rundle

The Stag

- Alex 2 Comments

date of visit:  Monday 2 Nov 2009

We’ve been drinking visitors at the Stag on previous occasions – sucked in by the imperial pints and spacious, generally calm atmosphere we can put up with the slightly steep prices.  On the food front the Stag sells itself as “serious about meat” with a menu covering pub staples (burgers and parmis) as well as some serious steak.  If you’re looking for a pub in Adelaide that sells Wagyu … head to the Stag.  300g of prime Wagyu Porterhouse will set you back $50.

It was a rare occasion when we were on a schedule which wasn’t helped by the fact I was starving.  We arrived at the Stag just after 5 to discover the kitchen doesn’t open until 6.  The affable barmaid said she could sort us some chips but that would be it until 6pm.  Plans thrown in to disarray, we opted to have a cheeky schooner while re-grouping.

We decided to sit it out until 6 … This gave Andy enough time to join the Stag’s club.  The club is free to join and gives you $1 discounts on beers, $5 discount on steaks and $10 discount on the Stag’s food and wine events.

All of this gave us ample time to inspect the menu and when 6pm rolled around we ordered straight away.  We ordered two chicken parmigianas and a side of bug tails and before long huge plates of food arrived in front of us.  Like most things at the Stag the parmis aren’t cheap, at $18.50 each, but the menu does claim it’s free range chicken and the serves are generous.  Given the size of the schnitzels I was surprised by how small the portion of bug tails seemed:  3 tails, pan fried in white wine and lemon juice for $10.90.

We powered through our meal:  I was famished.  Andy felt that they were a little generous on the sauce topping and I thought someone had been heavy handed with the oregano but neither of these niggles was enough to slow us down.  They also mean I’m not going to claim these are the greatest schnitzels in Adelaide!

The thing that really stood out at the Stag was the friendly, polite service from absolutely every member of staff we dealt with.  The friendly barmaid, the barman who discounted our cashew nuts because Andy was a member, the waiter who gently steered us out of  the restaurant and back in to the bar … it actually seems as though the staff enjoy their jobs and want people to enjoy the pub.

And that makes me more than happy to pay a premium for a beer.

contact:  The Stag Hotel, 299 Rundle Street, Adelaide, SA, 5000, phone: 08 8223 2934

The Stag Hotel

Super friendly pub

Rating:3.5 stars

Amarin Thai 2

- Alex 6 Comments

The parent company of Amarin Thai 2, Jusuda Pty Ltd, has gone in to liquidation.  The restaurant is no longer open.

date of visit:  Wed 28 October 2009

Sometimes you can have a night out and, in many respects, everything is good but there is one small thing that mars the evening and it is that thing that springs to mind every time you recall the occasion.

That’s our mid-week dinner at Amarin Thai 2.  It was a lovely evening, the food was good verging on excellent and the price was more than right.  And the service was sloppy.  Guess which bit I find easiest to remember?

It was a warm Wednesday evening and, over an apéritif (that would be a Coopers or two) at the Exeter we discussed dinner.  There is something about balmy weather which makes me crave spicy, yet light, food so Thai is always high on the agenda.  Amarin Thai 2, on the south side of Rundle Street, offered reasonably sheltered outdoor seating, sensibly priced meals and it wasn’t too busy.

We chose our table so we were shielded from Rundle Street’s hustle and bustle by pot plants and started by ordering drinks.  This normally isn’t too tricky, but for some reason we struggled.  Andy ordered a Singha and the response was “I don’t think we have any”.  We’re talking about 7pm on a weekday, the restaurant had about 5 other patrons – surely you know if you have what is arguably the Thai beer.  I ordered a glass of Gewürztraminer.  It transpired there was a sole Singha left but no Gewürz.  I changed to a Riesling

The food caused no such issues.  We began by sharing a spicy squid salad which was delicious:  cool but not cold, full of flavour spicy but not searing and laced with all the flavours you’d expect from Thai food (onion, lemongrass, coriander).  For main course Andy chose what I would describe as a Thai version of popcorn chicken, which really does the dish a disservice!  At the end of the day, it was battered, fried chicken served in a spicy Thai style sauce with plenty of filler vegetables like capsicum and onion.  But it tasted good!

I ordered the chicken larb in an entrée size.  Although the flavours were good this is normally a dish which is scary in its spiciness.  Amarin Thai 2’s version was just a little tame …

The bill, for 2 entrées, a main, shared rice, a beer and a glass of Riesling came to $66. After our Entertainment Book discount, we paid $50. To be honest, I’m not sure I could complain about either price were it not for the indifferent service.

Things didn’t start well with the drinks issues, and I could have dealt with being asked if I were ready for my main course, but clearing my plate while Andy was still eating was just plain rude. The usual excuse (the restaurant was busy and staff are trying to turn tables, which, by the way, doesn’t cut it) certainly didn’t apply. It was just sheer thoughtlessness.

And, if you’re wondering, yes, I had to go to the till to ask for our bill and yes, I was given the bill for a different table.

Amarin Thai 2

Casual Thai on Rundle Street

Good, sensibly priced food doesn’t compensate for sloppy service.

Rating:2.5 stars
**1/2