A Perfect Sunday Brunch at Braai, South African Restaurant, after a Visit to the Rubin Museum of Art

After a beatific visit to the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art we longed for a special dining experience to extend our blissful state. A trip uptown to the South African restaurant Braai rewarded us with just that.

Braai sweeps you away into a delightful South African enclave, some call it an "African wonderland retreat." They serve exotic and simple cuisine an beverages of a region that draws on influences from the UK, Holland, and places like India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Madagascar as well as the indigenous flavors of Africa.

The environment is intoxicating as are the endless exotic fruit mimosas that we enjoyed with our brunch.

The word braai is Afrikaans for "barbecue" or "grill" and is a social custom in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Braai, the restaurant, embraces that custom very well with its warm atmosphere, cordial staff, community tables and delicious food and drink that all serve to make Braai a very popular destination. When we arrived there was a 30 minute wait but our table became available sooner than that.

Braai offers a well selected list of South African wines and several interesting beers on tap. For brunch they offer a 2 for 1 Peri Peri Mary and unlimited Exotic Fruit Mimosas which we chose. There is also a intriguing collection of "iSignatcha Koktels and Martinis" by mixologists Juan Corondao.

Many of the wines are from the often celebrated NY based South African wine importer, Cape Classics. Watch for future posts on their exceptional portfolio.

The brunch menu covers the breadth of South African cuisine. Our dishes were sublime.

While there we ran into Tanya Hira one of the creative owners behind Braai, and the very popular South African wine bar, Xai Xai. Seems she has been busy. Beyond running Braai and Xai Xai she has opened B Koffie a South African inspired coffee shop and a new Italian wine bar called Aria that features wines by female wine-makers with Roberto Passon. We will be visiting there soon.

Braai
329 W. 51st Street (8th & 9th Avenue)
Hell's Kitchen (212) 315.3315

Xai Xai 365 W 51st St, (212) 541-9241

B Koffi 370 W 51st St (646) 330-5515

Aria 117 Perry St (212) 242-4233 ‎

If you have not been to the Rubin Museum of Art you must make a point of getting there. It is a beautiful museum that has a vast collection of Himalayan Art. It offers the opportunity to grasp, the geography, methodology, and meaning of this art and puts you in a state of mind that allows you to fully appreciate and enjoy the work.