One of the great things about Wolverton is the range of restaurants it plays home to. Yes, most small towns will have a chippy, a curry house and a kebab house, but how about Spanish tapas, Japanese takoyaki and a smoky Turkish mangal? And nestled next to the New Queen Victoria pub, the Braai Shack offers you ‘a taste of home away from home’ - that ‘home’ being the flavours of South Africa. We weren’t hugely familiar with South African cuisine beyond bunny chows and biltong, but after trying the chakalaka and boerewors at Sunnyside Up, the Braai Shack’s daytime alter-ego, we knew flavour was not going to be an issue here. So one stormy Friday evening, we went with open minds and hungry bellies in search of something to warm us up.
What we got was just that, warm and friendly service and a huge menu covering all the bases from exotic meats off the titular braai to bunnys and a collection headed ‘soul food’, written in the universal language of comfort food. We tried the chicken bunny chow and the ostrich burger, which I’ll admit was a bit of a panic order faced with the overwhelming choice on the menu. There were far more exciting things to try than the burger, as I could see from other dishes coming out of the kitchen, and we’ll definitely be back to try the sosatie hanging kebabs. That said, the burger was well-cooked and came topped with a sweet chutney that complemented the meatiness of the ostrich - they know what they’re doing here.
The bunny chow, one the other hand, was something to behold - what could be more comforting than a thick, creamy curry piled into a hollowed out loaf of bread? I’m a big fan of any dish where you get to eat the vessel and when that vessel has soaked up a gravy rich with sweetness and curry spice… well, I can go home and collapse into my food coma happy at an evening well spent. And that’s what we did.
Must-try: That bunny chow (also available as a veggie option) and the peri-peri biltong (not so), although we will be back to try some more and do that immense menu justice - watch this space!