We all know THIS song and I am certain that most of us can sing the lyrics at the top of our lungs.
Written by John Fogarty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, it was turned into a hit by the iconic and legendary Tina Turner…
” Left a good job in the city,
Workin’ for The Man ev’ry night and day,
And I never lost one minute of sleepin’,
Worryin’ ’bout the way things might have been.
CHORUS:
Big wheel keep on turnin’,
Proud Mary keep on burnin’,
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river.
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis,
Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans,
But I never saw the good side of the city,
‘Til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen.
Find more lyrics at ※ Mojim.com
CHORUS
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river.
If you come down to the river,
Bet you gonna find some people who live.
You don’t have to worry ’cause you have no money,
People on the river are happy to give.
CHORUS
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river.
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river.
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river”.
And it was these lyrics that reverberated in my head as my wife and I recently had dinner and breakfast at Proud Mary in Rosebank.
Different seating areas inside the restaurant ensure guests get the best out of their dining experience.
This seating is in front of a coffee shop where the sight of the cakes and baked goods on display and the aroma of the coffee will make you want to start your meal with dessert. And why not? I have never understood why we are so locked into the tradition of starter, mains and THEN dessert.
Perhaps it is time to break that mould and to eat in ‘reverse’?
And it is NOT just the decor on the floor that is designed to excite.
Looking up at the raw concrete ceilings and the spectacular light fittings, enables the whole space to become an immersive experience for the diners.
“Service”!
I wandered past the pass as plates of food were being put up, waiting to head out to the diners.
You cannot serve hot food on cold plates, hence the pile of plates being warmed ready for plating and being taken out to waiting diners.
This is an eatery where relaxation and conversation are important aspects of the dining experience. So, no fast food and hopefully you can put the mobile phones away for the duration…
Let my birthday dinner begin…
Crispy Squid
Crispy squid served with atchar, lemon aioli, paprika oil, curry leaves and puffed coriander seeds.
My meal might have started and ended with this dish if I had not been so hungry.
Even though I had attended my birthday party earlier in the afternoon, it was my guests who helped make certain that both the sweet and savoury cakes and dishes were polished off BEFORE I could even get a taste…hence me choosing a starter AND a main for my dinner at Proud Mary.
This was my wife’s choice of a starter. Usually, we share food, but we both enjoyed our dishes so much that that was not an option at this particular meal.
My main…and yes I did share my triple-fried chips with my wife.
I am not a cheese-on-a-burger type of person, so I asked for the cheese to be excluded and it was.
Congratulations to our waiter for actually listening to what I had requested. It does not always happen, and on many occasions, I have had to return orders to be corrected.
Not on this occasion.
This was what my wife chose as her main, and judging from the smile on her face, she enjoyed every forkful of this dish.
The bar at Proud Mary is beyond spectacular.
I defy ANYONE to try to order a beverage that cannot be found on these shelves.
Lit in a fashion that enhances both the bottles and their contents, Proud Mary is to be congratulated for making this and not a brace of flat screens showing sport, the centrepiece which will ensure that guests sit here for longer than they might normally do.
And you cannot drink a beverage without the proper glasses. I had recently attended a wine-tasting evening and a distributor of glassware that had their products on display opened my eyes to the fact that there were glasses specific to every type of drink.
Be they alcoholic or not.
Good morning…time for breakfast.
This time were were seated in a different part of the eatery.
One that allowed us a view of the street beyond the windows.
Seated in this corner offered us both the opportunity to watch the passing parade outside.
Something we both enjoy doing while waiting for a meal or even just coffee.
The cutlery made eating here special.
Fruit kebabs.
A great way to start breakfast before getting stuck into the ‘real deal’.
Daily selection of fresh pastries at the cafe bar.
We both had one of these…for research purposes…of course.
My wife’s breakfast choice and much like dinner, a good choice from what I can gather.
The pork sausage was ‘exchanged’ for extra bacon and the mushrooms were shared with my wife.
Aside from those changes, I virtually licked the plate clean.
Certainly a “Breakfast of Champions”, Proud Mary style.
Back at the pass where breakfast specials were flying out of the kitchen.
My compliments to all the staff that we interacted with, both at dinner and at breakfast. They certainly made our time at Proud Mary memorable for all the right reasons.
To find out more about this eatery, click on the logo above.
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