date of visit: Sun 29 August 2010
It had been quite a long time between schnitzels and a friend had returned from a long stint working in Hong Kong … so rather than wait to organise a more substantial night we headed to the Seacliff (or, more properly, the Seacliff Beach Hotel) for a Sunday evening meal.
I haven’t been to the Seacliff for years (living abroad does that) so the original plan was to meet in the upstairs bar for a drink before eating in the Bistro. Now, ten years ago or so, I’d enjoyed quite a few quiet Sunday evenings playing pool in the upstairs bar, but while the pool tables remain, the vibe now is distinctly … rowdier. There was a live DJ and the crowd seemed to be winding itself up for a reasonably big night.
Because I’m a grumpy old lady type, particularly on a Sunday night, we scurried down to the front/sports bar. While we weren’t too interested in the various types of racing being shown around the bar, we could at least hold a conversation.
We moved in to the Bistro, where we had a totally unnecessary reservation. At the start of our meal there was just one other table (of two) occupied and by the end of our meal, we were the sole diners. Of course, it was a Sunday night – I wouldn’t like to comment on a Friday or Saturday evening.
There’s no table service – you order (and pay) at the counter which makes it ideal for large groups, or groups incapable of splitting the bill. We started with some garlic bread which was pretty underwhelming and not very garlicky before moving on to the schnitzels. Disappointingly there were no chicken schnitzels left so it was beef schnitzels all round – mostly parmigianas, one with gravy.
The schnitzels were pretty much pub standard. The parmigiana was nothing particularly special: the tomato sauce was topped with a thin slice of ham and melted cheese. It did avoid the (seemingly common) problem of the sauce being overpoweringly sweet. The chips were standard frozen chips and the salad was OK although a little heavily dressed for me (I would have to say that about 95% of dressed salads I eat so it’s not much of a criticism). One thing though … if sufficiently ripe tomatoes aren’t available … just don’t put them in the salad. No one orders a schnitzel explicitly for the tomatoes in the salad, so no one will miss them if they’re not there.
Schnitzels are $18 ($20 for parmigiana). This is a standard price for a standard schnitzel. I’ve certainly had far worse.
And let’s not forget, the Seacliff has great views over the sea so roll on summer and daylight saving!
My husband and I have just left the sea lodge hotel after eating a pretty bland breakfast. Firstly the service was ok, but the staff seemed to like shouting at one another rather than normal tone, which was quite invasive. Secondly a ‘manager’ type person came storming downstairs shouting and swearing at staff, which was completely unprofessional. We then had the food arrive which looked fairly decent, although the sausage had obviously been boiled instead of grill/oven. The mushrooms were bland, bacon tasteless/cheap cooked tomato and toast came with no butter. For $17 we were deeply disappointed. We may go back again for the views only, but this time just for a drink.
I’d be disappointed too! Why is it that breakfast should be so easy to get right but it is usually the meal which is the most awful when out and about?
My husband and I have just left the seacliffe…..(wrong predictive text above)