Since I heard about this funky little restaurant that opened its doors in the arty town of Riebeeck Kasteel (where I spend a lot of time as a kid) I have been wanting to visit them. Eventually the opportunity arose when I got send to Riebeeck Kasteel on a work outing. When we arrived there we walked to the back and sat at one of the brightly cloured tables outside. Making sure we got a spot under the fine misty spray coming from the overhead sprinklers. When you arrive, it looks like you are actually at a friend's house having lunch in their back yard. Very cute!
Our waiter was a typical plaas japie. He even had what looked like some proper home-made prison tattoos, but he was very sweet! :-) He just kept on telling us that everything was really good and that their portions were on the larger side. He immediately told us which meal was no longer available, which a lot of waiters neglect to do. There is nothing fancy, apparence wise, about the menu you get given. It is just an A4 print out. Their menu changes seasonally so I guess they don’t bother spending time and money on a plastic menu as it would just be wasted.
I think I was too hungry by the time I looked at the menu because I couldn’t decide on what to have. I thought about having the chicken dish (Smoked paprika chicken – Chicken breast pan fried in olive oil and cooked with herbs, chick peas, cream, smoked paprika, hot smoked sausage, garlic and served with whole roasted sweet red pepper) but the cream in the sauce put me off. The Pork and black bean stew – Pork Knuckle browned and cooked with tomato, turmeric, thyme, paprika, garlic, rosemary, cumin, chilli and black beans served with crusty white bread caught my eye but I thought the pork would still be on the bone and too fatty. I asked the waiter to choose between the chicken and the lamb burger (Bar Bar lamb burger – 100% Leg of lamb mince burger pan friend and baked in the oven. Served with greens, cream cheese, guacamole, capers, bacon and tomato chutney), and he chose the lamb burger. I thought seeing as I was on the quest to find the best burger I might as well try it.
I must say when it arrived, it looked great! The presentation of their meals is really good. The greens it is served with was really nice. Quite different to the usual side greens one would expect. It had cucumber pieces that had been soaked in tzatziki sauce, capers, aubergines, olives, tomatoes, rocket and artichokes. The potato skewer was nicely roasted and well-seasoned. Underneath the burger patty they spread some cream cheese which was quite a pleasant surprise. The burger was good but definitely not as good as the gourmet one’s that I am used to. I want my burger patty to crumble as I try stick it in my mouth. This one was too dense and solid which also resulted in it not being as moist and juicy. The sweet tomato chutney was a great touch to the dish. After having only some of the greens and only the patty and toppings I was extremely full. I suppose he did warn us about the size of the meals! :-) The patty was very heavy on my stomach. My friend ended up having the pork and black bean stew and the pork knuckle wasn’t on the bone as I had feared. Her meal actually looked really nice! Unfortunately I was too full to give it a taste but she enjoyed it.
Overall, it was a good experience and if I’m ever in that area again I will be sure to pop by. The name just cracks me up every time I see it. They have a wide variety of meals on the menu but not a killer long list which is good. This is the perfect little place to go spend a lazy hot afternoon at.
Yours in fun & food,
Elly D
Short Street
Riebeeck Kasteel
022-448 1031
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