Brewhouse & Kitchen – brew & chew!

Earlier this week I visited the brand new Brewhouse & Kitchen (B&K) in Dorchester not once, but twice.

B&K is located at the former Station Master pub on the corner of Weymouth Avenue and part of the Brewery Square complex.

Loving the quirky messaging:

‘Hop in there’s a brew on’ & ‘We like children especially for lunch’

There’s been much anticipation and intrigue for B&K, maybe because we nosey parker’s had nothing really to compare it to as their sister establishment is based over in Portsmouth and isn’t one of those chain restaurants.

So, what is B&K? Well, on their website it states that it’s a stylish brewing pub, bringing brewing back to the area where Eldridge Pope brewed famous ales from 1880 to the late 1990s.

The micro-brewery aims to brew 4 times a week, and include a core range of ales IPA, Porter and an English Standard Ale as well as a selection of ‘specials’ that vary from week to week.

My first visit was Tuesday lunch with two of my yummy mummy friends. Finding a table was straight forward enough and they had a high chair for one of the babes.

Inside there are a mix of tables, high chairs and comfy sofas. Lots of shabby chic vintage style plaques adorning the wall and a nod to what they do best – brewing all adding to a welcoming ambience.

I ordered a Sailor Sarnie which was a rather yummy fish finger sarnie with salad, reasonably priced at £5.95.

The Sailor Sarnie…

Now, one of my random tests for how good a new restaurant or pub is, is the state of the toilets and I was pleasantly surprised. I love things which are a bit different and the toilets didn’t disappoint. A selfie mirror and bag rest for your arm candy were just two of the highlights – as well as them being hygienically clean, always good.

Bag rest for beautiful arm candy…

Now, let me take a selfie! I couldn’t resist…

The sinks get the seal of approval. Quintessential English.

One of the downsides was that there isn’t a separate baby changing toilet. The disabled toilet doubled up as a changing room, which on this occasion was locked. Interestingly, a changing table pops down above the toilet minus straps – which according to my friends is very important. If you need the toilet too you need to be able to attach the baby to the strap, which just wasn’t possible or practical.

My second visit was Wednesday night to catch up with a friend. I’d reserved a table as I wasn’t sure how busy it would be as B&K had only opened officially on 12^th May after some preview nights with the community and local businesses. Rather than just being greeted with a typical ‘reserved’ sign, my name and time of booking was displayed in an antique style frame, which is a lovely touch.

Table reservation, yes, Becky is my name!

The menu offers suggestions for beer and food pairing ‘brew & chew’ which is pretty novel. There’s a good selection on the menu, I would say its pretty meat orientated which I don’t have a problem with. I decided to go for the Naked Chef Burger at £8.95 which again really reasonable and a cider. I didn’t try an ale this time but according to B&K on Facebook they range from £3.00 for a standard larger to £5.75 for an aged beer and something a bit different.

Brew & Chew

What about a beer can chicken?

My burger came served on a rustic wooden platter with chips in a mini shaped fryer which all looked very pleasing on the eye and even more pleasing in my stomach. It’s not often I can go out for dinner and finish a whole meal, but there was most definitely no left overs this time.

Delish!

Whilst we were eating a pub quiz started at about 8pm, we were asked if we wanted to join, but were far too engrossed in catching up. However, we both noted that it seemed fun and jovial. One to note for next time. There was also a birthday celebration and the B&K team brought out a cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’.

Would I go back? Yes, most definitely. With 150 seats outside and inside I can see B&K becoming the place to go after work and at the start of a pub crawl round Dorchester. They also host brewing days for £50 which would be perfect for a stag, hen do or special occasion. Plus there is a 10% loyalty card, which is worth investigating.

Oh, and one other important point to note, there seemed to be a much higher ratio of men to women… So, if you want to find me, I’ll be down at B&K this summer!

To find out more about Brewhouse & Kitchen.

• Visit the website.

• Become a fan on Facebook or follow @BKDorchester Twitter for all the latest news.

All the best,

Becky x

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