.co.za Follow them on Facebook to find out more about their specials and promotions.
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