I can’t believe I haven’t visited this restaurant until now – we always complain about Capetonians being lazy when it comes to driving and yet this was the only reason for my not getting my metaphorical ‘A’ into ‘G’.
The Steamworks is brought to you by the same team that’s brought us The Griffin and it’s in the same vain with regard to their amazing range of craft beers on tap and gastro-pub style food, but the ambience differs in the way that this is a ‘steam-punk’ themed establishment. “A what?” I hear you say – it’s more to do with the décor than anything with the most gorgeous set of giant revolving clocks framing the bar and a funky, fresh edge to the setting and music with live DJ’s hitting the decks on weekend evenings. It’s a cool place that’s attracting a wide variety of people, which I always like to see
The service is great with knowledgeable and helpful staff at every turn; the menu is an eclectic mix of Asian freshness and American indulgence: great pizzas, the best burger in town (I’ll get to that), exciting salads, mussels, pork belly…the list goes on.
They also have an extensive and rather crazy sounding cocktail list with the telectroscope and particle diffuser being the most popular –they look as marvellous as they sound
The menu is extensive – very much a ‘something for everyone’ situation, so we decided to start with a few of their most popular dishes: the chilli salt squid and the Chinese duck rice paper spring rolls; the wraps were tangy and crunchy, served with a peanut coleslaw that was just delightful, the squid was deliciously tasty and served with a light mayonnaise, but they were a little overdone for my liking.
For mains we went for their famous burger, the patty is made using oxtail, sirloin and brisket and it’s served with or without bacon (we of course had it with bacon) and chips: it did not disappoint, it was juicy, flavoursome, succulent and just all round decadent, the best burger I’ve had in a long time! We also ordered the Roasted Five spice duck salad with mushrooms, Asian leaves, bamboo shoots and a soy and mustard dressing which was wonderfully fresh and vibrant with the richness of the duck balanced beautifully with rich citrus flavours and the freshly dressed leaves.
It’s a cool place with a cool vibe, good food, great staff and, having the option on the weekends of lunch turning into a party is always a fun idea my books.
They’ve also started something completely mad called #FreeBeerFriday where, until further notice, they will be offering free beer for guys and free champagne for ladies every Friday from 4-5pm NO strings attached!
Have you visited? Leave a review here.