Ripple Brewing Beaconsfield review: Wanda’s Roadhouse food truck slings simple dishes at a converted warehouse

On paper, it shouldn’t work so well — a brewery on an industrial block in Beaconsfield, overlooking a disused quarry, with a single food truck on-site. It opened in October, driven by its founders’ desire to serve its craft beers directly to an appreciative audience, with Wanda’s Roadhouse on deck for meals. On the afternoon we visited, the sun was streaming through the dining room, dogs were lounging under tables, music was playing, and the vibes were high. It brought to mind Otherside’s set-up in Myaree — also a favourite. We found a seat at one of the wooden tables and perused the menu; it’s short, but with lots of tempting items, several of which we ordered at the counter. When our buzzer went off and I collected the trays with their little cardboard boxes full of food, the first thing I noticed was the chips, hand-cut and fried in tallow ($12). I am something of a hot chip enthusiast and these looked the goods: crisp, some with the skin still on, sea salt flakes glinting. As I waited a minute for the genial folks at Wanda’s to pull our flatbread off the smoking hotplate, I tried one. It was as delicious as it looked. Top tier. I’m still thinking about it. Those two very fresh flatbreads ($15) were soft and doughy with a great char, and were served with a tasty capsicum and sunflower seed dip and mixed house pickles. I ended up tearing off pieces to envelop bites of the other dishes, and to dip into all the various sauces. Highly recommend. A slow braised lamb ($18) was accompanied by a vibrant verde, which provided a fresh, zingy foil to the deeply flavoured meat. The serving size was 150g, which was perfect to sample the dish; now I know how delicious it is, I’d be tempted to order one all to myself. The pork ribs from the specials menu ($32) came with an “awesome sauce” and were also tasty, although not on the same level as the lamb. A roast broccoli salad (16) had plenty of mint, basil and rocket, with a vinegary hit from pickled red onion and an earthy creaminess from the tahini dressing. I haven’t always been enamoured with this cruciferous vegetable, but this could be the dish to convert me. The kids needed no convincing to try the bitterballen (four for $14), which are Dutch-style deep-fried meatballs. Perfectly crunchy crumbed exterior, tender shredded meat, and a creamy dipping sauce made it easy to see why this would be a very popular beer snack. Wanda’s stresses that it is a small food truck, which means sometimes dishes might sell out, and it’s best to check the business’ social media for specials and what’s on offer. But based on the array we tried, there will always be something delicious to wash down at this friendly neighbourhood spot. The verdict: 15/20 The little mobile kitchen at this cool new neighbourhood brewery punches above its weight. Wanda’s Roadhouse at Ripple Brewing 5 Mather Road, Beaconsfield Open Thursday 3pm-6.30pm (limited menu), Friday 12.30pm-8pm, Saturday 12.30pm-7.30pm, Sunday 12.30pm-6.30pm Bookings For tables of 8+ Contact ripplebrewing.com.au/taproom