Schnitzel Lover

The Kentish Arms – Beef with Mushroom

2010-05-14T22:29:00.001+09:30

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

2010-04-12T20:32:00.001+09:30

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

2010-03-29T20:06:00.001+10:30

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

Windy Point Cafe – Beef With Lemon Butter

2010-03-27T08:54:00.001+10:30

Decadence, pure decadence. Fancy going to Windy Point Cafe and ordering a schnitzel! Well, they don’t call it a schnitzel, it appears on the menu as “almond & marjoram crumbed beef fillet with greens, mash & lemon butter” and it was washed down with a couple of glasses the finest sparkling. In reality the dish was a schnitzel stack as there were three crumbed, thin pieces of beef stacked on top of each other served with the mash, a rather think stalk of what looked like broccolini and lemon butter. No chips or salad in site. As a side note, we did order a bowl of fries on the side which were needlessly plentiful, cooked well and seasoned sweetly.
On first inspection I thought that the lemon butter would make the schnitzel (“crumbed beef fillet”) soggy, but as I took my first bite I was in heaven. The taste explosion in my mouth from the almond and marjoram crumbing was sensational and the beef was pure molten goodness as it just melted delicately and deliciously whilst I masticated gracefully trying to stifle an audible groan of delight. Bonus star! As for the rest of the meal, I was glad that the lemon butter didn’t detract or over power the tastiness of the beef crumbing and mashed potato has always been on my last meal plate so it is hard to get that wrong for me. The green stalk however was far from satisfying or inspiring (half a star off) and was akin to an undressed salad of lettuce leaves and a solitary cherry tomato.
How much for this decadent meal you ask overlooking the fine city of Adelaide from the woody slopes of Belair? $25.50 (1 star off) At least five dollars more then I would have valued the meal at. I guess you are paying a premium for the view (which was excellent sitting next to a floor to ceiling window overlooking Adelaide) and the service (which was faultless...my glass was never empty).

Summary: The perfect place for a romantic schnitzel dinner.
Price: $25.50
Rating: 4.5 stars

Where:
Windy Point Cafe
Windy Point Lookout, Belair Rd, Belair 5052

The Astor - Chicken with Gravy

2010-01-14T11:47:00.003+10:30

I thought after my last experience I would go with the good old traditional favourite, surely a pleaser. They didn't take all that long for our meals to arrive, after all it was a Friday night and looked to be reasonably busy. On first inspection the schnitzel was almost black in some areas and the gravy was lacking. They really need to up the anti on the amount of gravy and decrease the frying time of the schnitzel. A good schnitzel is juicy, not dry, and with enough topping to allow each mouthful of schnitzel a hit of flavour. Maybe next time I will find the perfect Schnitzel!!

Price: $12.50

Rating: 3 stars
(one for the flavour of the gravy, one for the quantity of the schnitzel and one for the salad, even though there was only a few cubes of cucumber and tomato to find amongst the lettuce).

Where:
The Astor Hotel
437 Pulteney Street, Adelaide

Schnitzel Encounters - Chicken Aussie

2010-01-14T11:16:00.002+10:30

I had high hopes this was going to be the king of all schnitzels, after all look at the name of the place!
When it arrived all I could smell was the onions with a side of bbq sauce. I was dissapointed to find that even on the first cut the schnitzel was burnt and even so well cooked on the edges that there were solid edges of chicken in this schnitzel. On further inspection the onion was so huge that it was 'sliced' at over a cintimetre thick, still with the woody core attached. This wasn't just one of the slabs of onion, but two!! I found the bbq not to be a pleasant piece of a masterpiece, but intead an over the top ingredient to what should be a perfect topping. The chips however were of good quantity, good seasoning, and tasty.

All in all, a dissapointment, but hopefully if I was to adventure there again it would live up to expectations.

Price: $17.90

Rating: 2 stars
(one for the chips and one for size factor)

Where:
Hotel Crown
2 Ocean Street, Victor Harbour

Hackney - Beef with Mushroom

2010-01-07T12:35:00.003+10:30

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

Oriental Hotel – Beef Kilpatrick

2009-12-30T17:28:00.001+10:30

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

Windsor Hotel – Beef BTC

2009-12-30T17:02:00.001+10:30

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

Astor Hotel – Beef Field Mushroom

2009-12-12T12:30:00.003+10:30

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

Schnitzel Encounters - Beef Meat Lovers

2009-12-07T13:36:00.004+10:30

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

2009-07-17T08:21:00.005+09:30

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

2008-10-30T13:33:00.000+10:30

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

2008-10-02T10:15:00.000+09:30

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

Cooper's Ale House - Beef with Mushroom

2008-09-26T11:10:00.000+09:30

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.

General Havelock - Dirty Gringo Chicken

2008-09-04T13:55:00.000+09:30

Schnitzel Lover had a rather successful visit to the Havey earlier this year, managing to award their Two Pints, Two Parmi's deal a full five stars. Since then the meal has jumped up two bucks in cost... but I'm not reviewing it today.

Looking for something new to try I spotted the Dirty Gringo. No, I wasn't checking out the dirty bloke in the corner, I was checking out the schnitzel!

I was equally impressed and disturbed with the meal as it arrived. The dish looked great but it didn't look like a schnitzel!

So as not to dwell on the unimportant, the salad and chips were both tasty, plentiful and above standard pub fare.

The chicken schnitzel was covered in a delicious mix of toasted corn chips, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. There was plenty of of this topping as well, easily covering the schnitzel. The taste itself is hard to describe but I can say for sure that it is fantastic!

So what prevents this from being a perfect meal? Well I honestly don't know, I guess there is just something in my mind telling me not to give it the full five stars. Regardless, you can't go wrong with a Dirty Gringo... well... maybe you can.

Price: $17.40

Rating: 4.5 stars

Slug 'n' Lettuce Tavern - Chicken Parmigiana

2008-09-04T13:30:00.000+09:30

Despite sounding like several items you may find in the base of a well used shopping trolley the Slug is a better pub then the name suggests. Predominantly wooden, and hence brown, the bistro is not a bad looking place to eat either. My one hope sitting in there that the food matched neither the name or the location.

Surprisingly I chose to purchase a Parmi for tea. It wasn't long before the meal arrived and it's appearance didn't surprise me.

Overall the appearance and quantity of food was average. The salad was ok but the chips were sub standard. Given how simple chips are it is always surprising how they turn out wrong.

The schnitzel itself was a much better eat. The chicken was nicely cooked and the crumbing was quite well done. The cheese melt and accompanying ham were better than average whilst the sauce was tasty and plentiful enough to cover the meal.

Overall the Slug does an alright schnitzel.

Price:

Rating: 3 stars

Mawson Lakes Hotel - Mawson Mega Chicken Parmigiana

2008-07-28T01:00:00.000+09:30

BIG SCHNITZEL ALERT!

The Mawson Lakes Hotel is quite a nice eatery. The bistro is large and well furnished and the other areas, from my brief look, appeared to be of the same high standard. During recent years the Mawson has become infamous for its dangerously large schnitzels, somewhere eclipsing the Earl of Leicester along the way.

Upon arrival I immediately ordered the Mega Chicken Parmigiana and after some meal ordering amusement I took my chair in the bistro. Today, there were four Schnitzel Lover associates in tow, of which three were aiming to devour mega schnitzels.

I wasn't disappointed when the meal arrived... it was big! Clearly the schnitzel was two standard schnitzels joined together, but I didn't mind. The size of the meal made it necessary to forgo the chip rescue in favour of beginning the meal itself.

Cutting in and taking my first bite was a joy to behold, the chicken meat was delicious and perfectly cooked whilst the slight crunch to the crumbing was just right.

The cheese covered the entire meal and was toasted to an excellent golden brown. The chips were above average and were found in a decent quantity under the mega schnitzel.

Size-wise, how does it compare to the Coopers Ale House? pretty well actually. The Ale House schnitzels often feature a larger surface area and cover more of the plate. The Mawson Mega instead provides a thicker schnitzel which, without having the luxury of weighing the meal, makes the two equal in my book.

Problems with the meal? Maybe the cost of $19.90 (plus $4 for parmigiana topping) is a bit too high for some, but with the standard meal costing $15.90 why wouldn't you upsize when you're getting double the schnitzel? Further to this, the cost of the meal includes access to the salad bar in the centre of the bistro, which is far superior to paying an additional $2 at the Ale House for a crappy salad.

If you can eat big schnitzels this is worth paying for.

Price: $23.90

Rating: 5 stars

The Orient - Beef with Mushroom

2008-07-27T17:57:00.001+09:30

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 Stepney Cafe - Chicken

2008-07-22T15:24:00.000+09:30

Expectations weren't high going into this meal and for the $7.80 (bonus star), it didn't have to be great to get an average rating.
I was assured by the owner that he makes all his schnitzels himself at home...and it showed. The breading on this particular schnitzel was definitely home made, tasty and the best part of the meal (plus half a star). Unfortunately the chicken was, in my opinion, a thigh fillet and not breast which one has become used too in these times of healthy eating and cash to burn (minus a star).
The chips were slightly above average standard fare, though fewer in number than I would have preferred (minus half a star). Honestly the meal would have been better if the salad (as cheap as they come) had been replaced with some more chips (minus a star).
Overall the size of the meal was quite meagre, which I suppose was reflected in the price (minus a star).
Adding all that up and you get an above average meal. Just don't expect to be filled to the brim if you haven't eaten for a day.

Price: $7.80

Rating: 3 stars

San Giorgio - Chicken Parmigiana

2008-07-22T15:00:00.000+09:30

San Giorgio is a busy little corner restaurant located about halfway down Rundle Street. The interior of the restaurant is quite welcoming and the sight of staff moving about eager to please guests was something I'm certainly not used to.

It had been a while since my last schnitzel, so long that I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Thankfully the Giorgio menu featured a Chicken Parmigiana.

I was surprised by the meal placed before me. Rather than chips and a salad, San Giorgio provided roast vegetables. The carrot and zucchini were both wonderful whilst the potato was passe.

The chicken schnitzel was tasty. The meat was chicken breast butterflied to create a wider piece of chicken. The sauce and cheese both covered the majority of the schnitzel and complimented the taste of the chicken well.

Sadly San Giorgio is asking diners to pay too much for this meal as neither the vegetable or schnitzel component is large enough to deserve the price tag.

Price: $18.50

Rating: 2.5 stars

Coopers Ale House - Chicken Kilpatrick

2008-06-30T05:15:00.000+09:30

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 Wellington - Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

2008-06-30T04:50:00.000+09:30

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

2008-06-24T20:00:00.001+09:30

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

2008-06-24T19:45:00.001+09:30

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