I hadn’t been back to Zierholz in Fyshwich in years (since about 2014) but recently had lunch there to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Zierholz is a German brewery selling pork knuckle, schnitzel, goulash, German sausages and other typical dishes we’ve come to appreciate. The last time I was there, I had one of the tasting platters while J had the trio of German sausages. The menu has generally stayed the same but prices have risen considerably since our first visit.
J started off with the sample paddle of beers (60ml samples) which came with tasting notes and a choice of your favourite as a half pint after the tasting is completed. He decided on the German pils towards the end. I didn’t take note of the cost but it was a good way to sample the beers.
I remembered the garlic cheese bread being pretty good and had to order it again. For $7.50, we received four big chunks of bread which were nice and crunchy, and basically the entire top had been generously coated with cheese. It was good value for the portion provided.
I noticed the menu stated pork knuckles should be pre-ordered and sneakily asked whether there were any left while waiting for the rest of the party to show up. There were 5 left after I managed to pre-order one. I ended up being the only one at the table to try the pork knuckle ($33), that had been slow roasted for 3 hours with crackling and served with potato mash, red cabbage, sauerkraut and gravy. This was the last dish to arrive though it wasn’t far behind the other dishes. WOWZA. It certainly looked impressive. There was so much thick delicious crackling that I didn’t know where to start slicing. At first, I thought the knife I’d received wasn’t sharp enough until I really stabbed into the pork hock. It made such a wonderful crack with bits of crackling flying in each and every direction as I determinedly sliced through into some hot (still steaming) and tender meat. It was perfectly cooked pork knuckle inside and out. The accompanying mash was buttery and creamy, and I loved the rest of the sides. So much happiness with the dish. We both thought there was a lot of meat, so I had to take half of it home with me to have for dinner. (Note: only aluminum foil is provided, so wrap it up carefully).
J ordered the special of the day – a rouladen of thinly sliced beef wrapped around bacon, onion, pickles and mustard, topped with gravy and served with mash and red cabbage (mid-$20 mark). From one bite, I could immediately taste the great flavours and the mustard really tied everything together. Yum!
Orders are taken and paid for at the bar. I found service was friendly, with our entrees and mains served considerably quickly as there were about 15 people or so at our table. We didn’t get to the desserts of Belgian waffles or apple strudel but I’d be very tempted to order it next time. Zierholz is a good place for casual lunch or beer. Serving sizes were decent and we both enjoyed our mains.
Zierholz can be found at 19-25 Kembla Street in Fyshwick. Open Wednesday to Saturday for lunch, and Friday nights for dinner.
Foodgasm 8/10
Value for money 8/10
Service 8/10
FPJ score 24/30
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