Oriental Hotel – Beef Kilpatrick

The Oriental has changed owners since the last time I was there and you can really tell as the style of the menu and dishes has changed dramatically. It has all gone more the way of traditional pub fare. Gone are the faux oriental salads, making way for the more traditional tomato, cucumber, lettuce salad. Apparently also gone are the thick juicy “moo” beef schnitzels as well.

The salad, which was the only downfall of the Oriental Beef with mushroom of my last review, has been updated to something I would rate as a basic, good salad…lettuce, tomato, cucumber.  However, that was the only improvement. The schnitzel itself was from inferior quality beef and was obviously overcooked as can be seen from the black charring around the edges and the darkened cheese (1 star off). The saving grace of this particular schnitzel was the kilpatrick topping. It was scrumptious, packed full of bbq sauce, without being overpowering, however the extra $4 (making the total $21) was a bit of a downer and at the expensive end for pub schnitzels (half a star off)…luckily I wasn’t paying.

Summary: There are better, cheaper schnitzel out there, but the kilpatrick topping was the best.

Price: $21.00
($17 schnitzel + $4 topping)

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Where:
The Oriental
120 Magill Road, Norwood

Astor Hotel – Beef Field Mushroom

The Astor Hotel has, at least enough for me to hear about it, a small reputation for relatively cheap decent food. I’d heard about a magical Field Mushroom sauce that was a must try, so being a lover of mushroom sauce I ordered a beef schnitzel with field mushrooms. Before I go any further I must clear up the confusion that I faced when presented with my meal. The Field Mushroom selection from the menu is not a sauce but a topping. Therefore when the meals were presented a schnitzel topped with a pile of sliced “field” mushrooms was placed in front of me. No sauce.
While the topping was visually pleasing to see and plentiful, I was disappointed that there was no sauce or liquid component and the taste was pleasant though hardly a party in the mouth like the meat lovers topping of Schnitzel Encounters or Aussie Pizza House’s Dangerous Mushroom pizza.
The beef schnitzel itself had the distinct dark brown colour and taste of an overcooked schnitzel (1/2 star off) and was on the thin side (1/2 star off) of a juicy piece of meat. While they were overzealous with the serving of crunchy and tasty chips, the whole meal only left me with a slight ‘carb’ fuelled belly ache. On the lighter side of the meal, the salad had all the usual suspects, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, but they looked like they were chopped by an eight year old and there was some uncertainty about their freshness, which is never good (1/2 star off). Looking around the table, most people cleaned their plates, so the food can’t have been all that bad and there were plenty of smiles so the bill can’t have been that large.

Summary: Lots of potential for a great schnitzel meal – maybe I just caught them on a bad night.

Price: $15.50
($12.50 schnitzel + $3 topping)

Rating: 3.5 Stars 

Where:
The Astor Hotel
437 Pulteney Street, Adelaide

Daniel O'Connell - Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

My last visit to the Dan did not go well. I was kicked outside on a 35 degree plus night and had an average schnitzel. The latter was partially my fault, many had recommended the mushroom gravy but I stuck to my guns and went the chicken parmigiana. After two 4 star reviews from fellow Schnitzel Lovers and further recommendations it was time to return to the Dan.

We found ourselves in the Lounge Bar of the Dan. Not a bad spot, made better by the ability to order from both the bar and bistro menu. As always I asked the staff for a menu and, prior to reading it, ordered a schnitzel. It wasn't long before the almost legendary chicken with mushroom arrived at my table.

The Dan serves up some of the finest chips in SA. They were seasoned and cooked very well and just taste good. The salad was fresh, well dressed and presented nicely on the plate.

Moving quickly into the schnitzel I soon discovered what others were raving about... the gravy. The gravy looks like a GB but tastes fantastic. The Dan's mushroom gravy almost definitely consists of some form of pureed mushrooms cooked into the sauce from the start. This is far superior to the all too common plain gravy with a few mushrooms thrown in you'll find elsewhere.

The other aspects of the schnitzel weren't as grand as the gravy. The schnitzel was only an average size and for the price it would be nice to see something a little bigger. Also, I was unfortunate to discover a bit of chicken vein in the meat... not meal ending but briefly off-putting. I guess this points to the schnitzel not being reconstituted which I suppose is a good thing.

If you're a mushroom gravy lover then the Dan is the place to be... otherwise you may be better looking elsewhere.

Price: $15.90

Rating: 3.5 stars

General Havelock - King Beef Havey Schnitty

A General with a pub and schnitzel topping named after him; after I go to schnitzel heaven I hope I'll be be given a similar treatment.

The outdoor seating and front bar gives the Havelock plenty of room for someone looking for that after work brew. The bistro was practically empty, perhaps due to the ineptitude of some staff... Yep, never has it been more difficult to order a schnitzel. At least I had a good laugh as the staff failed several times in their attempts to understand the phrase "Chicken Havey Schnitty" that my mate said pretty clearly.

Anyway, I'm normally a chicken man but when some place names a meal the "600g King Beef Schnitzel" I take it as a challenge. I chose the Havey topping to go with the 600g monster; an intriguing combination of cheese, mushrooms, bacon, & BBQ sauce.

The prompt service was a welcome surprise after the ordering amusement seen earlier. The presentation of the schnitzel impressed me and I found myself anticipating my first bite.

The chips and salad were standard pub fair, nothing to get excited about. The schnitzel though was tasty and cooked well. The bacon and mushrooms formed an excellent combination and were the best part of the meal.

Sadly the schnitzel failed during the later stage of the meal as the sweetness of the BBQ sauce became too prominent. Furthermore, at 20.40 the schnitzel was a little overpriced with the size and quality not matching the similarly priced Coopers Ale House Mediterranean. All up a good, but not perfect meal.

Price: $20.40

Rating: 3.5 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