I have been meaning to check out Hello Sailor Bistro in Observatory since it opened a couple of years ago and had some major hype. Unfortunately when I arrived on a Saturday afternoon, South African load shedding (rolling blackouts) was taking its toll, and the entire street had no electricity. Luckily the restaurant was fully prepared with a special load shedding menu of dishes they are able to cook with no electricity.

The small candlelit restaurant had a nice romantic atmosphere along with the vintage sailing-inspired décor of the place. The service was pleasant when I arrived, but as the evening progressed, I realized what they were all about — and good service was not high on the list!

For starters, I ordered the mezze platter which was average but came with wonderful homemade humus that I couldn’t get enough of. The olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted onion and peppers were served with toasted garlic bread and made for a good vegetarian starter.

For mains, I ordered the rump prego, which was a perfectly cooked piece of tender rump served with a fried egg on a fresh ciabatta roll. It was a great ode to the Portuguese prego steak, and although I did feel a quite sick afterwards, this great tasting sandwich was (almost) worth it!

Their regular menu has a great selection of gourmet burgers, pastas and the famous “Ribs That Saved My Marriage”. They also serve great, local craft beer and play a wonderful selection of classic music that will make you feel like you’re in a far-away bistro in some fairytale.

Unfortunately, reality came crashing down around me when the chef came out from the kitchen to knock a cockroach off the wall with a broom. Thank goodness I wasn’t one of the tables who were busy eating while this was going on.

I won’t be visiting Hello Sailor again. If you’re still tempted to enjoy the cool, vintage theme after reading this review, then I definitely recommend just grabbing a drink and staying clear of the food, because who wants to see creepy crawlies while they’re trying to enjoy a meal?