There are always exceptions to the rule, but here’s how I like to roll. Try it and let me know how you go.
When I go to a five-star restaurant, I like to order the plainest-looking thing on the menu to see how the chef wows me with their own version of macaroni cheese or battered sav.
When I go to a pub or club where the menus can be a bit templated, I like to order from the specials menu – to see how the kitchen team have used their creativity.
Sure, we all know that the specials list is usually a way of getting rid of surplus food. But who cares? Wow me with that over-supply of pork belly, madam chef.
I’m not saying Diggers Services Club had ordered too much pork belly.
But what I can say is that the “Porky Pizza” as they called it on the specials board was a ripper.
“How can you go wrong with a pizza?” you may ask. The question should be “how can you go right?”
A plain pizza can be a boring food.
It can also be sensational. Go to Florence and order a margherita and see what I mean – fresh produce on a fluffy crust pulled straight from a woodfired oven. Not overdone, but humbly magnificent.
Never mind. I digress. The team at Diggers created a pizza with pork belly, chorizo and onion. It was without question one of the porkiest pizzas I’ve had. And also one of the cheesiest.
Generous with their ingredients, and deft of hand with the freshly cooked base. I tip my hat.
The kitchen crew from Essence Restaurant will occasionally peer from the open kitchen into a bistro which has been neatly and elegantly laid out with a little touch of Vegas in the background.
Speaking of pork belly, it’s an interesting addition to the starters menu, with roast apple coleslaw and sticky plum chutney.
And the mains are far from your ordinary pub grub, indicating the chef has been given some license to be creative.
Lamb shanks with min gravy are simple, yet looked stunning on the plate. There’s Greek salad, Asian stir-fry and a range of Italian options.
Beef cheek hotpot promises slow-cooked beef cheeks in a hearty vegetable hotpot with garlic mash or rice.
And prawn laksa is a nice addition, although not quite like a laksa you’d get in a bowl at an Asian restaurant. It’s more like a curry dish, with Singapore noodles, fried tofu, bean sprouts – topped with boiled eggs and fried shallot.
There are steaks with a range of toppers.
And they’re catering for children with $9.95 meals that come with a drink, dessert and an activity pack.
Most meals are in the $20-$25 range, and come in generous proportions.
A bonus is the attention you’ll get from well-trained staff. From concierge through, to the team who’ll take your order, to the security, to the floor staff. They’re all beaming with smiles and enthusiasm to help – an unexpected, yet pleasant, surprise for any venue catering to a large number of guests.
Don’t go home without at least looking at the desserts in neighbouring Bravo Cafe.
