Brewerkz, Riverside Point
We had our November L.A. Dinner & Drinks at Brewerkz along the clarke quay riverfront promenade. A drinking hole that you used to load up on really yummy and hearty American comfort food and quench your thirst on unique and refreshing in-house brews. However, this dinner visit on a Friday night proved to be a disappointment. The standard of the food has noticeably gone down, with the grub ranging from mediocre to average and pedestrian.
We ordered almost everything on the appetizers and sides menu for sharing, and got a few mains to share as well. With the exception of the onion rings and mushrooms, the rest of the sides and appetizers weren't finished.
The Beer Chilli Cheese Fries ($19) were good, with a generous helping of melted cheese and chunky beef chilli. But, you've gotta eat this piping hot. It was a turgid yucky mess once it got tepid; The Calamari ($25 for large) with marinara sauce was unfortunately overcooked so the squid rings turned out a tad rubbery. These needed a bit of chewing to get through; The Spicy Whitebait ($17) with lemon garlic mayo was pretty alright, the batter was nicely spiced and flavoursome; The Fried Shrimp ($17) with lemon aioli was bad. The prawns, with shells on, weren't fried to a crisp, with the batter being too thick and all, resulting in mushy meat and a tough shell that you couldn't just eat together with the miserly meat.
The Buffalo Chicken Wings ($27 for large) marinated with hot NY sauce, was good. The hot sauce was spicy enough and the wings were juicy and flavoursome enough. Crudites and cool ranch dressing provided some respite from the heat of the hot sauce.
The Double Cheese Nachos ($42 for large) with jalepenos, guacamole, sour cream and salsa, were pretty delicious, but like the beer chilli cheese fries, also got a little disgusting once it got tepid and the cheese hardened into an unappetizing cold lump.
Next up were the sides. The Beer Battered Onion Rings ($12) were one of the better sides, with a whole moist and juicy onion ring covered in a thick batter and fried to a crisp.
The Herb Garlic Fries ($10), thick cut for a substantial bite, were also pretty good. A liberal sprinkling of dried herbs and garlic salt made this quite the yummy snack.
The Sauteed Mushrooms ($10) were delicious. Buttery, savoury and juicy, the shrooms were addictive to the last mouthful.
The Corn Bread ($6) was a tad dry and generic, totally unlike the corn muffins at Kenny Rogers.
Onto the mains, the Rack of Lamb ($40), marinated with Hoisin and served with potatoes and grilled vegetables wasn't half bad. The lamb was just the teeniest bit gamey, but it was seasoned through properly. The charring lent a nice smoky scent to the meat.
The Poached Salmon ($34) seasoned with tarragon and parsley, served with French beans and cous cous, and topped with bonito flakes, was alright. Moist and tasty.
The Fish and Chips ($31), beer battered white fish, served alongside French fries and tartar sauce, was overcooked. The fish was dry and tasteless. Suffice to say, we didn't finish this.
The Oreo Ice-cream Cake ($14) with cookie and cream ice-cream and a chocolate cookie crust was average fare. This was ice-hard we had to wait a while for it to thaw before digging in.
Brewerkz
30 Merchant Road
#01-05 Riverside Point
Tel: 6438 7438
Open Sundays to Thursdays from 12noon to 12midnight
Fridays and Saturdays from 12noon to 1am
Website: www.brewerkz.com
We ordered almost everything on the appetizers and sides menu for sharing, and got a few mains to share as well. With the exception of the onion rings and mushrooms, the rest of the sides and appetizers weren't finished.
The Beer Chilli Cheese Fries ($19) were good, with a generous helping of melted cheese and chunky beef chilli. But, you've gotta eat this piping hot. It was a turgid yucky mess once it got tepid; The Calamari ($25 for large) with marinara sauce was unfortunately overcooked so the squid rings turned out a tad rubbery. These needed a bit of chewing to get through; The Spicy Whitebait ($17) with lemon garlic mayo was pretty alright, the batter was nicely spiced and flavoursome; The Fried Shrimp ($17) with lemon aioli was bad. The prawns, with shells on, weren't fried to a crisp, with the batter being too thick and all, resulting in mushy meat and a tough shell that you couldn't just eat together with the miserly meat.
The Buffalo Chicken Wings ($27 for large) marinated with hot NY sauce, was good. The hot sauce was spicy enough and the wings were juicy and flavoursome enough. Crudites and cool ranch dressing provided some respite from the heat of the hot sauce.
The Double Cheese Nachos ($42 for large) with jalepenos, guacamole, sour cream and salsa, were pretty delicious, but like the beer chilli cheese fries, also got a little disgusting once it got tepid and the cheese hardened into an unappetizing cold lump.
Next up were the sides. The Beer Battered Onion Rings ($12) were one of the better sides, with a whole moist and juicy onion ring covered in a thick batter and fried to a crisp.
The Herb Garlic Fries ($10), thick cut for a substantial bite, were also pretty good. A liberal sprinkling of dried herbs and garlic salt made this quite the yummy snack.
The Sauteed Mushrooms ($10) were delicious. Buttery, savoury and juicy, the shrooms were addictive to the last mouthful.
The Corn Bread ($6) was a tad dry and generic, totally unlike the corn muffins at Kenny Rogers.
Onto the mains, the Rack of Lamb ($40), marinated with Hoisin and served with potatoes and grilled vegetables wasn't half bad. The lamb was just the teeniest bit gamey, but it was seasoned through properly. The charring lent a nice smoky scent to the meat.
The Poached Salmon ($34) seasoned with tarragon and parsley, served with French beans and cous cous, and topped with bonito flakes, was alright. Moist and tasty.
The Fish and Chips ($31), beer battered white fish, served alongside French fries and tartar sauce, was overcooked. The fish was dry and tasteless. Suffice to say, we didn't finish this.
The Oreo Ice-cream Cake ($14) with cookie and cream ice-cream and a chocolate cookie crust was average fare. This was ice-hard we had to wait a while for it to thaw before digging in.
Brewerkz
30 Merchant Road
#01-05 Riverside Point
Tel: 6438 7438
Open Sundays to Thursdays from 12noon to 12midnight
Fridays and Saturdays from 12noon to 1am
Website: www.brewerkz.com
Comments
the oreo ice cream cake looked pretty promising. pity it doesn't taste as good as it looks!