The Kentish Arms – Beef with Mushroom

The Kentish Arms - what a gorgeous little pub, a much forgotten about North Adelaide pub with a beautiful beer garden. Surely this would be a secret schnitzel heaven. We ventured into this pub to meet a friend over from Perth, staying on Melbourne Street and needed a schnitzel fix. You don’t expect speedy service on week nights at places like this, who probably only have one guy working by himself in the kitchen, but seriously on a table of eight, surely you can get all the meals out before the first person has finished theirs? (half a star off).

Starting with the salad. It was solid, plenty of tomato looked like it had been regurgitated onto the plate by a mother schnitzel, feeding its young, not appealing at all (half a star off). With the visual assault over and the smell of fried schnitzel now filling my nostrils, I took my first bite into the crunchy mushroom gravy topped schnitzel. That tastes familiar I thought. The gravy to my taste buds tasted like a powdered Gravox traditional roast gravy with mushroom stirred in. Fellow diners agreed and a sneer appeared on my face at paying an extra $2 for Gravox. Sure it is fine for home-cooked schnitzels, but at a pub? They must have excess drippings laying around required to make a real gravy! (one star off).

The gravy therefore did a very poor job of disguising the thin, crispy, stiff, cardboard like schnitzel underneath (one star off). A very poor dining experience indeed.

Summary: Sufferable with good company.
Price: $17.90
($15.90 + $2 for gravy)
Rating: 2 Stars

Where:
The Kentish Arms Hotel
23 Stanley Street
North Adelaide, SA 5006

The Bridge Hotel – Beef with Mushroom

The Bridge Hotel at Langhorne Creek certainly has a country pub feel about it inside, but sitting out the front watching tasty looking meals come from the kitchen I could have sworn I was sitting at a Bootleg or Feral micro breweries. It was therefore no surprise to me when I went to order a schnitzel and got standard city prices; $14 for a schnitzel and $1 extra for sauce.

While the pub was over-run with patrons due to a cycling event in town, the limited staff (one girl behind the bar taking orders, pulling beers, waiting tables) coped admirably and the food came out in a reasonable time. The chips were of the supermarket crinkle cut frozen variety (half a star off), but were cooked ok and not particularly seasoned to my liking. The schnitzel itself had a generous dollop of non-descript mushroom sauce on top, which was just as well because the schnitzel was over-cooked to the point of being almost a stiff, crunchy, biscuit. OK, this might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but it was definitely way too crunchy (1 star off) to melt in the mouth. The most unattractive and therefore eye-catching item on the plate was not the Coles chips or the schnitzel biscuit, but it was in-fact the salad. It was definitely a unique salad, full of all sorts of things like chunks of carrot and a solitary olive, but it looked more like a salad soup then a leafy, colourful bowl of cleansing salad that I would normally expect with a schnitzel (half a star off). Perhaps I should have ordered the salt & pepper squid, which smelt devine, or the juicy steak which looked mouth-wateringly good.

Summary: Order something else from the menu.
Price: $15
Rating: 3 stars

Where:
The Bridge Hotel
1 Main Road Langhorne Creek SA 5255

Daniel O’Connell – Beef with Mushroom

Management changes, culture changes, staff changes...the time comes when you have to re-review to make sure that quality is still being produced. Previously I went to the Dan O’Connell in North Adelaide with super high expectations of a mind altering schnitzel meal and left, well, disappointed after sampling only a 4 star meal. Admittedly back then the meal only lost 1 star due to lumping us out the back and limp salad...those things can’t be too hard to change surely...especially as this time we booked a table in the lounge bar.

The schnitzel looked gorgeous on the plate and while it was at the upper end of my size threshold, it wasn’t the over whelming, stomach cramping, dinner plate size of some of the “mega” schnitzels. It was golden, it was crispy, it wasn’t too thin and it was topped with a creamy mushroom sauce distinct from any other mushroom sauce encountered on South Australian schnitzels.

The portion of chips, though hidden for the most part under the schnitzel (which is the bane of some schnitzel lovers existence, but not this one) was plentiful, crunchy and well flavoured. Unlike their last disaster, the Dan O, pulled the rabbit out of the hat this time and delivered a fresh, colourful, well dressed salad, which added the final touches to this already perfect meal.

What can I say, at this price, at this time, this schnitzel would get my vote as the best schnitzel meal in South Australia.

Summary: The complete package.
Price: $15.95
Rating: 5 Stars

Where:
The Daniel O’Connell
165 Tynte Street North Adelaide

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

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.

Cooper's Ale House - Beef with Mushroom

If you are a fan of the Cooper's Ale House schnitzel then please turn away now. This is in no way a rave review. Supposedly in the top 3 schnitzel eating venues in Adelaide and scored highly by other Schnitzellovers, the Ale House immediately lost 1 star as salad cost an extra $1.50 on top of the all ready pricey meal. It can be debated and debated but I review the quality of the whole schnitzel meal and I am not going to pay extra for the green stuff.
The meal, when it arrive, looked very unattractive, Just a big slab of schnitzel with a dollop of mushroom sauce in the middle. People, please, if you are going to serve a large schnitzel your toppings/gravy/sauces need to be relatively increased (minus 1/2 star).
While I don't have much to say about the actual schnitzel, which in itself is saying something...if you follow me...I didn't feel the need to stuff the last 1/4 into my stomach and so left some behind (which is very un-usual, and no I wasn't feeling ill). The chips were bland and soggy (minus 1/2 star).
Final Verdict: the most overrated schnitzel in town.

Price: $18

Rating: 3 stars.

The Orient - Beef with Mushroom

There is no substitute for quality meat when it comes to a schnitzel and at the Oriental they use quality meat. The beef schnitzel down the road at the Alma seems like paper thin cardboard in comparison. Despite a mix up with the order I still received my "moo" schnitzel with mushroom sauce in reasonable time and when I saw the thickness of the schnitzel I was glad I didn't order the 500g "Sumo" schnitzel for $6 dollars more. It was unequivocally the best schnitzel I have had and although cooked to with-in a second of being overcooked the meat was still tender while the breading was a shade darker than perfection.

So what let the meal down...well it wasn't the chips, they were stock standard what we have come to expect from real Schnitzel contenders, or the mushroom sauce, which was tasty and well portioned but still out of it's depth when compared to the Daniel O'Connell. It was the salad. Some places seem to not put too much stock in delivering a good side of salad. The Orient tries to add an asian flavour to its meals (obviously derived from the name) but its orient inspired salad was un-attractive and not fun to eat (half a star off). I ended up leaving half of it behind, which was mostly grated carrot.

A final note: the meal was very nicely proportioned and I left satisfied and uncaring that a few seagulls around poached a chip or two from my plate.

Cost: $16

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Wellington - Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

The Wellington has become a regular spot for Schnitzel Lover. Birthdays, going away's and schnitzels have all been good reason to attend.

First things first, a shout out to the Schnitzel Lover that suggested combining a parmigiana with gravy. I watched in awe as Simlin took up the request and was quite impressed by the outcome.

Back to the review. Given the high level of cheese intake I have due to my schnitzel diet I decided to move away from parmigiana for a change and instead hit the mushroom gravy. After ordering it didn't take long for the staff to bring us bread rolls, which always helps to make the wait for the main seem less than what it is.

I was neither impressed nor displeased when the schnitzel was placed in front of me. The salad and chips were both up to their regular standard as was the size of the schnitzel

Unfortunately the gravy was misplaced on the plate, there was more gravy underneath the schnitzel, drowning the chips. The gravy was reasonably tasty but doesn't match the famous Dan O'Connell mushroom gravy.

As far as location, beer and feeds go the Welly is a good place but for me the schnitzel just can't seem to break the 3 star mark.

Price: $17

Rating: 3 stars

The Alma - Beef with Mushroom

All rumours were that the Schnitzels at the Alma were quality.  I was very disappointed.  The price was standard so that is an immediate tick in the right box.  There is nothing worse that an establishment pricing a schnitzel out of the pub food price range.

The first thing I noticed when  my schnitzel came out was that the sauce was sparse across the top of the schnitzel - half a star off.  Moving on, the eyes fell on the chips which looked very dark in colour and certainly tasted overcooked - 1 star off.  More disappointment was to follow as the schnitzel itself was thin and of poor quality - 1 star off.  The saving grace of the whole meal was the salad as it was possibly the best salad ever.  It had plentiful tomato, cucumber and gourmet lettuce without the disgusting, cheap salad dressing.

So it certainly wasn't a must have Schnitzel but it was serviceable.

Price: $15.95

Rating: 2.5 stars

The Wellington - Beef Parmigiana with Mushroom

Schnitzel Lover gets many recommendations for the best schnitzel or new twists on the humble schnitzel. One suggestion that came through was that a Parmi with Gravy was awesome...needless to say I had to investigate.

The Wellington seemed like a reasonable place to try this Parmi experiment as I am extremely familiar with their Schnitzel quality. The theory behind the Parmi and Gravy combination is that it makes the schnitzel juicier, so I ordered a Beef Parmi and asked for Mushroom Sauce on the side.

After pouring the Mushroom Sauce over the Parmi I tuckered in and boy was it good. The taste was unique and can only be described as the Skittles of the Schnitzel World...a party in your mouth and everyone is invited! I can only describe it as layered goodness of the finest beef schnitzel, ham, tomato sauce, cheese and mushroom sauce...mmmmmmmm. *Drool*

The chips (much has all ready been written about them) as per usual were excellent and my only complaint was the pile of been sprouts on the salad...I hate been sprouts, half a star off.

The first place to put this Schnitzel on the menu will surely be onto a winner...so if you are bored of the old, plain Schnitzels then you surely need to try the parmigiana with gravy!

Price: $18.95

Rating: 4.5 stars

Brahma Lodge - Beef with mushroom

Under new direction in the kitchen and with a price increase I headed back to the Brahma for a schnitzel...hoping for a good one based on Lodan's experience. The meals came in minutes as usual and on first inspection the salad looked as crap as usual but with a few extra slivers of red (capsicum) and green (celery)...it would be nice if there was a wedge of tomato. So moving on from the purely decorative salad the schnitzel itself was actually quite good, the chips serviceable but what would the meal be with out the patented Brahma Bread Triangles. Where else can you make a chip butty and even throw in a little gravy! Bonus star for the Brahma.
The tendencies now-a-days is "bigger is better". I don't agree and to me this schnitzel was probably 50-100g too large and while the gravy wasn't bad it was not in the same league as The Daniel O'Connell mushroom gravy.

Price: $13.90

Rating: 3 stars

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

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.

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 - 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