When the bridge gang hit the pub

Franks Speakeasy

Where: Flanders Mall, Flanders Drive, Mount Edgecombe

Open: Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 10pm, Sunday and Monday 11am to 9pm

Call: 073 025 3714

It was the Poet’s idea. After bridge on the public holiday the whole fandamily would go out for a meal. I suggested Franks Speakeasy, after all I hadn’t eaten here since it moved to Flanders Mall. And as it's my namesake it had to be good.

I remember it from its days next to the old Marco Paulo as good pub grub. The menu took in many of the sticky, hearty, finger licking classics that make up the gastro pub genre,  just using real ingredients and proper sauces and relying on good cooking. Burgers are juicier, chicken wings are spicier and pizzas are authentic. You get the picture. Plus there are a few fun things you won’t normally find on a pub menu.

I like the new setting. It;s less dark and there’s a comfortable deck to sit out on on a balmy evening. We’re soon sipping on beers and bottle of good merlot hit the table. There’s the Poet and Vivek, my bridge partner Trevor, the Lady Golfer joins us and shortly afterwards the Artist and her man. 

We share a pizza to whet the appetite - a simple Regina with bacon and mushrooms (R139). It’s perhaps a touch charred at the edges but nice and crisp and comes with a good chilli sauce, or olive oil, if you want to tart it up. Pizza options include chicken tikka, a seafood pie and prawns and pepperoni, or pepperoni and jalapenos. There’s even a focaccia with carpaccio which I’ll try next time.

I order two starters to pass around. The tuna lollipops (R139) came with a tasty wasabi mayo and pickled ginger. Perhaps a shade too long in the pan - they were cooked all the way through, they still tasted good. The prawns in crispy shredded phyllo pastry (R139) were a hit with a lovely spicy chilli mayo. We were tempted by the cheesy garlic snails, but thought we had ordered enough food.

Then there was the Asian style rock cod fishcake (R169) a big tasty ball of panko crumbed goodness complete with lemon grass and chilli. It came with a lovely leaf salad with avo and sesame seeds and another treatment of that spicy mayo. The Poet and I fancied the health bowl which was falafels with tahini dressing, baby spinach, roast butternut, cabbage, avo, red onion and lime dressing. Again next time.

There are other more salad or light meal options including one with crispy calamari, as well as a prego roll, rare roast beef sandwich and a cheese burger and chicken burger. From memory their burgers were a good cut or two above the rest.

Next up was the slow roasted pork belly (R225) which was suitably tender and came in a good mustard sauce. The crackling might have benefitted from a bit of work though. I liked the tempura sweet potato wedges that came with it along with a good array of fresh vegetables. There’s also a pork saltimbocca, a peri-peri-chicken and masala yoghurt chicken along with a few steak options.

Then we couldn’t decide which version of the wood roasted calamari (R169) to go for so ordered both - one with lemon and garlic and another with peri-peri - I know which I preferred because it had one mighty zing to it. These came with good chips to mop up the juices.

Desserts include waffles, brownies and ca creme brulee. But we’d had more than enough food so instead we chilled and finished off the wine. It was a fun outing.

Food: 3

Service: 3 ½

Ambience: 3 ½

The Bill: R2074 for seven