I just knew it from the get go, right from opening my email and seeing it as the latest offer for Dimmi's 50% off deal, that my dining buddy was going to want to come here. This kind of food is right up his alley, and after having a browse of their menu, it was right then that I could tell it was going to be locked in. And it was. Soon after that, it was off to one of the most enjoyable and tasty meals that has been for weeks.
Business was just starting up when our appointment was on; in fact, it was booked right on the cusp of opening hours. Just having a look in, I could tell this was not going to be your usual outing.
This is one massive place. It is so big that they have divided the place up into districts - the titular ale house, the main stage and the roof-top garden bar. Throughout it all, there has been a big effort-filled workout going into the aesthetics. What really contributes to the aesthetics is all of the minutiae and decorations to be found around the place. In saying that, what should be given the due attention is the large woolly mammoth that can be seen right in the middle of the entrance area.
My dining buddy and I were seated in the circular booth table (by choice) within the first district, in which the area had a tavern feel to it. The temperature was agreeably cool, it felt cosy and comfortable, which was all helped by the laid-back aesthetic and good service. When this gets busy, it should resemble a beer hall. He liked it so much that he went around and snapped some pictures to send to his son overseas, can't blame him with the unique look on display.
Up the stairs - which are painted with a Star Wars crawl - is the second area that is the garden-top roof. The Garden can be booked for any kind of function, and rearranged to suit the event. It was closed off at the time the two of us were there, so not much to discuss here.
Between the places, there are big version of Jenga and shuffleboard advertised for play. Additionally, this place is so full of idiosyncratic additions that I will not give any more away. Think of your visit to here as an Easter egg hunt, it is part of why it was so hip.
Right out the front, they have a stage where musicians play and there is nearly a guarantee that some local act will be there. In between times, the music playing from the speakers is from the big band era. This place does not just have character, it is a real character in and of itself.
What can transform a place from something that is very good, great or fantastic to something else beyond can be the service. There was a definitely an air of being laid-back, and it is really friendly. They were quick, very attentive (though being there first and having the luxury of the place to ourselves, that was an opportunity to shine) and efficient. It is only partially to do with the work ethic, and finished off entirely by the cult of personality. That was the case for us two, with Trish. She was an amazing lass, laid-back and introverted. What made it better was that she seemed to be acting natural; she was simply a pleasant lass. Further details about it will be elaborated upon later.
By the way, getting the food is the usual counter service. Pay up front at the bar.
The type of food available at the Woolly Mammoth is a selection of the usual foods that can be expected from a pub, it places itself somewhere between a gastropub and a traditional pub. A substantial part of it is designed to be shared. Throughout it all, it stays in the influence of American cuisine. Vegetarian need not apply, this is carnivore's delight. Starting off, there are all the usual bar snacks - bar nuts, wings, onion rings et al. Then there is not only a single variety of fries, but five of them all with different toppings on them. Additionally, there are a few varieties of pizza.
It is not all finger foods and sharing, as they have several traditional pub meals, all in a substantial serving size. Suitably, sides are possible to be added on and they are actually cheap - so it is really encouraging to build up the meal. When I was here, it was during October and they were jumping upon the bandwagon for Oktoberfest. That means that there were a few German themed meals, mostly schnitzels and pretzels.
Then there is the selection of beverages available. What might be the most impressive is the big selection of craft beers that they have on tap (some up to 8.8% alcohol - that must be one strong mother). This is among a select few main-stays plus wines and cocktails. Even after all that, they probably have plenty more kinds of drinks. Sundays will be a dream for beer drinkers, as 1-litre steins are available. Even though I don't drink alcohol, what I really like about places like this is that it is guaranteed to have some great, fatty fare to be paired along side as has already been described.
Rumour has it that they are so dedicated to the craft beers, that they have an appreciation class. Tasting boards are also available if one is having a hard time deciding. It seems that they have close to everyone covered, even down to the kids with big games. Now that is customer service on a high plane.
As always, my go to option for a drink is coffee. Not all places provide it, so as always my question goes "got coffee?". This was where it came into play how good Trish was at her job. This is an ale house, and I don't drink alcohol. She offered to make a mocktail, and thus I had a mocktail. Whatever was in it, I presume there was a combination of lemonade and orange juice, or soda water at one point. During the wait between times, since it had been a while, a refill of drinks was offered to no charge. Whatever the case was with this drink, it was refreshing and served ice cold. So, if you're reading this Trish - well appreciated.
Reading the menu beforehand, one of the items that my dining buddy had to have was the Beef Brisket Fries. This was a generous serving of fries, topped with a hefty amount of slow cooked beef and gravy poured all over. It is as good as it sounds. The fries were crispy and hot, just a bit thicker than shoestring. On top of it, the beef was cooked really slowly making it tender and bringing the flavour out so well plus the gravy was nice and thick - there is a solid reason that it is listed under "Great Fries".
The fries were in conjunction with a meal each. What I got was their pulled pork hoagie. This was a crusty six-inch roll that was filled to the brim and even going over. It had a decent helping of pulled pork that was cooked in ginger ale, and combined with that was coleslaw and a salsa consisting of jalapeno peppers and pineapple, plus a lot of corn.
As for my dining buddy, he went for their Mammoth Burger. No time for the salad, it was a no-nonsense protein fest of a beef patty, bacon, cheese, beetroot, aioli and relish then served with a side of onion rings. Both of these items were massive in size, to the point it is hard to wrap your mouth around them.
First up, what I ordered, the pulled pork hoagie. It was a robust number, with an equal proportion of coleslaw to pork. Between the two items, each of them had several distinct flavours which went together quite well. It was held together by a good quality bit of bread, the selection of ingredients in the coleslaw were all fresh and juicy, and the meat was succulent. What could be wrong about it? Absolutely nothing, this was fantastic and filling.
Then there was the burger, which warning - it is a little messy to eat with your hands (beetroot does that). Where is the fun without that though? The meat patty was really good, the bacon quite salty and the cheese was slightly melted. The two sauces mixed together to create a sort of creamy tomato chutney. It was also really big. But those onion rings on the side were just marvelous. They were hot, really crispy and some of the best that I have ever tried. Heck, could have ordered a whole side of them they were that good.
To get a good feel for the place, a couple of bar snacks ought to have been sampled. To me, there was no doubt about it, we had to get the jalapeno cigars. These were filled with feta, sweetcorn and jalapeno chilies, and came with a coriander and lime salsa. Each one of the items would certainly have been good in its own way, but my dining buddy was looking for something a little different - and I had put dibs on the cigars. Ultimately, he settled on the lamb kofta balls. As for these, they were on top of a tomato sugo, smoked almond and tzasiki.
With the jalapeno cigars, they were piping hot from the fryer. The pastry was really crispy, the cheese well melted and gooey and it had a slight tang of spicy from the chilies put in. Looking back at them, they were like a tweaked up and twisted version of the classical spring roll. Plus, that salsa they were served with was delicious.
Additionally, the kofta balls were better than normal. The mince that they used with the lamb was good quality, and tasted fantastic. They were solid, dipped well into the sweet tomato sugo. Really, not much to say there either but that they were tasty and enjoyable.
From the start, I knew that dessert was too good to pass up. This menu is really small, but it does do its job. What else but the brownie would I get? This was topped with a spoonful of salted caramel and served with a scoop of Brownie, salted caramel and ice cream. And what a way to finish off the already fantastic meal. Most brownies tend of have a texture that is either cakey or really thick; instead, this was so soft and moreish that the spoon went through it like it was butter. The brownie was delicious, and had strong, very strong flavour that definitely was dark chocolate. Salted caramel has been making a real presence these days, and right here it had its chance to prove itself. It was thick, sweet as sweet could be, and spread over the brownie really well. And it would not be complete without some good ice cream, and this ice cream was great. It was creamy, solid and not the good old vanilla flavour, but vanilla bean. That made it all the more special. Mixing up the three items when it was possible resulted in a great combination of flavours.
At the end of it all, I had eaten quite a substantial amount and was not just satisfied, but perhaps even euphoric. This is some of the tastiest, most filling and most robust grub on this side of the city.
What else really needs to be said about the Woolly Mammoth Ale House? It is just all-round one fantastic and funky location. It has all the potential to become a new hot spot, a new social hub, and a neighbourhood landmark. The atmosphere is what made me want to stay longer which is complimented by good service. For whatever reason it is worth, this definitely is not only worthy of a recommendation but one that should be put on the hot-spot list for all the reasons previously elaborated. There is a long life ahead for this beauty; it has only just begun.
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