Other dessert, can't remember what, but chocolate anyway!
A spur of the moment decision to lunch at Polytechnic’s Drysdale Café 59 proved interesting. They had space for the two of us, so we sat down and ordered pretty well one of everything on the menu – all in the interests of research for this blog, you understand!We had:
dozen natural oysters ($10)
cured ocean trout and gratinated oysters with pickled beetroot salad ($14)
Indian pork vindaloo with rice and portha ($14)
chicken breast with mushroom jus and potato mash ($14)
pan fried salmon with pinkeye potatoes and asparagus ($14)
We were served by one of the international students, who, I was reliably informed, is excellent in the kitchen, however his FOH skills could be worked on. If his future is in kitchen work (ie cheffing or whatever) I think he will prove an excellent employee. The language barrier is difficult in these situations, as he quite plainly asked us if we wanted the oysters as an entrée, which we did, but they all ended up coming out together. It would obviously be preferable to nibble on the oysters before all the other hot dishes came out. However he was a willing and courteous student and I think at this stage, that’s great for a training school.
But – given that it IS a training school which opens to the public, presumably in order for the students to get real-life experience dealing with real-life customers, I don’t understand why there is no obvious way for the students to be provided, by the customers, with feedback on their expertise. I asked about this as we paid the bill, and was told there was a feedback form if I wanted to fill it out. They said I could mail it back or drop it in at a later date. I made a point of filling it out there and then, and returned it immediately, pondering as to why it was so obvious they couldn’t really give the proverbial…..I would also love the chance to rewrite some of the non-probing questions on this “feedback” form!
The trout was easily the best presented dish, and Bec’s favourite. I loved the chicken, as it ticked all the boxes for me.
We desserted on one of each of the two offered desserts, and left with a bill of $80, which was excellent given what we had eaten and drunk.
All in all, a lovely lunch venue, and a shame they aren’t open more frequently over the course of the year, especially given my previous post about future skills shortages in the hospitality industry.
I was also most disturbed to hear, on my enquiring, that the annual Christmas Shop has been cut this year. I have based a new family tradition around this shop, which we have patronized enthusiastically for the past (at least) 6 years. I would buy the gingerbread house kit, then all my grandchildren and their parents and grandmother (me!) would spend a lovely afternoon supervising the children assembling and decorating the gingerbread house. It has become a much anticipated pre-Christmas family activity, not unlike the council’s Christmas Pageant and Sandy Bay
Ah well – change is always occurring, and I suppose this was due to happen sometime – but I don’t have to like it!
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9 comments:
No Christmas shop? Oh dear....thats not good. I used to buy all my spice biscut bases from the shop and do my Christmas presents that way. Sigh....
Drysdale restaurant does need more support
Looks like a decent Vindaloo, Rita, but not sure what a portha is!
I think they meant paratha, which is my favourite...flaky, layered bread cooked on a talwa (grill.
Not done in tandoor like naan, although the habit in Hobart is to bung parathas into the hot oven, which changes it into a sort of naan.
I've had trouble here before but local Indian restaurants keep telling me I have a paratha.
I learned they did the oven thing somewhere along the line, so my beloved paratha is stuffed up.
Best I ever had was at the Old Singapore Etaing House behind Customs House pub, a long time ago. Flaky parathas that melted in the mouth. Boy I miss them.
I'm thinking you may well be right Sir G. I just googled 'portha' under 'Indian cooking terminology', and the closest was paratha, which seemed to best describe what we had with the vindaloo.
Rita! The enmeshed lemon halves with your seafood look so odd! I mean, it does look practical in making sure seeds don't fall into the food, but I do think it looks strange and unappetising. I wouldn't want my lemon swathed in what looks like hospital gauze. What did you think of this way of serving lemon? Have you seen it elsewhere too?
Anon 10.18 - I DID laugh to read your comment about the gauze over the lemon. Yes. I agree it DID look like the poor thing had broken something, all wrapped up in the gauze! And yes, obviously it is extremely practical as a way of preventing you from having pips in your food, but I agree with you, I think if the decision as to whether or not to use the gauze on the lemon were up to me, I'd opt for leaving it off! Let the humans deal with the pesky lemon pips themselves, with their own god-given fingers!
Rita Cygnet will soon get not one but two Take Aways shops both doing fish and chips! Great for locals
I think one is going to be a kebab shop, the other a general takeaway.
Good for locals...you can't eat at Lotus and RVL every day.
Or can I? Hmmm.
Yes one is a general takeaway but the IGA will definately do Fish and chips and some Lebanese foods.
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