I love a good hamburger and during 2012 I’ve tried just about every burger foodies raved about in Cape Town. So when good friends of ours recommended Gibson’s Gourment Burgers and Ribs in the V&A Waterfront, we couldn’t wait to sink our teeth into their highly-acclaimed offerings.
The restaurant falls under The Slick Restaurant Group, who also owns the award-winning Belthazar and Balducci’s restaurants. Located next door to its big brother, Belthazar, the 70 seater restaurant is small and intimate. The service is exceptional and the portions ridiculously generous.
We kicked off our dining experience with a bottle of the restaurant’s own branded house wine. The wine list offers a great selection of wines at reasonable prices. We forked out a mere R90 for the extremely palatable Gibson’s unwooded Chardonnay. The Gibson House Reds are listed at roughly the same price and even sports a 2002 vintage red blend, priced at R110 a bottle. All wines are also available by the glass and beer lovers will rejoice in the large selection of craft beers on offer.
Sticking to the recommendations of our friends, we ordered a starter portion of ribs for R65 and Gibson’s famous onion rings, priced at R45. The ribs were cooked to perfection and the best I’ve tasted in a while. The onion rings were quite unique and more than filling. Crispy and really flavourful, they were truly a pleasant surprise.
The Mr Chuntney Burger was my choice for the main. The 200g patty, made from grain-fed beef, is topped with lettuce, tomato, caramelised onion, cucumber, cheddar, chutney and bacon. The bun was lightly toasted and held the contents of the burger well. The burger itself is genuinely massive. At first I struggled to grab hold of it by hand but eventually concurred this mighty juicy creation. Needless to say, I could only finish half of it.
Our friendly waiter recommended the Long Island Burger for my partner. It’s made from the same ingredients as the Mr Chutney Burger, except this beauty is topped with Hickory bacon and cheddar and served with a smokey bar-b-que sauce on the side. He thoroughly enjoyed every bite and was brave enough to clean the plate.
We both agreed that the patties were slightly overcooked for our liking. It wasn’t dry by any means, but just a little more well-done to what we normally prefer.
In terms of value for money, you get what you pay for. Gibson’s is by no means the cheapest burger joint in Cape Town but taking in account its location and the massive and tasty portions, you do get bang for your buck. Our bill came to R380 – not bad considering the fact that we enjoyed two courses each and a bottle of wine.
Gibson’s, their staff, and the larger than life menu items, deserve a thumbs-up. The laid back establishment makes for a more than satisfying dinning experience and a must try whenever you’re in the mood for overindulgence.
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