Dolly's Bar - Hibiscus Tavern
Dolly's Bar has a pleasant atmosphere, a quaint decor with a mixture of interesting seating options inside, and is obviously a popular spot with the locals.
From off the menu we ordered Marinated Lamb Cutlets, served on a sweet potato mash $19.50; Tuscan grilled chicken breast with Italian salad, served with a light mango coulis, $16.50; and Irish Stew with tender pieces of lamb slow cooked with seasonal vegetables, $13.50.
We had paid for the meals on two dockets but had explained that we were sitting together on the one table. I ordered garlic bread and asked for that to be brought out first. Not long after we sat down the Irish Stew was brought out. Why? Where were the other meals? And where was the garlic bread? We sent the Irish Stew back, we wanted all our meals to be served together.
The young lass informed us soon after that she had found our other docket and the meals would be ready soon.
Yummy garlic bread. The first plus.
There were three medium sized marinated lamb cutlets which were quite tasty and the gravy was delicious. Unfortunately though this meal was served with chips which really was ridiculous as the lamb chops were already sitting on a bed of (almost cold) mashed sweet potato. Two servings of potatoes on the one plate is not a brilliant idea. There was no salad. The meal was small and not filling at all.
Later on I inquired as to whether a salad should have come with the meal or not, and I was informed that yes, it should have. I asked for a small refund, the manager came out to speak to me, apologised and offered either a free drink or dessert.
Interestingly, we noted several other people had sent their meals back as they didn't have salads either and I overheard one lady at the counter complaining that she had not got hers. It seems the kitchen staff need some further training in this area.
The Tuscan Grilled Chicken was actually a very nice meal indeed. "Beautiful" was the comment given. It was presented nicely with not too many chips. Another plus.
The Irish Stew was a dismal failure. Tasteless, even the seasonings didn't help. The stew consisted of 6 small pieces of lamb, potato puree, potato chunks, carrot and celery. It had a pastry round on top to give the appearance of a pie. At $13.50 this dish was an injury to taste buds and pocket. We wondered where the traditional dumplings were. This meal needed some drastic improvements.
The free dessert brought out was the Homemade Citrus Cheesecake served with ice-cream, cream and chocolate sauce. I had seen it on the menu, it sounded good and I wanted to try it out. I shouldn't have. The texture and taste of the base was definitely that of a packet mix. It had a stale taste to it. The chocolate sauce was cheap and nasty, with a sharp taste that went up the back of your nose. Whipped cream from a can! How hard is it to whip fresh whole cream?
We were disappointed. One nice meal out of two. Not good enough.
It was almost a relief when the music forced us to leave.
Mine was the one nice meal out of three, the chicken breast was beautifully cooked and surprisingly tasty, nicely seasoned and the char grill taste not overbearing. A very nice salad and plenty of it and of course, chips... we were after all in a pub!! I enjoyed my meal immensely.
ReplyDeleteI am dis-heartened by the amount of meals we have been served, since starting our 'adventure', that really should not have been served, for various reasons, and how often the meal recieved bears little resemblence to what was ordered from the menu, or what we thought we ordered!!
One happy customer out of three is not good odds!!
You mob are certainly getting around....round...I hope these eating houses will be reading what you have to say and will do something about the way the food is presented and the staff they employ- after all the waiting staff are the front for the establishments. Keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteIf you go to a pub always order the fish and chips. It's usually the only decent thing on the menu anyway.
ReplyDeleteI was going to order of the Specials board but the only choices were Pumpkin Soup, Spaghetti Bolognese and Chicken korma Curry. Not too special - at least not special enough to order.
ReplyDeleteEat here a lot. Some things are good others are fairly ordinary. Just have to know what to order. Kev
ReplyDeleteWhat a disappointment the Irish Stew was. I was disappointed to the point of being angry. I've never encountered an Irish Stew like it and never want to again. The gravy was thin, grey and tasteless, the 'tender pieces of lamb' amounted to six very small pieces, the vegetables were barely worth including and the pastry lid was laughably pretentious. If Dolly's is going to have traditional dishes on the menu then they should be as authentic as possible. Reinterpretation is fine if it enhances and reflects the original dish; sadly this was not the case with the Irish Stew. Traditionally the stew is served with dumplings. It was never intended to be a pie. Please revist this dish so that the flavour is improved and the pie top is removed.
ReplyDeletei love this place
ReplyDelete