This was published 7 years ago

Brunch in Charleston: The US city you should visit on an empty stomach

By Alison Stewart

June 10, 2016 — 11.00am

Husk Restaurant in Charleston.Credit: Alamy

Food is religion in the American south, we're told, and at Halls Chophouse gospel Sunday brunch in Charleston, we're experiencing this first hand – scoffing a gigantic southern fried brekkie while being enjoined to put our hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.

This traditional Charleston brunch bears little resemblance to the health-conscious Aussie brunch that often tailends a brisk walk or cycle. None of your quinoa Bircher muesli with dates and nuts nonsense, no siree. This is ribstick stuff that locates the hips and wobbles happily there.

It's sensory overload at Halls – clasped vigorously to the bosom of one of the Hall family, showered with calorific dishes that arrive in mountainous waves, and enjoined by our waiter to "put some meat on your ribs so you look more like real Americans".

Southern omlette and cheese grits.Credit: Alamy

All this accompanied by the energetic a capella and percussion gospel Plantation Singers belting out their sacred music from the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Enfolded in the soulful tones of Amazing Grace, Shenandoah, Oh Happy Day and Kumbaya, we plough through our own repertoire – fried flounder with red chilli-coffee sauce served with pepper jack grits and two fried eggs "easy over" ($US19), a biscuits and gravy dish consisting of country sausage gravy, buttermilk biscuits (not really biscuits but yeast-free scone replicas) and scrambled eggs ($US15).

And just in case we haven't starched ourselves silly already, our lovely waiter Rob brings us two gigantic popovers, basically Yorkshire puddings, plus complimentary glasses of sparkling wine.

The Plantation Singers stir your souls while you savour southern hospitality.Credit: Alison Stewart

He's sensible enough not to offer us dessert, though it's coming out on laden trays – the likes of caramel cake with warm bananas foster – bananas and ice cream with a sauce of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum and banana liqueur ($US11).

Looking around the cherrywood-panelled, leather-boothed restaurant, it's clear that the post-church Sunday nosh-up is de rigueur in Charleston. Mimosa-sipping matrons in smart suits and hats tuck in to bacon-wrapped filets with three eggs, grits and chef's steak sauce ($US35), while their suited husbands go nose down at the prime rib eye steak benedict with creamed spinach ($US18).

There might still be room for southern sweet potato pancakes with sliced bananas, candied pecans with a brown sugar maple butter served with scrambled eggs and applewood smoked bacon ($US18). Or the $US16 Belgian buttermilk waffles with strawberry preserves, whipped cream and apple-sage sausage. Huh? Yup. Sausage.

She-crab soup is a favourite too – lump crabmeat, sherry cream and chives ($US10) and tables are edge to edge with sides like hash browns, collard greens and brioche toast ($US6 each).

It's often a family occasion with generations all happily value-adding in the calories department.

Rob, our waiter, is a mine of information about southern etiquette: "In Atlanta they ask your mother's name, in Charleston they ask what you're wearing and in Savannah they ask what you're drinking. Disregard Florida – it's a separate country."

Responding to our questions about the Plantation Singers, Rob tells us a little about Gullah-Geechee traditions. Gullah people are descendants of enslaved Africans, communities often found on the sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia. Their unique culture is directly linked to West Africa. In South Carolina, the language and people are referred to as Gullah while in Georgia, this group of African-Americans and their language is called Geechee.

West African slaves brought the traditional art of sweetgrass basket making to the Lowcountry 300 years ago and this Gullah tradition survives, passed through generations.

The Plantation Singers also perform at a gospel brunch on Saturdays, at another Charleston institution, High Cotton, in the French Quarter. Their wonderful Lowcountry fare is sourced from local produce. Have to mention the Doughnut Holes with their apple and bourbon glaze ($US7). Dinner, served in stylish surrounds, is also excellent.

Other southern American restaurants that serve a mean Charleston brunch include the James Beard award-winning Husk in the historic downtown, that produces impressive seasonal southern cooking with great creative flair. Much of Husk's produce comes from their own garden and they favour regional heirloom grains and vegetables.

Reviewers rave about their crispy pig ear lettuce wraps with bread and butter pickled squash and zucchini ($US7) and for the name alone, I'm including Geechie Boy Mills Johnny Cakes with Happy Cow butter and Lavington Plantation cane syrup ($US8). Pork belly butter sounds a bit artery-unfriendly but apparently it's gorgeous with warm rolls. Their wine list, interestingly, is grouped by terroir and soil type rather than grape varietal.

Poogan's Porch, located centrally in a charming yellow Victorian house, is another that comes highly recommended. Their menu would probably more suit the Australian brunch style with lighter offerings like vegetable omelette with spinach, tomato, vidalia onions and goat cheese ($US12). You'll still find lovely Lowcountry fare, however, like pulled-pork benedict ($US13).

Other favoured brunch places include The Rarebit, Cafe Framboise, Hominy Grill (they have something called a Charleston Nasty Biscuit), Three Little Birds, Eli's Table and The Park Cafe.

And so, bellies bulging, we stagger into the sunshine to walk off our brunch. It could take a while but heck, we're as happy as dead pigs in the sunshine – I believe that's a southern phrase.

The writer brunched at her own expense.