So last week Wednesday I attended a fun-filled evening of delectable food and interesting foodie banter. I was fortunate to connect with other bloggers at the meetup and share  opinions on the launch of the new menu from The Butcher’s Wife on Belgravia road.

Upon arrival I was introduced to Qudsiya, who is quite literally the butcher’s wife. The inspiration for the name came from the fact that her husband, Khalil, is the owner of Pickers Meat Market in Grassy Park. Quite a catchy spin on their partnership if you ask me.

The décor is simple and almost rustic but makes a statement as it uses an unusual palette of colours. Qudsiya explained that they tried to create a deli style look. The Butcher’s Wife is a laid-back restaurant where you can sit back, relax and enjoy great food with your family and friends. It is however rather small and as they do get full quickly, one may have to wait. Khalil explained the capacity is limited as they may lose control of good quality food versus larger volumes of people.

I took a seat and was offered a bottle of their house brand water. Once everyone arrived, we were introduced to Khalil who shared the back story of how The Butcher’s Wife was born. He also informed us that they wanted the experience and quality to be as if you were eating at their home. The meat and poultry come directly from Khalil’s butchery which ensures no compromise on quality.

Qudsiya, the butcher’s real wife gives us an introduction to the evening

Before we started we were informed there would be a competition running throughout the evening. The prize would be for the person who shared the most about the evening on social media. The prize was an amazing dinner for two at The Butcher’s wife. Everyone immediately got into competition mode for a chance at the prize!

Then the real fun began. We were whisked off on a culinary adventure!

We started off with antipasti platters for the table. These comprised of crumbed mushrooms, pizza sticks, chicken livers, mussel bake and prawn poppers. I absolutely loved the crumbed mushrooms, it had the perfect amount of spice and was really tasty. The chicken livers and prawn poppers were delicious too. I found the mussel bake to be a bit overpowering in terms of the garlic, however those who love garlic enjoyed it.

The second course was a lovely pizza board which included slices of seafood, vegetarian, chicken and beef pizza. My favourite had to be the vegetarian basil pesto, tomato and feta pizza. It was flavoursome and definitely something out of the ordinary.

The third course was too quaint! We were each given a pasta board with four miniature pasta bowls. The pastas we tried were the spaghetti and meatballs; chicken and pesto; seafood and the macaroni cheese al fourno. I think all the pastas were delicious but the one that stood out for me was the chicken and pesto. It was simply sublime, the flavours were so well balanced. Others found the macaroni cheese al fourno to be the best they’ve tasted.

By this time we were all feeling quite full and the best had yet to come. Next up was meat platters for the table. The platters consisted of beef ribs, lamb chops, sliced steak and mini beef burgers. To accompany this we had sweet potato fries, onion rings and a trio of sauces. Without a doubt I can say the ribs were the best that I have had at any restaurant. It was definitely the highlight of the food for the evening. The ribs were cooked to perfection and fell off the bone easily. It had the perfect balance of smokiness, sauciness and succulence. The sliced steak, chops and mini burgers were divine as well. The meat platter was definitely something to write home about.

And now the course most people look forward to, the dessert board. The trio of miniature desserts consisted of carrot cake, churros with chilli chocolate sauce and a chocolate banana springroll served with ice cream. The unanimous favourite was definitely the melt in your mouth chocolate banana springroll. You just couldn’t have enough.

Amidst after dessert banter the winner of the competition was announced. Nadia from Shiny Sequins Blog was the lucky winner. She was understandably elated!

Nadia Singh Snyders from Shiny Sequins Blog was the winner of the night

Last up for the evening were milkshake shots and mini takeaway cappuccinos. The turkish delight milkshake was my favourite. Although I also enjoyed the banana milkshake. The cappuccinos were really cute as I have never come across those in miniature cups. The perfect way to end the evening.

Before leaving we were each gifted a goodie bag which had an apron, chopping board (courtesy of Pickers Meat Hyper), some TBW homemade sauces, a meal discount voucher and some house brand water.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say I was completely blown away by the attention to detail and effort that was put into each and every course. The owners were so hands on and really gave us some great insight. The evening turned out to be a true sensory feast!

Some of the foodies and bloggers that were part of the crew for the night.