You pretty much can’t lose opening up an American-style bistro on the business end of Bridge Street. Add ribs and a decent brown spirits and imported beers list and you’ve all but guaranteed yourself a full house.Which is exactly what we find when we step in for lunch.
Burgers served on little wooden boards and individual fry baskets filled with hand-cut chips come flying out of the kitchen furiously. So we order one. The gaucho burger – beef, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles – packs a spicy punch. Sadly, the bun is a little tired and takes some work to chew through. And the hand-cut chips turn out to be chunky wedges made with hard, waxy potatoes. On a brighter note, they fry a good onion ring here, all salty and crisp, and the Mississippi-style green beans are sweet and hammy.
It’s a really nicely designed spot, this Bridge Street Garage. Edison globes are caught in big black brackets, glossy white tiles contrast against distressed concrete and there’s some sort of car thing hanging off the ceiling. It’s very much in the theme of a big brasserie with its bar seating and booths lining the walls. The music is 'hip!' The menu is ‘engaging!’ And staff are ‘helpful!’
Even if being called ‘madam’ does make us feel like pensioners in trouble.
