Much to be disappointed about at this supposed foody pub in Hotham. Leaving aside the many could-have-been-different-on-another-night shortcomings of our visit, I'll cut to the chase:
1. It's massively over-priced. Go to the Wellington in Lund or the Star in Sancton and you'll pay the same for food by chefs who are in a completely different league.
2. It's bland 70s/80s fodder with no pazzaz or finesse whatsoever. Smoked fish (incluidng a heap of unsmoked, defrosted prawns) served on a mattress of melon and a strawberry? Yum. I love fish and strawberries.
3. Neither the decor nor the landlord is 'wacky'. They're just tacky. If you want a guy (in this case, the landlord) watching over you like a prison guard every 30 seconds, then book a table immediately, but if not then you might want to head elsewhere.
4. The menu is woefully non-descriptive. God knows how many times a day the waitresses must hear the menu just says 'duck'. does that come with a sauce?
5. The food arrives at your table alarmingly quickly (your plates are collected even more quickly, but actually that's no bad thing). The starters obviously hadn't been cooked to order, the mains maybe had, and the pudding. well, who knows, but it took me right back to class 2J in 1987 when I used to have a slab of poorly made sponge and some low grade ice cream five times a week.
All in all. and I don't mean this maliciously, but the place is a sham/scam given the money it is charging. Do yourself a huge favour and go somewhere that really does care about its food. read more