Coopers Ale House - Chicken Mediterranean

The Ale House, what I regard as the current schnitzel heart of South Australia. A corner pub in central Adelaide, the Ale House is well located for all but the most distant schnitzel lover. The house offers three dining choice depending on what you after. The front bar has enough seating for a few groups to get a counter meal. The restaurant is nicely furnished and caters to the more sophisticated. The bistro is as simple and unadorned as can be...

There were multiple schnitzels on the menu but I had my eye on one from the beginning. The idea of eggplant continued to intrigue despite the flop at The Gov. The Ale House would look pricey to a newcomer but soon they find out what they're in for.

BIG SCHNITZEL! A healthy serving of tasty chips is, as always, quickly rescued from underneath the monster bird. Disclaimer: Schnitzel not blurry in real life.

Golden brown, the schnitzel perfectly walks the tight-rope of under-crisp to burnt crumbing. The quantity of the tomato base was perfect and provided great coverage to the schnitzel. Semi-dried tomatoes added a sweeter taste to the meal. The marinated eggplant slices were thick and delicious, not overcooked and rubbery as was found at The Gov. The bocconcini cheese was well spread out over the surface of the schnitzel. Struggling to find a fault I noted the lack of salad, which due to the meal size is provided in a separate bowl for an extra buck fifty.

Price: $18

Rating: 5 stars

The Wellington - Chicken Parmigiana

Kicking off a buck's night with a schnitzel is a daring bet. Too big and you'll be bloated for the rest of the evening. Too bad and you'll be heading home sick before having a drop.

The Wellington is a good looking pub. A nice open bar with nice lighting and good furnishings were a welcome site. The fully enclosed beer garden allowed for outside eating without sacrificing the comfort of the indoors.

The salad was good, nice fresh greens and an almost whole tomato, it's about time. Negative points went to the long sprout like things which were difficult to pick up and eat after throwing back a few pints.

The chips were very tasty with good chip seasoning becoming a feature in North Adelaide. Cut to the chase, Chicken Parmigiana! The cheese was tasty and melted well without being overcooked. The ham was plentiful and the sauce covered the majority of the schnitzel. For the price it was a little small and left my stomach underfull. The smaller size made the topping too prominent in the schnitzel's taste. Overall, the meal lacked balance.

Price: $17

Rating: 3 stars

The German Club - Chicken with Gravy

The Germans are often noted for their love for beer and schnitzel, so how does the German Club on Flinders stack up to its major schnitzel competitors?

The GC is a nice place to go for that Friday after work beer. Lovingly adorned with German memorabilia and featuring live traditional music the GC has an atmosphere that almost can't be beaten. The previous schnitzel I had here was a disappointment but when I saw a 2 buck price increase and heard word of a new kitchen I had to give them a second chance.

The schnitzel was promptly made and was awaiting me at the kitchen window. The chips were large, well seasoned and the serving plentiful. The yellow colour is due to my poor phone camera.

The schnitzel was well-cooked and had maintained its crispness on the top and bottom, a welcomed surprise. The schnitzel was a good size too; thick and with a large surface area. The gravy was a little watery but did the job. At $10 bucks this is a great schnitzel.

Price: $10

Rating: 4 stars

Daniel O'Connell - Chicken Parmigiana

"The best mushroom gravy in SA" I had been told by several friends. So what did I get? A Chicken Parmigiana (of course). It was a hot night in the city as I walked into the Dan, an Irish pub in North Adelaide. The bar looked nice, welcoming but the best part was the AC. Moving into the dining area I encountered my first shock for the evening: Schnitzel Lover Segregation... we don't serve your kind here, move out to the beer garden if you want a schnitzel. Given the outside temperature and the fact that the restaurant (a glorified bistro) was almost entirely empty, this was an extremely poor move made by the establishment.

The serving of the parmi was on the slow side, made more evident by the semi empty dining areas. The meal was well presented, making it more difficult to believe we were kicked out of the restaurant.

The salad was tasty, the chips were crisp and well seasoned and I thought I was onto a winner. Was I ever wrong. The cheese was overcooked, making it difficult to remove a piece of schnitzel to eat without taking the entire topping off with it. The sauce was canned peeled tomatoes and could have been modified a little to make it look like some effort had gone into preparing it. The worst thing? Gristle! The first occurrence in over 50 schnitzel battles. The price, small serving size, poor service and low quality schnitzel make this difficult to recommend.

Price: $16.90

Rating: 1 star

The Wellington - Beef with Mushroom

I like the Welli. Nice pub, and generally excellent schnitzels. Despite being at the pricier end of the schnitzel market, history told me that it would be well worth it.

When it came out it looked delectable, mouth wateringly good, but a first bite of the fine, fine schnitzel tasted rather strange. In fact I would say that the mushroom sauce tasted burnt. It wasn't a huge drama as while the taste wasn't what I was expecting it was still palatable (1/2 star off). The chips as always at the Welli were to die for with a similar sweet flavouring to the Dan but not quite as strong and the salad was full of grate produce but was a little soggy and not as fresh and crispy as I would have liked. (1/2 a star off).

Therefore on this occasion I would say that the Welli Schnitzel didn't live up to its hefty price tag when compared to others out there and near by.

Price: $17

Rating: 4 stars

Daniel O'Connell - Beef with Mushroom

What can I stay? It was a stinking hot night and despite the restaurant being completely empty bar one table the waitress kindly told us to bugger off outside if all we wanted was schnitzels, because they were not on the restaurant menu.
Outside even though it was 8pm, boy was I working up a sweat just sitting there. Half a star off. Apart from the extremely hot weather the beer garden was a gorgeous place to eat on a warm night. Service was a little slower than I would have liked considering the lack of patrons but the meal was worth the wait. I had a beef schnitzel with the much raved about mushroom sauce. The sauce did its fans justice and was full of mushroom flavour. A true mushroom sauce rather than gravy with mushrooms thrown in. The schnitzel itself was well proportioned, well breaded and perfectly cooked. Every mouthful was a joy to eat and the chips were crisp and seasoned with a wonderfully sweet flavouring which was perhaps a tad strong in parts.
Now for the negatives. The salad was ordinary. Doesn't anybody do a good salad? The lettuce was sparse and withered, there was too much onion and it probably would have been better to leave the tomato out as it was green and crunchy. Half a star off.
For those that eat just the Schnitzel and Chips, you cannot go past The Dan for a a beef schnitzel with mushroom sauce!

Price: $15.90
Rating: 4 stars

Daniel O’Connell – Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Why did I go to the Daniel O’Connell? Because I heard they have the best schnitzel in Adelaide! Specifically, I was told it was the best due to their mushroom sauce. Looking at the menu was pointless, I went there knowing I would order a chicken schnitzel with mushroom sauce with high expectations. I wasn’t disappointed either. The schnitzel was cooked perfectly, and yes, the mushroom sauce was very impressive, I don’t even like mushrooms, but was prepared to try this sauce and was rewarded (unlike the pepper sauce I tried recently!). The chips were well above average, seasoned and cooked to perfection. The service and the salad were both standard. My only complaint was the size of the schnitzel, although I didn’t leave hungry, it was no struggle to finish.
Price: $15.90
Rating: 4 stars.

Earl Of Leicester Hotel - Chicken Bulls Bollocks

Legends of the Earl's massive schnitzels have been told since the dawn of man, but how does the Earl stack up to its modern day competitors?

Being somewhat of an Earl regular I knew what to expect when I rocked up to the bistro, an open plan eatery with plenty of seating. The Earl always sounds like its fuller than what it is, normally due to the crowd of dudes trash talking over big schnitzels.

Size is the Schnitzel's strong point. The schnitzel sat atop of a decent serving of tasty chips (which were quickly rescued to prevent sweating) and covered a fair portion of the plate

 

The topping is comprised of cheese, shredded ham and spicy salami along with the standard tomato base. The schnitzel itself was cooked well, not over or under done. In terms of taste the Earl Bulls Bollocks can't be faulted, but compliments don't come gushing either. The salami gave the meal a bit of spice but other than that the Bull Bollocks is your standard parmigiana.

For what it is though, a big schnitzel, the Chicken Bulls Bollocks does the job. Its fills you to the brim with schnitzelly goodness and you won't need breakfast the next day.

Price: $18.50

Rating: 3.5 stars

Roulettes Tavern - Chicken Hawaiian

Roulettes... conjures up images of gambling doesn't it? Good news is if you're gambling with schnitzel then you'll wind up braking even.

Conveniently located next to the Parafield Airport Liquor Store, Roulettes Tavern is a large bistro and gambling hot spot featuring a modest front bar. The tavern is nicely themed with airport paraphernalia to match its location.

Roulettes features prompt service; damper rolls are brought to the table immediately after ordering and the schnitzel's salad is served shortly after.

 

Fresh and well dressed, the salad makes the kind of impression you want to make on a first date. The Chicken Hawaiian is of good size. The ham and cheese was the standard fare but the pineapple helping is quite generous. The lack of a tomato base for the topping left the schnitzel a bit dry for my taste, but the pineapple made up for this somewhat. The chips were crisp and tasty but be warned, the type and quantity has changed a few times in my recent visits so you can never be sure just how much you'll get.

Price: $14.50

Rating: 2.5 stars

Lord Melbourne - Chicken Hawaiian

Lord Melbourne, North Adelaide. Chicken Hawaiian, tender but average grade of chicken.

Price: $8.90

Cafe Uno - Chicken Schnitzel with gravy

Right, my second entry… Chicken schnitzel at Café Uno… Well firstly I was told off for moving the table away from the table next to it, and I mean right up against it. So off to a good start… not. It was a pretty warm day and the air con could have been working better than what it did. The waiter was a slimy little freak who had no idea about customer service. The schnitzel finally came out and luckily I asked for the gravy on the side! OMG I have never seen lumpier gravy!!! It was in what looked to be a desert bowl and there was enough there for about 5 people. It was tasty in an odd way, pretty gluey in texture and lumps a plenty. The schnitzel itself was average in size, quite dry and the salad was pretty lame. Overall a cheap made schnitzel with a price too high for the quality.

Price: $17.50

Rating: 3 stars

The Gov - Chicken Schnitzel with Diane Gravy.

My first blog, ever! Okay here goes... I am a huge fan of the Schnitzel, so much so that when dining at a venue with a schnitzel on the menu I don't need a menu and people know what to order for me without asking. My fav would have to be a chicken schnitzel with gravy. You would say this would be an easy task to supply, apparently not. For some unknown reason people these days are getting dumber and dumber and for whatever reason are unable to cook a simple schnitzel. So I am here to write about my experiences related to the beloved schnitzel for you to possibly use as a reference of where to eat a great schnitzel. I’m sure there is a place that does it, and I’m going to find it! So we went to the Gov for best of fest and the Chicken schnitzel with Diane gravy caught my eye. It came out in good time, gravy wasn’t all that great, lacked flavour. Chicken was somewhat dry and over cooked to say the least. Not their best work, and for an Adelaide fav, they should have put a bit more effort in.

Price: $15

Rating: 2.5 stars

The Gov - Chicken Parmigiana with Eggplant

Dimly lit, well serviced and nicely furnished, The Gov Bistro makes a good spot for some evening feasting... unless you're looking for a high quality schnitzel.

The addition of eggplant to the tomato and cheese sauce initially attracted me to the choice I made but I was immediately disappointed. The schnitzel placed before me was overcooked, borderline black around the edges.

I began to eat, each bite adding to my disappointment. The schnitzel was over breaded and the tomato base lacking resulting in a dry schnitzel. Furthermore, the eggplant slice was rubbery and too thin.

Why stick chips under the schnitzel when there is more than enough space available on the plate?

The best part of the meal was the salad, enough said.
Price: $16.50
Rating: 1.5 stars

The Gov - Beef with mushroom sauce

Well it was certainly different. The meals came out in a timely fashion for a large group table, which was nice, while the candles around the place made for an intimate setting.

My Schnitzel was well enough proportioned though I struggled through the last quarter and there was an okay salad. The surprising feature of this schnitzel meal was the mushroom sauce. It was white. The sauce tasted like a cheese sauce with mushroom mixed through. I was a bit hesitant at first as to what this new found sauce was going to taste like but it was refreshingly different. The chips were standard pub fare and weren't too soggy or plentiful in nature, while the schnitzel itself was a little over breaded.

Price: $15
Rating: 3 stars