I must preface this by saying I might be a little old fashioned when it comes to ordering food at a restaurant.
I still like to discuss with floor staff the finer points of how things are cooked, how they’re served, and what they come with – especially if I’m paying a premium for my meal.
When ordering via an app, there’s almost always a description alongside each dish. But even the best description can’t possibly answer all the questions people might have in order to ensure a great dining experience.
Kensington Tavern at Crestmead is one of a number of pubs around the city that’s asking people to order via their app. In fact, staff tell me there are some items on the app that can’t be ordered over the counter. So that’s where we head to order our meal.
Looking at the surf and turf, the app description said it came with chips and salad. Ours came with mash. “Extra” sauce was $2, on top of $47, but why not, right?
We order pepper sauce, and the dish comes with a generous serving of garlic sauce over the seafood and steak – of which there was plenty, by the way. This dish is very much on the quantity side of things.
It also comes with a side of gravy. No pepper sauce.
Staff were very willing to help, ensuring a side of chips and the pepper sauce were delivered separately.
“You must have changed something in the app,” a staff member says.
So I check. And there’s no “mash” option. Maybe there should be. Some people prefer mash to a plate of fries.
Stop your grumbling, I hear you say. Was the food any good?
If quantity is what you’re after, the surf and turf offers plenty. It’s a large tender t-bone steak topped with six prawns and plenty of calamari, along with lots of rich garlic sauce.
We also ordered ribs which I prefer marinated, sticky, and seared on an open grill. These were extremely tender, with meat falling off the bone, and came with a “southern style chipotle barbecue sauce”.
The menu has pizza, burgers, pastas and other food you’d expect on a pub menu. Unfortunately, the two chef’s specials that caught my eye – lamb shank and peach crumble for dessert – were out of stock.
Lack of supply is an issue impacting quite a few other restaurants around town as well.
One thing worth a mention – there are plenty of seniors specials here.
