The Albion Hotel

The Albion Hotel, Wickham

Date: some time in August

Type: schnitzel

Price: $17.50, plus and extra $5 for the garlic king prawns

With: salad and chips

Sure you pay a little more than your average pub meal here, but what you get is some very tasty food indeed. This schnitzel was eaten by someone else (I had the pie of the day and it was amazing), but by all accounts the schnitzel was excellent. Even though they put the schnitzel on top of the chips (which is a bit of a schnitzel safari faux pas), a good salad with a little more than just lettuce and tomato goes a long way. Good work Albion Hotel.

Hotel Pennant Hills

Hotel Pennant Hills, Pennant Hills

Date: 7th September 2014 (or thereabouts)

Type: chicken

Price: $20

With: Salad, chips and gravy

If you enjoy a room full of children with no windows, then this pub is for you! I bet you're thinking "$20?!?!?".... well yes, $20. And no, it's wasn't worth $20. Although it was touted in the menu as a "panko crumbed chicken schnitzel", the schnitzel itself was one of the standard "heart-shaped" models, lovingly grabbed out of the freezer and deep fried. Not very fancy at all. The chips were not bad (not too chubby) and the salad.... well.... it was salad.

Don't worry. If my memory serves me rightly, it did taste nice.

Newington Inn Hotel, Petersham

Newington Inn, Petersham

Date: 21st March 2014

Type: chicken parmigiana

Price: can't remember

With: chips, aioli and coleslaw

Another schnitzel that was the saviour of the drunk person. I had no idea that the Newington Inn did such decent food. I had very low expectations indeed. The schnitzel was reasonably sized and the topping was just enough to make it a bit different. I probably would have asked for slightly more chubby chips, but all in all, a very good meal.

Note: sorry about the $50. My bad.

P.J. Gallagher’s Irish Pub, Leichhardt

P.J. Gallagher’s, Leichhardt

Date: 16th March 2014Type: ChickenPrice:$20With: chips and salad


Who knew that this pub had transformed into an irish pub?And what kind of irish pub was largely empty on the day before St Patricks day? An irish pub in leichhardt, that's what.


I can't tell you how thankful i am that i consumed this meal. Eleventy pints down and there was so much potential for carnage... but no! I made it home and can remember the whole night!
Anyway, the schnitzel (as much of it as i can remember) was pretty nice. Crunchy on the outside and thick and squishy on the inside. The chips weren't too chubby...and the salad... well, it was salady. Thumbs up, if you don't mind setting foot in an irish pub.

Rooty Hill RSL, Sydney

Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill

Date: 14th March 2014

Type: Chicken

With: chips, coleslaw and mushroom sauce

Price: $29

After a hard afternoon at Wet'n'Wild getting down with some hot water-sliding action, what better place to fill those empty tummies than at the fabled Rooty Hill RSL..... or so we thought.

For $29 you get what is called the "ultimate" schnitzel. Although, it seems that in Rooty Hill "ultimate" means "standard schnitzel with a mound of coleslaw bigger than your head. The schnitzel was big, but the crumbs didn't quite have the right consistency. They looked like crumbed but they seemed to be attached to the schnitzel in more of a batter and directly attached (if that almost makes sense). The chips were fine, but the coleslaw... ridiculous! So much mayonaise. ugh. 

I'm also not quite sure why the chips and coleslaw had to be elevated on an extra piece of wood. Mysterious.

Verdict: 1.9 out of 5.

Forresters $12 World of Schnitzel night

The Forresters, Surry Hills, NSW

Tuesday is $12 World of Schnitzel night at Forresters, Surry Hills. There are 5 flavours to choose from: Hawaiian, Japanese, German, Mexican, and Parmigiana. How exotic!

I decided to live crazy and get the German one with swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Jäger sauce. They totally nailed the German. With my first mouthful I had an instant flashback to Oktoberfest (the $5 happy hour pints I enjoyed earlier down the road at Excelsior Hotel probably also helped). If you don’t like the sour of the sauerkraut then this flavour is not for you, as the schnitzel was loaded with a good helping of the stuff. The schnitzel was also covered in Jäger sauce but not drowning so no soggy schnitzel problem. The right ratio of sauce to schnitzel. Can’t say I noticed the cheese, I’m not sure that swiss cheese really belongs on a German schnitzel anyway?!  

Obviously the main attraction here is the wonderful topping flavours but it’s also worth noting that the schnitzel was a good thickness, cooked well and succulent. As well as the schnitzel and topping, for $12 you also get fries (chunky variety) and coleslaw (possibly homemade?). It was a decent feed. Probably my only complaint was that the meal was warm, not hot, like it had been sitting there for a while before it reached me. Probably a reflection on how busy they were more than anything.  

Overall the sauerkraut, Jäger sauce and schnitzel combined perfectly to make for one delicious meal with generous sides. Will definitely go back and try the other 4 flavours.

*Gemma

Bavarian Bier Cafe, Sydney CBD

Bavarian Bier Cafe, York St, Sydney

1.

2.

Date: 28th February 2014

Type: 1. Lowenschnitzel (pork); and 2. Swiss schnitzel (chicken)

With: 1. chips; and 2. mash... plus lemon, sauerkraut and yellow

Price: $28

Firstly, apologies for the terrible photograph, it was quite dark and phone camera couldn't handle the ambiance of it all.... and clearly, that's not a $20 note. oh well.

So for #1... we have what is described on the menu as a "crumbed giant pork schnitzel"... I'm not sure about giant (bah! I've seen bigger!), but it was certainly crumbed. As far as a verdict on its quality goes, the following applies: large, crispy, bit greasy, quite salty, costs extra for sauce!

(Sorry, that's the level of in-depth review your going to get when you ask someone for their opinion in 10 words or less).

The swiss schnitzel was mercifully smaller, but bulked up with the cheese and ham. I mean.... I think the Bavarian Bier Cafe takes full advantage of its german-esque gimmickness with the giant beers and the pretzels and what-not.... because they sure do overcharge for their food. It was good, but not $28 good. Admittedly, it was cooked really nicely, the mystery sauce was pleasant, I wasn't able to finish the whole thing, and really... you can't go wrong with cheese... so not all doom and gloom.

The Vic, Marrickville

The Vic on the Park, Marrickville

Date: 1 March 2014
Type: Chicken
With: chips, salad, and brown
Price: don't know! I didn't eat it.... but definitely $18ish.

So the Vic on the Park is back (it has been for a while now) with less lingerie, fewer hi-vis vests and less sticky carpet. I don't think I ate there back in the day, but i vaguely recall there being a thai restaurant onsite.

Anyway, as I said, I didn't eat this specimen, but first impressions were that it was quite small in terms of plate coverage. However, as the schnitzel was being consumed the verdict was that crumbs were good and crunchy, the chicken was thick and the chips were homestyle (no consideration of the "too chubby" rule). Verdict: would probably eat again.

Note: some of the other schnitzels that were coming out of the kitchen looks much better than this one.

Oxford Tavern, Petersham

The Oxford Tavern, Petersham

Date: 12th January 2014

Price: $18

Type: chicken with "mexican" topping

With: crinkly chips and coleslaw

So looks like this once dingy titty bar has transformed into the inner west's latest hipster hang-out. So many beards. So many hats. 

Anyway, after waiting for about 45 minutes for this, the big question was "Is this going to be worth the wait?". Well yeah, it was. Two full chicken breasts with crunchy coatings and a tasty mexican-esque topping. Not too much cheese and just the right amount of chubbiness to the chips. Chicken salt on every table, nice touch.

Couldn't eat it all.

4.578 out of 5.