The kitchen has now been opened for a couple of weeks and we had our first sample of its delights on Friday night.
Firstly, for a local pub, it has a small but amazing wine list ... Jess has a fine oenological palate! We started the evening with a glass of Blackbilly 2009 Temparanillo from McLaren Vale. Hunt it down forthwith!
Then it was onto the Burgers. In terms of a menu, it is pretty much standard Pub fare of the Gastro prefix variety with a few creative touches. Prices are standard, no surprises here. There are 7 burgers to choose from with 2 vegetarian offerings (Quinoa and Humus / Portobello Mushroom) and a seafood option if you aren't entirely fundamental. These are not burgers of the Babylonian stack variety. Although not super small, you can pick these up and eat them with your hands, which suits me fine. I hate having to separate Meat from the bread, because it kinda defeats the purpose of a burger.
M had the Lamb & Haloumi burger which is a "Char-grilled lamb and burghul pattie topped with grilled haloumi, almondnaise, lemon and mint yoghurt, tomato, cos lettuce, Spanish onion and chips" ($17). Although I found the yoghurt a little overpowering (but then again I would even if there was a tiny pipetteful of the stuff), the pattie itself was absolutely delicious. It could have done with more haloumi and perhaps a stronger hint of the almondnaise (I was looking forward to that bit), but there are certainly worse burgers to be had round the traps.
I ordered (inadvertantly a popular choice as Chris informed us) the Salmon & Trevally which is a "Char-grilled salmon and trevally pattie with dill and fresh basil crusted in semolina, topped with lemon and mint yoghurt, smoky paprika aioli, tomato, cos lettuce, Spanish lettuce and chips" ($15). This was absolutely stunning! And I could have had another even though I was pretty much full up and on the verge of a stomach pump. Lets ignore the fact that Trevally stocks have virtually been fished out, the combination of flavours was pretty much spot on. Exactly what you want from a fish burger. If I had any reservations about this it would be that the semolina crust could have been a little, well, crustier.
In fact that goes for the chips as well. Full in flavour, but could have been a little crunchier. But perhaps this is a matter of taste, and its certainly not a deal breaker by any means. Also, we could have had a little more of the coleslawy salad, with perhaps a little more of an accent in the dressing, but all in all, for a first time effort, this is highly recommendable.
And to take us through the meal, we sipped on Punt Road 2010 Pinot Grigios. Another fine choice on the winelist.
What a way to start a weekend!! Oh and this joint is fast becoming a good place for a bout of celebrity (ok subjective!) spottage! Ok, well a couple of Masterchefs, a handful of footie players, the odd CEO ... who knows, next time Pink tours the country she may very well drop by. Someone better tell me!!
PS - I forgot to mention the buns (from a bakery in Geelong) ... scrumptious!! Oh and PT if you're reading this, I think there are nuts in the buns, so you may have to query this when you go.
PPS - I snuck a photo of Daniel and Peter from last year's Masterchef - pathetic!
0 comments:
Post a Comment