[info]When? - 27th of November, 2014
Where? 615 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Price? - $15.50
Website? - http://www.courthousebrunswick.com.au/
Reviewers – Fridge, Kylie, Lee & Nikki, Shanan, Stefo [/info]
I had a long intro planned about how The Courthouse Hotel was the last pub on Sydney Road that we have yet to try. Just looking at our map you can pretty much spot Sydney Road from space, like the great wall of China
But then, on the trip up the street that there were at least two parmas (on top of the Courthouse) that we have yet to try - The First & Last hotel and The Moreland Hotel, So it will actually be a bit longer before we can officially say we have "clocked" Sydney Road.
In the trendy hustle & bustle of Brunswick it's easy to miss The Courthouse Hotel, it's an unassuming facade (which can look a little rough and uninviting, to be honest) but once you're inside it has a little bit of character - Not a whole lot, as it is most definitely a pokies and TAB venue, but try as they might a little bit of charm does squeak through.
Beer list is barebones. Draught, VB ... Really nothing more impressive than what you'd get at a game of footy, but enough to get you through a meal at least. If you push past the pokies, the TAB and through the Bistro you'll find a quaint little beer garden tucked out the back - this is where a lot of the aforementioned charm shines through. It's nothing major but definitely a comfy little spot to enjoy a quiet bevvie in the sun.
When the group arrived at 7 the bistro was a ghost town, another two people did come in for a meal while we ate but other than that it was dead. We checked the menu and spied our target on the $15.50 fixed price menu -
We placed our orders at the bar and headed back to our seats. about 20 minutes later the food started to arrive from the kitchen...
To be honest I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the Courthouse, so when the parma was actually made of real chicken I was impressed. It was a little small and not really that thick, but it was conservatively crumbed, well cooked and quite juicy.
The toppings were serviceable - nothing really standout but they all did their job. I haven't really any special comments as they lay firmly in the middle! The cheese was okay, the napoli was okay, the ham was okay. I know that makes for a boring read but I honestly have no praise or critisisms. It was all just ... neutral.
And the chips? They were, wait for it... Okay (the last time I'll use that word, I promise)
Standard pub chips, well cooked and a decent amount, However they were unseasoned (other than a partially unwanted seasoning which I'll get to in a moment) We were provided tomato sauce on request, which wasn't an issue for them.
The salad was actually pretty good (better than okay!) it was fresh, crisp and not tight on the ingredients. It was a standard garden salad with plenty of balsamic dressing. Unfortunately there was a lot of balsamic. Remember that unwanted seasoning I mentioned with the chips? Balsamic. Basically the bottom layer of the chips, the parma, and the salas was soaked in a pool of balsamic dressing. Now I like balsamic, I like a lot of balsamic in my salad - but my chips and parma soaking in it when it arrived at the table kind've marred the experience.
For $15.50? I'm pretty happy with the meal. If I can get away with a meal and a beer for under $20 I'm a happy camper. Its not the best parma I've ever had by a long shot, but if I were locked inside the Courthouse Hotel I wouldn't be against having another parma. If you go down on a Monday night there is a special...
Which is an even better deal (especially with the free pot!).
If the courthouse hotel was the only pub in a country town I would recommend giving it a go - However being on Sydney Road there are so many better options that I'm having trouble giving it the full seal of approval. Like I said, If I were locked in the Courthouse Hotel and had no option but to eat there and not go somewhere else, then I wouldn't be too upset about having to eat the parma again. It's middle of the road, not terrible, actually much better than I was expecting, but still not amazing. Worth a crack on a Monday night
[pros]
- Decent meal for the price, would be better on Monday
- Tasty salad
[/pros][cons]
- Salad dressing invaded all the other elements
[/cons]
Parma - 5.50
Chips - 5.50
Salad - 5.25
Value - 6.50
Total - 5.65
The search continues...
