This correspondent’s travels have taken him to the ‘burbs of Philadelphia. Not just any ‘burb, but the exotically named ‘burb – King of Prussia. Apart from its impressive name, King of Prussia is the home of, at the least, the Eastern Seaboard’s, and at the most, the US’s largest shopping mall. Having had a wardrobe malfunction, BotF had to leave the safe confines of his hotel and venture into the acreages of the King of Prussia (“KoP”) Shopping Mall”
Fortuitously, the bored barmaid at my rather antiseptic hotel alerted me to the existence of a brewery bar on the edge of the KoP mall. At the end of a very pleasant dinner in a nearby suburb, BotF was able to drag his travelling mates to the Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurant. There are 38 versions of the Rock Bottom chain across the US. Rock Bottom is one of at least 4 brands operated by CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries , which has over 70 outlets that brew beer on-site at restaurants. It absolutely has that chain feel, but overall Rock Bottom pulls it off. There’s all the annoying aspects of obsequious American service, but there’s plenty of sport on a multitude of screens and the beer is good.
Rock Bottom Red was a belter and their Oatmeal Stout was just a find example of the style. Maybe Warringah Mall could be the first step in global expansion. Opening hours are tight and we needed to find another venue. Our lamentable hotel bar was shut, but we were directed to the Fox and Hound, which was on the outskirts of the Mall. We made a wrong turn on the way and ended up walking what felt like a couple of miles around the endless perimeter of the Eastern Seaboard’s biggest mall. At almost midnight, that feels a little apocalyptic with the odd parked car dimly lit in acres of asphalt. We ultimately made it to the Fox & Hound, but that was all a little hazy.
Mall drinking. Who knew?
back of the ferry 