Tuk Tuk Microbrewery

8 November 2019

TUK TUK MICROBREWERY

14 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek

We came here for a late supper after the luxurious La Petite Colombe lunch, seeing as how we hadn’t booked anything else, weren’t keen on yet another fine dining meal and I’d fallen into a late afternoon stupor which meant we went out well after 20h00 and it was a mission, driving up and down Huguenot Street, to find a likely prospect that might still have a table for us. We’d eaten an enjoyable lunch here last year, with the wife’s parents, coincidentally, it’s separated from Le Quartier Francais by the width of a street.

The place was full, with not so many patrons outside because of the blustery conditions, and it seemed to me most were tourists. At least, the audible ones clearly were.

The wife had the (crumbed fillet) buttermilk fried chicken burger (R120), fries and onion rings (R25) and I chose the game fish (yellow tail) tostada (R85) with onions rings and refried beans (R25) on the side.

My idea of what a tostada is has been shaped by the movie Bad Santa, and this dish isn’t what the movie shows us, so I guess fish taco would be a more accurate description, with pieces of ceviche fish and salad heaped on top of a toasted (ahh! the tostada element!) tortilla, in a generous, zingy, light portion that was hugely enjoyable.

The chicken burger was great too, with a perfectly cooked, juicy fillet. The fries were crisp, and the onion rings were freshly made, with a light, crisp batter. There’s not much one can say about refried beans. I like them and these were good.

For the second time we ate a simple, well-prepared meal in a cosy bistro setting and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It’s probably a conceptual jump from a fine dining lunch to a burger supper, but in the culinary ball park, they can co-exist quite happily. All we ask is that attention is paid to the cooking and that it tastes good, whether it’s Japanese inspired pork belly or crisp onion rings.

Tuk Tuk still offers only craft beer. Their own lager isn’t too shabby at R39 for 500 ml.

The wife’s Appletizer at R39 was rather pricey, though. We finished with an excellent cappucino each, at R58 for both..

The bill came to R413 before tip.

There are many eateries in Franschhoek but if you want a pint of craft beer and a burger ‘n fries meal, Tuk Tuk Microbrewery should be your destination. It can be amusing listening to the foreigners prattle on about their amazing wine tastings and other adventures amidst the vines