Hackney - Beef with Mushroom

The Hackney Hotel, is one of those I feel has been renovated with Pokie money. That really is the only good thing about those damn machines, all the beautifully renovated pubs. It was rather a late dinner, just scraping in 10 minutes before the kitchen closed, sitting in the fine looking bistro between the front bar and the formal dining/function room. No time to think, so I just ordered the usual fare...beef schnitzel with mushroom sauce. While we waited for our meals we enjoyed some comic relief watching the waiters try and cope with a gentleman on the adjacent table sending his steak back three times because it wasn’t cooked to his own private medium-rare specification...just order a schnitzel man! Oh and what a schnitzel! It was thick, juicy and had a delightful thick crumbing. To top that off it was also perfectly cooked to a light brown shade. I think I have only ever tasted one better schnitzel. Unfortunately, that is where the joy ends. The chips reminded me of overcooked frozen packet chips I could cook in the oven at home. Crisp on the outside for sure, but hollow and unsatisfying on the inside (1/2 star off). The mushroom sauce, though in ample quantities, tasted like their standard gravy with small chunks of mushrooms thrown in (1/2 a star off).

Summary: With a few easy tweaks to the accompaniments, this could easily be Adelaide’s premier schnitzel meal.


Price: $17.90
($15.90 Schnitzel + $2 Sauce)

Rating: 4 Stars


Where:
The Hackney Hotel
95 Hackney Rd, Hackney 5069

Windsor Hotel – Beef BTC

Schnitzel Lover headed into The Windsor with no pre-defined expectations. It was a spontaneous Friday night dinner decision. The first good sign, was that the dining room was full of people. I don't know about anyone else, but when I am looking for somewhere good to eat in an unfamiliar town I look for the busiest establishment. It must be busy for a reason.

Apart from the normal schnitzel selection on the menu there was a specialty schnitzel, the Beef or Chicken B.T.C. Schnitzel. Naturally I chose the Beef B.T.C, which includes salad bar.

I will start with the salad bar because that is where everyone goes before the meal arrives and boy what a salad bar. Not only did they have very fresh bread but a hot vegetable bar as well as a salad bar. Both of excellent quality (bonus half a star).

The schnitzel itself came with a minute serving of salad for presentation, a clump of moderately crispy chips (half a star off)and a burnt around the edges mediocre schnitzel (one star off).

The Bacon, Tomato and Cheese (BTC) topping on the schnitzel was rather unique. Who doesn’t like bacon? It enhances any meal, and the tomatoes were juicy enough to cover the dryness of the schnitzel. A very novel topping, but I would probably order a sauce or gravy next time.

Summary: The B.T.C. topping was well worth trying at least once but the salad/vegetable bar will bring me back.

Price: $18.90

Rating: 4 stars

Where:
The Windsor Hotel
410 North East Rd, Windsor Gardens

Schnitzel Encounters - Beef Meat Lovers

Well, fancy rocking into Victor Harbour and seeing such a beautiful sight as the Bistro at the Crown Hotel, aptly named Schnitzel Encounters. Expectations were already high.
The menu was diverse enough to cater for all tastes, with beef, chicken, lamp, squid or vegetarian (egg plant) schnitzels available and the choice of sauces or toppings the likes of which have not been seen before by Schnitzel Lover.

I decided to go with my favourite schnitzel, Beef, topped with my favourite pizza topping, Meatlovers. There was also the choice of small, regular or large, which meant you got either one 150g schnitzel, or two joined together by the cheese or three. I ordered a regular.

The topping was devine, the pepperoni, the salami, a great combination, and well worth the extra $3 ontop of the $14.90 regular schitzel. Although I didn't partake in very much from the well stocked salad bar, the choice and quality looked better than the average bistro salad bar.
While not being terrible, the two 150g schnitzel were average in tenderness, thickness and crumbing (1 star off) and I didn't get through it all, so the regular size was plenty big enough, especially with the abundant topping, and the serve of chips was spot on as well.

Summary: Selection galore for the Schnitzel Lover and a decent feed to boot.

Price: $17.90

Rating: 4 Stars

Where:
Hotel Crown
2 Ocean Street, Victor Harbour

The Jolly Miller - Beef with Mushroom

Picture the Jolly Miller on a Wednesday night. Four regulars at the bar and one bartender. It is a rustic workman's pub that you would expect to see in a country town, not in Thebarton on the city fringe. The chalkboard had beef schnitzel and chips for $5 (beef), $6 (chicken), salad $2, sauce $2. Immediately my expectations are lowered as the prices seem like genuine 1970's prices, but we order and take up residence on a table between the pokie room and the bar. The atmosphere is very friendly and the company exceptional.
With (I imagine) only one guy in the kitchen the meals take a good 15 minutes to come out and I am already impressed. The servings look like pretty standard sizes, which makes this meal a bargain at $9 (value for money bonus star).
I taste the chips first, they look golden, and are perfectly cooked, so I can't complain. The schnitzel has a generous serve of mushroom sauce on top of it packed full of sliced mushrooms but the schnitzel itself is on the thin and cheap side (1 star off).
By far the worst looking part of the meal was the salad. It looked like a salad I would make...a big mess. The portions of tomato were generous, but leafy lettuce was missing and the salad dressing was a little bit too acidic for my tastes (1 star off).
All up it was an above average, enjoyable meal, and wasn't too devestating on the purse strings.

Price: $9.00

Rating: 4 Stars

Where:
The Jolly Miller Tavern
14 Adam Street Hindmarsh

The Tap Inn - Beef with Mushroom

The Big Divot, as it is described on the menu in Mulligan's Bar at The Tap Inn, Kent Town, is a plate hanger. While the hanging was minimal on my plate, it was certainly hefty in size. At $16.80 for the schnitzel and an extra $2.20 for the sauce (half a star off), the meal would have to have been exquisite, earning it a bonus star, to score the maximum 5 star rating.
The schnitzel itself was close to top shelf, well crumbed, well cooked and a quality cut of beef...you will here no complaints here about the schnitzel. The chips were also plentiful and of a tasty nature so once again full marks in that area.
Last time I dined at the Tap Inn for lunch our mains took a full hour to arrive at the table, so wasn't I quietly surprised when the meals arrived after little more than 10 minutes and topped with a lovely toasted piece of bread (bonus half a star). Salad is normally a stumbling block for most high scoring meals in my book and the Tap Inn's salad was neither here, an asset to the meal, nor was it there, a blight on the plate leaving it still poised for top marks.
Then comes the kicker...once again a great meal is ruined by lack of sauce to "plate hanger" ratio control. I payed an extra $2.20 for sauce damn it and they can't even give me enough to go around! While I had issues, I did notice that my fellow diner, whose schnitzel appeared larger, had quite a smattering of sauce all over...alas I can only review what I am served (minus 1 star). The sauce was far buttery than most other mushroom sauces served in these parts and contained a few mushroom halves which were rather well enjoyed.
The Tap Inn Big Divot is certainly a little pricey and supersized for a lunch time meal, but if you are looking for a filling, enjoyable, dinner meal I say "Why not." and have a round of golf while you are at it.

Price: $19.00

Rating: 4 starts.

The Caledonian - Chicken Parmigiana

The Cally; a Hotel - Motel - Bar located in Hamilton Victoria. That's right, Schnitzel Lover moves interstate!

Plain on the outside but good looking on the outside, the Cally is a fine place to eat or sit back for a brew with mates. Moving there after drinks at the Hamilton Cycling Club (after eating this many schnitzels I assure you I'm not fit) I was pleasantly relieved to find schnitzel on the menu... Not being familiar with local tastes and all.

Prompt service was a fairly big plus, it wasn't long before the Chicken Parmigiana was placed before me and boy, was I impressed!

My eyes were instantly drawn to the salad, definitely the most varied and best tasting salad I have had with a schnitzel! So good it almost make me think I was being healthy ordering the meal!

The chips were a slight disappointment; the taste was okay but they were a bit soggy.

The parmigiana itself was great. The sauce covered the entire schnitzel and there was plenty of ham and cheese to go with it. A noted flaw was that the cheese was slightly undercooked, whereas a nice change was the spring onion added to the topping varying the taste.

All up the meal was very good, this is definitely one of the most complete meals (chips, salad and of course schnitzel) that I have encountered. It's just a shame I can't remember how much I paid for it!

Price:

Rating: 4 stars

Coopers Ale House - Chicken Kilpatrick

BIG SCHNITZEL! The Ale House is known for it's big schnitzels, but thankfully the chef knows that it's not only the size that counts.

Sitting down for a meal with a few mates on a Saturday night was a pleasure. The majority of the table were aiming to take down a big schnitzel each. My current plan is to eat through the Ale House chicken schnitzel menu, to further the goal I went with the Chicken Kilpatrick.

The schnitzel was simply huge and covered the great expanse of the plate. The tasty chips, buried under the chicken behemoth, were quickly rescued and then quickly consumed.

Again, the schnitzel was cooked to perfection. The crumbing was a golden brown and a fulfilling crunch accompanied each bite. The chicken meat was spot on, not too dry and not too moist, Just Right (TM).

Sadly the meal was let down by the topping. The Chicken Kipatrick, a combination of BBQ and Worcestershire sauce, lacked the BBQ and Worcestershire sauce.  A slight saucy tang was present but not in a high enough quantity.  Topping issues prevent this from being a 5 star schnitzel.

Price:$18

Rating: 4 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

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.