Richmond Hill Brewing Company (RHBC) is well known for their innovative and quality brews, great wine from the Wine Shed and for hosting plenty of fun events. With the opening of the Food Shed, they now offer excellent burgers too.
Niall Cook, Master Brewer and General Manager of RHBC, says that they want to serve tasty pub fare that will complement their beers.
Knowing RHBC’s penchant for excellence I expected great things from the Food Shed. However, one of the problems with expectations is that they are frequently the harbinger of disappointment.
My girlfriend and I spent a cold evening next to the cozy wood fired stove in the RHBC Tap Room and sampled the burgers.
Well I am pleased to report that my expectations were not just matched but exceeded too!
At the moment the Food Shed has a very small menu but Niall says there is more to come. Currently available are a Beef Burger, a Chicken Burger and Waffle Fries.
I opted for the 150g Beef Burger with cheddar cheese (this is an optional extra) with handmade patty, RHBC Monkey Gland Sauce, lettuce, mayo and tomato all wrapped in toasted bun while my girlfriend chose the Korean Fried Chicken Burger with a 140g chicken breast, Gojuchang BBQ Sauce, slaw and garlic lime mayo on a toasted bun. We both added the Waffle Fries.
As a keen foodie I know that the fries are VERY important. Too many restaurants serve mass produced, tasteless excuses for fries and this not only brings down the quality of their meal but also says that they are willing to take shortcuts.
It is for this reason that the first thing I taste with a fries accompanied meal is the fries. If I have to forecast the future of the food shed just on their fries, then I can confidently predict that the Food Shed is going to be a roaring success.
Both burgers were excellent and made even more so because there are no eating utensils. I learnt long ago that certain foods, burgers and curries in particular, taste better when eaten with your fingers.
Of course we complimented our meal with a glass of wine (my girlfriend) and a brew from the taps (me).
I can’t wait to return. See you there at Alabaster Street, Baakens Valley, Gqeberha
