Mediocre Malvern
Well, what a way to break the posting (and dining) drought... On Saturday night J and I joined our friend F and approximately 30 of her nearest and dearest to celebrate a milestone birthday. The venue was new to J and I - The Malvern Hotel. The decor is nice and the dining area was well set up. The service was great, and wine list was really quite good (by the bottle). Unfortunately the food was well under par (and expensive - all around the $30 mark - for whatyou got).
Admittedly we were a large group, although the usual large group problem (of timing) was not the problem - the meals came out in a very timely manner. Unfortunately, at my table of eight diners, not one person was entirely satisfied with their meal (and we all had different dishes). J and I were the only people at the table who had an entree - calamari - very average and only barely warm. As J had only had his wisdom teeth out the day before, he opted for the soup for his main: Lightly Curried Mussels with Parmesan Croutons. This was possibly the best meal received at our table (although as J admitted afterwards, he couldn't actually taste much of anything due to the after-effects of a local anaesthetic). I had the lamb cutlets, crumbed and served with mash, peas, and a Rosemary and Mint Jelly. All through eating this meal I was trying to figure out what the sweet taste I was experiencing was coming from. I finally figured that the crumbs used must have either had sugar added or that they were made from a sweet pastry rather than bread - this effect totally ruined the meal for me. K who was sitting opposite me seemed to get the pick of the bunch, an absolutely mammoth burger with all the trimmings - unfortunately the egg was raw, the burger cold and the not-mentioned-in-the-menu coriander something that K abhors...
The same tune was playing all along my table - rare steak not rare enough, roasted vegetable plate not filling enough etc. Some of our friends (including F - who's party it was - frequent this establishment regularly. It seems unfortunate that the rest of us potential new diners were so unimpressed. I doubt I would go back to the Malvern unless I absolutely had to.
Well, what a way to break the posting (and dining) drought... On Saturday night J and I joined our friend F and approximately 30 of her nearest and dearest to celebrate a milestone birthday. The venue was new to J and I - The Malvern Hotel. The decor is nice and the dining area was well set up. The service was great, and wine list was really quite good (by the bottle). Unfortunately the food was well under par (and expensive - all around the $30 mark - for whatyou got).
Admittedly we were a large group, although the usual large group problem (of timing) was not the problem - the meals came out in a very timely manner. Unfortunately, at my table of eight diners, not one person was entirely satisfied with their meal (and we all had different dishes). J and I were the only people at the table who had an entree - calamari - very average and only barely warm. As J had only had his wisdom teeth out the day before, he opted for the soup for his main: Lightly Curried Mussels with Parmesan Croutons. This was possibly the best meal received at our table (although as J admitted afterwards, he couldn't actually taste much of anything due to the after-effects of a local anaesthetic). I had the lamb cutlets, crumbed and served with mash, peas, and a Rosemary and Mint Jelly. All through eating this meal I was trying to figure out what the sweet taste I was experiencing was coming from. I finally figured that the crumbs used must have either had sugar added or that they were made from a sweet pastry rather than bread - this effect totally ruined the meal for me. K who was sitting opposite me seemed to get the pick of the bunch, an absolutely mammoth burger with all the trimmings - unfortunately the egg was raw, the burger cold and the not-mentioned-in-the-menu coriander something that K abhors...
The same tune was playing all along my table - rare steak not rare enough, roasted vegetable plate not filling enough etc. Some of our friends (including F - who's party it was - frequent this establishment regularly. It seems unfortunate that the rest of us potential new diners were so unimpressed. I doubt I would go back to the Malvern unless I absolutely had to.
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