The Colonist is located on the Parade in Norwood, so you would expect the atmosphere to be quite lively. And given that it was the last working day before Christmas for many people, it was no surprise to see the bar almost overflowing with drunken revellers, celebrating the arrival of the silly season. Normally I would have no problem with a loud, sleazy pub, but this was my Mum’s birthday dinner. I silently hoped that the restaurant would be a bit nicer. Fortunately it turned out to be quite a classy place – much quieter than the bar, and with quite an intimate feel to it. The two waitresses were very polite and extremely helpful, which well and truly made up for having to walk through the seedy bar to get to our table.
The menu was full of snooty choices, with a lot of French words that I can’t pronounce. But they still had schnitzel on the menu, so I didn’t have to waste any time choosing between pan-fried quail and twice-cooked pork belly. The schnitzel ended up being $23 or so once gravy and salad had been added to the bill, which was definitely at the higher end of the price spectrum.
The schnitzel was a reasonable size – certainly the thickness was nothing to complain about. It was saturated in gravy, which made the crumbing a little soggy, but it was still quite tasty overall. The Asian salad on the side was quite unique, consisting of lettuce, red cabbage, bean shoots and a Thai dressing. The chips were ok, but unfortunately had been smothered under the schnitzel. Poor form. It’s not as though there was no room on the plate to have them separate.
Overall the quality of the meal was quite good, and the service was magnificent. The portion size was just right in terms of making me feel satisfied, not sick. However, the meal was a little too heavy on the wallet for my liking.
The Verdict: Pretty damn nice, but pretty damn expensive.
Taste 4/5, Size 3.5/5, Value 2/5, Sides 3/5, Experience 4/5
Total 66%
