It's smack in the city but definitely one of those hidden secrets. Authentic, well-priced German fare with touch of nostalgia and plenty of German beer.
Perhaps it's because the location is a little off the beaten track. Sandwiched in the middle of Burnett Lane on the corner of an arcade walkway from the Queen Street Mall to Adelaide Street, The German Sausage Hut is not easy to stumble over.
And then there's the name. Don't go looking for a hut because it looks much more like a cafe or small beer hall with lots of wooden detailing and German music (rejects from the last Eurovision contest) playing on the big screen.
Before you break out the lederhosen and start doing the chicken dance, let me tell you the food here is very good. Simple, traditional fare, but certainly worth trying and enjoying more than once.
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| Bianca and Richy |
So what's on the menu? Pork hock - big, fat juicy pork hock with crunchy crackling surrounded by creamy mash and sauerkraut with a sweet but tart vinegary flavour. Did I like it? Yes! Did I eat it all? No! It's priced as a single meal at $29.90 but unless you are an iron man it's a meal to share. We even brought ours home in a doggy bag to enjoy the next day.
Are you getting excited? Settle a little - the pork hock is only available at The German Sausage Hut Imbiss on Friday nights and must be pre-ordered as it takes several hours to cook. But do it, you won't regret.
I'm jumping ahead of myself because before we tackled the pork hock there were a few other plates that passed our way.
First there was a delicious garlic mayo dip made to an authentic recipe that owner Richy Windt wrangled from a friend in Germany.
Then there was a salad platter (ours was a little different to the one normally on the menu) which included an assortment of fresh salads which Richy says are all made on premise to his own recipes and some sausages. Richy has a deal with the man who makes the bratwurst, frankfurter, debreciner and cheese kranskys- they are very good but you won't find them anywhere else except at The German Sausage Hut. Think tasty potatoes with speck and a light dressing, delicious sauerkraut and a creamy cucumber salad that quickly took the bite out of the spicy sausage. Manager Bianca, who wears her cute German hat with pride, explains how as a child she used to fight with her brother over this salad.
Enjoying the food, I remark to Richy that Germany is not renowned for it's cuisine and he looks rather stunned. Richy tells me German cuisine is highly developed and revolves around the seasons. He talks of the food his grandmother used to cook for him and a mysterious sounding frozen salad in winter and Bianca chimes in with her stories from the homeland. With K2 unleashing his inner Deutsche and sharing BMW love with Richy, I can see a trip to the homeland in the not too distant future.
During the meal we enjoy a selection of interesting German beers. Well I sip a few, being a responsible driver, and K2 works his way through three or was it four, very large glasses. Thank you to beer meister Matt Kirkegaard for helping Richy with some beer suggestions. We enjoyed them Matt.
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| I seem to remember some snapps as well... |
The German Sausage Hut is open daily from breakfast but is only open at night on Fridays at the moment. Soon, very soon according to Richy, they will be expanding across the arcade to fill an empty space with seating creating more dining area for night time visitors. Expect some extended hours too.
Thinking that all this talk of German sausages sounds familiar? Well you've probably enjoyed their German sausages straight from the grill in an oven fresh roll with sauerkraut at many of the markets around town, including Eumundi and on the Gold Coast.
The only thing missing here is dessert. Where was the apple strudel and black forest cake? Maybe I missed it which gives me a good reason to go back.
Bottom line: Good basic authentic German food at realistic prices
Best tip: The pork hock - definitely delicious.
Disclaimer: Eat,drink and be Kerry was a guest of The German Sausage Hut.
