Having never eaten at the Austral before, I hardly expected the food there to be of a particularly high standard. I know you can’t judge a book by its cover, but it hardly has the appearance of a place that would serve up gourmet fare. So when my mate and I walked up to the front bar at 9pm on a Friday night, loud music blaring trough the speakers and plenty of patrons already well on their way to inebriation, it was with semi-optimistic (at best) expectations that I ordered my schnitty.
We grabbed a table in the restaurant section, which is separated from the main bar – although at that time of night the music was pumping loudly through the whole building, making conversation a little difficult for old men like ourselves. Perhaps an earlier dinner or a different day of the week would have been better from a conversation point of view.
The schnitzels were served up in quick time and were well presented, albeit with the chips underneath the schnitzel. Some people are really irked by this, believing that it makes the chips soggy. They’re probably right, but I like the idea of a meal so big that it can’t all fit on the plate. I guess we could start the quantity vs quality debate all over again. The schnitzel was a good size, quite tender, with a delicious herb crumbing. The gravy was particularly nice, and served in a separate little ladle, instead of being poured all over the schnitzel. Come to think of it, that’s something that annoys me a bit… when the gravy has been poured on the schnitzel prior to serving, meaning that the crumbing is soggy by the time you’ve started eating. But maybe I’m just being too fussy.
The salad was respectable without being flamboyant, tomatoes the noticeable absentee. The chips seemed more like oven fries than genuine chips, but were still quite nice (and generously salty). Overall, it was quite a satisfying feed, which didn’t leave me feeling too stuffed. And at $18, worse value has been had.
The Verdict: Definitely not a bad investment. Certainly the classiness of the schnitzel contrasts that of the venue itself.
Taste 4.5/5, Size 3.5/5, Value 3.5/5, Sides 4/5, Experience 3.5/5
Total 76%
