OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA, SOME KEEN CUISINE IN VAN NUYS.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

RUGBY FANS are not among the usual clientele of local sports bars/restaurants.

But they are often in the majority at Springbok Bar & Grill in Van Nuys, where the emphasis is South African-style food.

No actual springbok on the menu, though. Time-Life's ``African Cooking'' tells us that of all the game in South Africa, springbok ``provides the most delicate of biltongs, the finest liver, the finest tournedos and above all, the best natural roast on the whole continent.''

Biltong?

Yes, the Springbok in Van Nuys does have a biltong ($4.95). This is the house-produced, cured beef version, very good, of South Africa's traditional form of beef jerky, but softer, more substantial and a great companion to beer.

Might as well try South African brew here. The bar carries beers like Windhoek ($4.50) and Castle ($5) that are refreshing, light lagers available by the bottle.

These would also appear to be appropriate beverages to accompany the tasty, spicy, house chicken curry ($11.95) entree or the sizable, shareable, appetizer portion of Vasco de Gama's chicken livers ($5.95) in a fiery red chile-based peri-peri sauce.

A slightly milder version of the peri-peri comes with chicken ($13.95) served with home fries or rice and a mesclun salad. If you're trying to avoid starch, the Springbok kitchen will gladly substitute fresh vegetables for the fries or rice.

Grilled kingclip ($13.95), called Cape Flats fish here, is lightly battered, fried and passably served with fries as the traditional fish and chips dish.

I really like Springbok's house-produced, chubby boerewors sausage, probably a beef and pork blend. It's a hit in a crusty roll ($7.49) with a tomato and onion mixture boosted by peri-peri sauce, something the South Africans fondly call ``train smash.''

It also appears on an assorted appetizer platter titled Makalu ($19.95), which features calamari, buffalo wings, fries and samosas.

The latter, which can be ordered separately ($6.49), are also made in- house and come forth as large triangular turnovers stuffed with either beef or a potato and vegetable melange and arrive accompanied by an almost overly sweet chile sauce.

Rather than beer, these go better with the pleasant South African 2001 cabernet sauvignon titled Roodeberg.

This is a wine that cries out for a beef marriage. But I wasn't particularly happy with a New York steak ($18.49) here one night. Quite gristly, only about a quarter of the 10-ounce piece of meat was edible. However, what there was of it did have reasonably decent flavor.

But all's well that ends well. Auntie Spooky's nicely crafted banana custard pudding ($4.99) caped with fluffy whipped cream and thankfully not cloyingly sweet, was responsible for a happy finish.

Thanks Auntie Spooky, whoever you are.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

SPRINGBOK BAR & GRILL

Food: Three stars - Service: Three stars - Wine: One and one half stars

Where: 16153 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys.

Hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Recommended items: Bowl of beef biltong, chicken livers with peri-peri sauce, curry of the day, chicken peri-peri, beef or vegetable samosas, boerewors sausage, Auntie Spooky's banana custard pudding, Roodeberg cabernet, South African beers.

How much: Starters from $2 to $7 (assorted platter $20), entrees from $11 to $20, desserts $4 and $5 each. Full bar. AE, MC, V, Discover.

Wine list: No formal list. South African KWV wines by the glass at $5 or bottle at $18 (merlot, cabernet, shiraz, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc) or Roodeberg cabernet sauvignon at $6.50 a glass or $25 a bottle. Corkage: $7.50.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Dishes at Springbok Bar & Grill in Van Nuys include Karoo Lamb Chops, top, Mozambique Grilled Queen Tiger Prawns, left, and Surf & Turf Sosatie, right.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News