There’s something fantastic about sitting at a great little tapas restaurant in Cape Town, biting into a golden brown churro and thinking ‘Meh, the ones back home are better’.
The meal I’m missing in a culinary capital of the world is a delicious bite from The Batter Bar. Megan Pritchard’s functional food stall at The Brewers Market which, for the moment, serves just one thing – churros.
Traditionally made in Spain, Portugal, the Philippines and Ibero-America, the origins of churros are a little sketchy.
While some say the voyaging Portuguese returned from China and developed churros based on the Chinese youtiao, others suggest that Spanish shepherds first cooked them over open mountain fires as a substitute for the fresh baked goods they could find in civilisation.
Origins aside, I’m sure everyone can agree that the idea to toss fried dough into hot oil, dust it with sugar and cinnamon and serve it dipped into champurrado, caramel, coffee or hot chocolate is an inspired one.
At The Batter Bar, the dough is squeezed through a star-shaped nozzle (churrera), which gives the churros their signature ridged edges. They are then fried in oil until they are a crunchy golden brown, dusted with sugar and cinnamon and served with a chocolate or caramel dipping sauce.
“Churros are my all-time favourite,” says Pritchard, who has always loved to bake and recalls licking the batter from her mother’s mixing bowls and later creating a whole bar inspired by that particular thrill.
“The idea is to create all things batter, hence The Batter Bar. We kept the name open-minded to allow us to rotate our product and offer consumers different items from time to time, whether it be monthly, special days or special events.”
Though churros are the present mainstay, the public can soon expect giant crepes topped with banana and Nutella, some savouries as well as mini Dutch pancakes called poffertjies.
Currently whipping up the churros at The Batter Bar is Wilka Oiva, who serves the sweet in no time.
“Wilka is a gem,” says Pritchard. “She has a heart of gold and her experience comes from being an assistant chef. We have already brainstormed our next menu and we are super exited to launch it soon. I couldn’t do it without her.”
Simple, sweet and a great little treat to grab on the go, The Batter Bar’s churros are available daily and Pritchard has some suggestions for when to devour them.
“Life is short so definitely pop in to have your dessert lined up after having a meal at The Brewers Market,” says Pritchard, though churros are just as great for breakfast or as an anytime snack. “They’re also the best lining before a fun night out.”
The Batter Bar is situated at The Brewers Market on Tal Street (old Warehouse Theatre) in Windhoek and is open daily from 11h00. Follow The Brewers Market on Instagram and Facebook for more information.
