Two weeks ago I tried to get into Down South for round 2 but it was so quiet that they had sent their staff home! So I was very happy when I saw it was VERY full last Thursday evening. We were greeted by a new floor manager who seated us promptly. There was a blues performance going on which is a competition for the best unsigned blues band to play at Rocking the Daisies (if I remember correctly). It definitely added a touch of fun to the Southern Theme of Down South and it was good to have the venue buzzing.
I was very happy to be served by the same happy barman / waiter as last time although there did seem to be a little confusion as to who was attending to us (manager or server) so service was a little slow, however, the ambiance was great and we weren’t in a rush so it was ok.
This time I was in for the crumbed chicken strips, one of my ‘pub’ favourites but surprisingly hard to find. We were served chips with our meal, not nearly as awesome as the wedges we had had previously (I hope this isn’t a permanent change?) and my chicken was served with garlic mayo which was delicious but quite strong (it lingered a little TOO long after the meal). Although the chicken pieces were incredibly juicy and tender, it really wasn’t worth R60. I know the chips were piled on but I’m interested in the meat content of a meal when it comes to value and this portion was more of a starter size (probably 1 chicken breast cut downwards).
We also ordered the ribs of which we were offered two cuts, we opted for the meatier version! They were delicious and had the same aniseed undercurrent as the po’ boy. When I last checked into Foursquare, a tip was left that the cheesecake was the best in town so I decided to forfeit my loving pecan pie and try the cheesecake. It was presented beautifully in a glass jar which allowed all the layers to be seen. It looked wonderful but it was more ice cream and jam than anything else. The base was also quite gooey which made it tricky to get all the layers out. I’m don’t think it was blind baked? I’m more of a baked cheesecake fan so I’m afraid the pecan pie is still the winner! (Although it has to be noted that the vanilla ice cream no longer contained the little black vanilla specks from last time so I fear this has been downgraded too?)
It was good to be back at Down South but my first meal experience was far better than the second so it’s straight back to the po’ boy and pecan pie for me next time!
