The Fat Ginger — Local services in Gauteng

LOCAL FOODIE REVIEW - The Fat Ginger Gastrobar

From the clever adverts for their 50% off Mexican Monday, 25% off Tomahawk Tuesday and R69 Rump Day Wednesday, I was keen to try out their rump promo since I heard it also came with a marrow bone and chips. That plan soon changed when my wife and I saw the extensive menu of the most interesting and innovative food items, that was inspired by the chef patron Chris Williams and his wife’s travels around the world. Think soft shell tacos from Miami, coconut crumbed prawns from Thailand, and you can tell this is going to be a taste adventure.

From a chat about the menu with Chris, we opted for the Coconut Panko Prawns with Thai Mayo and Armadillo Eggs, which is Jalapeño Poppers wrapped in mince and bacon and deep fried. The prawns were fabulous with a delicate amount of coconut in the golden crisp panko coating still allowing the flavour of the prawn to shine through. The Armadillo eggs, once you’ve got that image out of your mind, was a beautiful Jalapeno filled with cream cheese and the flavour of the pork mince and bacon works so well with the heat from the chilli and the creaminess of the cheese. Both were great starter options and definite must try items.

For mains we had the lobster and prawn mac ‘n cheese which in my opinion was an amazingly delectable bowl of cheesy goodness, with macaroni and generous portions of tasty lobster meat and tender prawns melded together in a divine lobster bouillabaisse. This is a big, rich and satisfying meal, definitely for sharing and a must for seafood lovers. Now comes the most exciting part, digging into the other main – the delightful lamb shank pot pie, with the bone sticking out. Once you break the flaky buttery crust lid, the aromas of the house smoked lamb that’s also slow roasted in rosemary and red wine gets those taste buds going as you prepare to savour this beautiful dish with freshly steamed vegetables, beautiful roasted butternut and tasty sautéed mushrooms. I loved those mushrooms – a meal on their own.

We also ordered their doubled cooked skin-on rustic hand cut potato chips and pesto aioli. Dipping in these crispy chips into the aioli or into the pot pie just took the yumminess level up a few notches. The tender smoked lamb shanked is certainly a lot of meat with meat pieces in the pot pie as well. Another great dish to share. The chef now offers this dish smoked or unsmoked to cater for all palates.

We took home a buttermilk fried chicken burger for our son. This monster burger with two golden fried chicken breasts with a honey mustard coleslaw and gherkins was a mouthful and certainly satisfied the burger connoisseur.

With the food being so satisfying, wholesome and rich, there was no space for dessert even though we took home half of our main courses. Prepare to share and try a few dishes. If you’re not sure what to eat, chat to Chris and his passion for his food will certainly aid your decision. Service was great with friendly Lindiwe and energetic Dayna taking great care of us.

The restaurant is a gastro-pub with a pub feel on the smoking side and a more relaxed restaurant feel on the non-smoking side. They’ve just invested in an upgrade and have plans to create a warmer feel to match the comfort food they are so popular for. Looking forward to seeing the new space but the food, the chef patrons’ passion and great service is...

I’ve always had an amazing time at The Fat Ginger (even from before when it was still The Keg and Beagle). A classy pub vibe with great entertainment (their Thursday quiz nights are one of the best!) and top class, homey pub food. Plus the wine list is so reasonably priced. I must also add that their covid protocols were excellent. Most restaurants have dropped the ball lately but TFG goes out of their way to make you feel safe and comfortable.

The owner Chris is always welcoming and adds to the atmosphere of making you feel like you belong there. We got invited to try out a few of their dishes and they were absolutely delicious. The menu is heading more towards a Gastropub vibe, and perfect for trying something different with a group of people. We had:

Bacon Sushi • Definitely for the meat lovers! Crispy bacon wrapped around juicy mince (same used in their famous burger patties) with a melty cheesy centre. Very delicious and indulgent.

Pulled Pork Tacos • Flavourful and tender pulled pork with a mountain of toppings, these tacos are large and yummy.

Tortilla Chips & Guacamole • A small nibbly portion, but wow some of the best guac I’ve ever had! Plus the tortilla chips were so crispy and divine.

TFG Falafel Balls • Not your ordinary falafels. Super crunchy and with a more wholesome texture, but very delish. And the hummus was yum 🤤

Nutella Churro Balls • A must-have if you’re a chocolate lover! Crunchy churro bites filled with chocolate sauce, these are...

Unfortunately there was not enough waiters to accommodate, a very full quiz night. We waited over 30 minutes to get asked for our drinks order, then another 20 minutes to actually get them. We said we wanted to order our food with our drinks order but were asked to wait till we received our drinks to place it, we knew this would be an issue but were polite and said we would wait. We waited over 1 hour and 30 minutes to actually get our food and this was only once I had gone to find the waitress and ask where it was, to which she asked me who our waitress was...I informed her that she was our waitress and she looked shocked and confused. After that conversation we still waited another 15 minutes for our food. While I realise there was an event tonight that meant the restaurant was basically full to capacity, I do think that extra staff should be working to accomodate which falls to the manager to organise. There was only 5 actual waiters for the entire restaurant, which was not nearly enough for a themed quiz night. It's a shame because the food and pricing is actually...