Conveniently situated right across from the Pick n Pay, it’s the perfect place to grab a bite to eat while waiting on family or friends, or if you need to take a break from exhaustive shopping, especially when walking up and down in a big mall such as Canal Walk. This urban grill is also a tasty alternative to similar restaurants like Spur, Dros and Wimpy, that are usually the go-to, mall restaurants when hunger strikes. From “big bun” burgers to "moerse shakes, Brocka delivers by offering a variety of treats suited for the whole family with an added bonus of being Halaal-friendly.
Entering the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised by the décor. A huge yellow shipping container with the words Brocka written in bright lights above greeted us, which reminded me of trendy food trucks and food markets you usually find at festivals.
For the launch, they opted to serve us buffet style – with a selection of burgers, beef ribs, chicken wings and packets of chips waiting to be gobbled up. I picked the Veteran burger (hand-pressed beef with a BBQ sauce) but soon exchanged it for the Mother Clucker burger (crumbed chicken breast burger with avo and mayo) because the saucy burger was just too messy to eat. The chips were crispy and delicious and reminded me of Steers’ legendary chips. However, the wings could have been stickier and I was disappointed that my ribs' meat wasn’t falling off the bone.
Where did the inspiration for Brocka come from and why make it a halaal restaurant?
We wanted to deliver an urban food experience within a mall environment. A popular trend around urban street food and markets have become the biggest fad locally. Food trucks, pop-up food markets and farmers' markets have sold the most amazing foodie treats that are generally made from the freshest local ingredients, by hand. Regarding the eatery being Halaal, that was a Canal Walk centre management pre-requisite.
What makes the Brocka brand/concept so unique?
We’ve created a menu using fresh local produce and hand-crafted meals to create authenticity. Add to that, the use of premium quality for the trained palette, a family-friendly, yet a trendy environment, and the ability to plug and play in different locations.
Why Canal Walk as a location, and do you have any plans for expanding?
Brocka is a franchisable plug and play concept designed for convenience in environments such as shopping malls, airports, consumer high traffic zones, etc.
What’s your favourite item on the menu?
Currently our most rated and customer favourite is the Mexican Fest Burger (hand pressed beef burger, with chilli poppers, chilli sauce and avocado). Other favourites are the Black Mamba milkshake with Chocolate brownie bits, Oreo biscuits, nuts, marshmallow and Astros. As well as the wings and ribs in either BBQ or smoky Jalapeño.
To take a peek at their menu, click here, and for updates follow them on Facebook and on Instagram.
