Virginia Tavern

This evening was a pleasant surprise. The Virginia Tavern, located on Virginia Road near Coolalinga, served up two very enjoyable meals.
The tavern is located in the Virginia Shopping Centre, 30km from Darwin and only 10km from Palmerston.  It's small and has a friendly atmosphere. It was quite noisy with lots of locals enjoying their drinks, meals and gaming experience. We sat inside and did not have to wait too long for our meals to be served.

Mexican Barra

Lasagne

Mexican Barra, $25, pan fried with red and green capsicum, semidried tomato, dill, garlic, lime juice in a
tomato base. This dish comes with either baked vegetables and buttered beans or chips and salad. This evening I chose the vegetables and was so pleased I had done so.

When the meal first came out I was a little disappointed that it wasn't very hot. But I was soon to forget about that once I tasted the delicious flavours. The fish piece wasn't very big, but it was tasty and moist. 

I would have to say, that without a doubt, this was one of the most enjoyable meals I've had since starting this blog. 

Lasagne, $19.50, home made, served with garden salad. This was also a very enjoyable meal.

We passed our congratulations onto the chef. 

This tavern has a traditional feel to it, suited to the man on the street and his family. The restaurant has tables both inside and outside on the verandah and this evening they were full.  All the meals I saw coming out were large servings. Their menu was extensive and prices ranged from $16 to $30. 

There is only a small dining area inside, running along the length of the bar. They have a large selection of beers on tap and a good selection of wine. 

Parking is minimal at the centre, however there is parking available across the road. This made for a tricky journey back to our vehicle in the dark. 

There is also a small gaming area but we didn't partake as each machine was occupied. We did however have the opportunity to buy some tickets in the good old meat raffle.

If you are looking for a pub atmosphere with friendly staff and great food, then this is the place for you.

Jilvies Bistro

Jilvie's Bistro can be found in the Plaza Karama Tavern.

This bistro was a pleasant surprise. Staff are working under strenuous conditions, with renovations to the shopping centre resulting in a leaking roof, however they keep the place running as if nothing was amiss. Buckets  are moved occasionally to catch any drips, customers are happy to pay no heed.

Scotch

Jilvie's served us with three excellent, down to earth, pub meals. Tbone steak, egg, and gravy, served with vegetables or salad and chips, $26; Scotch steak with vegetables or salad with chips, $20; Grilled Pesto Chicken,  with salad or vegetables and chips, $19.

T-Bone

All three of us enjoyed our meals. The steaks were a decent size, tender and full of flavour. The Scotch steak was ordered as well done, and the T-bone as medium,  both were cooked to perfection. The chicken was moist and quite a large serving. All meals came with a generous serving of vegetables or salad. The meals were large and certainly hit the spot.

Chicken Pesto

Only one criticism came from the main meals. The Grilled Pesto Chicken had quite a lot of sauce on the plate, hence the salad was swimming in it. Perhaps this salad should have been served on a side dish.

We decided to try the coffee and cake, at $6 a head we figured we couldn't go wrong.  I wasn't impressed with the coffee, I felt it could have been a lot stronger and hotter, however I was impressed that the beans were freshly ground.  We tried all three cakes on offer - Black Forest Cake, Chocolate Mud Cake and Caramel Mud Cake. All three were very tasty. They were only small serves, but after such a large meal that was all we needed.

The staff were pleasant and they actually knew how to wait on tables correctly. This was certainly impressive. This is not a restaurant however these staff had far superior serving skills than others we've been served by in restaurants.

Not bad for a local pub.

Dolly's Bar

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.

Santa Fé Cafe - Berrimah

Chicken Spinach
Meatballs

This evening we ventured out of Palmerston and headed to the Hidden Valley Tavern where we dined at the Santa Fé Cafe. A quiet restaurant, but one with a certain charm.

An interesting menu, it was hard to choose.

From off the special's board a delicious meal of Chicken Spinach Meatballs, served with garden salad and rosé sauce was enjoyed immensely. This was, by far, the best meal at our table and well priced at $17.50.

Chilli Beef

The Chilli Beef at $17.50 was also a reasonable choice. Quite a filling meal, not too spicy, very tasty indeed. However, one thing that would have improved  this meal was the choice of meat. The meat wasn't as tender as it should have been making me think it was a cheap cut of meat.


When the Ovenbaked Lemon Pepper Threadfin Salmon was served I immediately thought it looked disappointing. And I was right. It was a small meal,  had little flavour and certainly was not worth $22.90.

Threadfin Salmon

Although the staff were pleasant enough the ladies serving could do with some hospitality training. Leaning across the table and handing the plate to the customer to place on the table themselves is just not the right thing to do.

We didn't stay for extra drinks, dessert or coffee. Need I say more?

Red Lantern - Palmerston

Well...where do we start.

Grimy looking windows, If you walked past through the day time you would not want to enter these premises. Luckily once inside you realise it's the transfers on the windows that make them look this way.

Very ordinary attire worn by the waitress. She looked very much like she was going out for a jog, tight leggings and all.

Comfortable chairs - quite a pleasant change, and a proper tablecloth on the table. Elegant looking menus. Dimmed lights but no candles at the tables.

We waited about half an hour for the first meal to be brought out, and around another ten minutes before the others arrived.

Two of the ladies ordered Laksa Soup, one without pork. When the soups arrived they were told that the chef had not wanted to make a mistake so both soups had no pork. Now, is this a qualified chef, or is he just a cook who does not know what he is doing?

Both of these ladies did not like their Laksa soup. Too watery and no flavour. It was also interesting to note that later on in the evening both of these ladies had headaches and did not feel well.

My meal was quite tasty, prawns with cashew nuts, although I was a bit put off by the odd aroma when it first arrived. I couldn't work out if it was the over abundance of bamboo shoots or the cooking oil used.

The fourth meal was satay prawns, this meal went down well too. I would have to say though that both the prawn meals were quite small.

Quite a few people at the restaurant although not fully booked out. Lots of people ordering take aways. It started to get a bit warm as the air conditioner worked overtime.

They allowed us to pay the bill separately, with no fuss. A plus.

As we were paying our bill a couple left the restaurant telling the staff at the counter that they had only been served their entrees and had been waiting two hours for their main meal. They were not prepared to wait any longer.

Oh I forgot, my plate had a big chip out of it.

Overall I found it inadequate and would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Kenny's Fusion Grill - Palmerston

NOTE - this restaurant has now closed. 

Kenny's is fairly new to Palmerston and is on a site that has seen several other restaurants. One of my friends commented that this might be an omen.

We watched in awe as amazing meals were brought out to other tables. The meals looked huge and customers seemed to be enjoying them immensely.

Our meals arrived. I was disappointed with my choice. Thai Chicken Salad. The chicken was a bit dry and there was far too much chili. I do like chili, but this was too much and spoiled my meal. The salad was pretty basic.

There was much consternation and discussion at the table over how the rice had been presented. A mound of rice with a cherry on top. NO chef would have been trained to serve rice in such a fashion. NO woman wants to be confronted with food that imitates a part of the female anatomy.

Our meals were not as big as those we had seen served to other customers. We then realised they had most likely ordered the specials - quite pricey specials I might add.

I noticed the chef (or is he just a cook) looking through the window of the kitchen door. He kept looking out at the customers. This was a bit off-putting.

Service - Not once were we asked if we would like to order a drink. Kenny's is byo, however they do have soft drinks in a fridge.

Decor - not changed since the last owners had it. Still has the pizza sizes painted up on the wall. Tacky!

For me it was disappointing.

The Hub - Palmerston

The Hub has been around for years. Family oriented sports club, situated next to CMAX cinema.

Over the years the Hub has changed chefs several times. Some good, some not so good. I had heard on the grapevine that the present chef was okay, so decided to book a table for Friday night.

Line up and order your meal, typical club style. Menu hasn't changed in years. Same old thing.

Staff are pleasant and do their job adequately.

The salad bar had the usual salads offered, I tasted most of them and found them all to be quite tasty indeed. The potato salad was divine.

We didn't have to wait too long for our meals. I ordered the Chicken breast with garlic prawns. I'd have to say the chicken was a bit dry. It's hard to find a restaurant that doesn't over cook a chicken breast. The sauce with the garlic prawns was too salty. I love my chips, but these ones just weren't crispy enough for me. I actually left some on my plate!

Surrounded by local children - I had forgotten that families come here for dinner. I felt like I needed to hide. Maybe they should set up an area with tables that have no children.

Decor - how many colours can you see? It looks like they bought all the paint that was on special at Bunnings.

Gaming - spend your money and get a lovely hot chocolate and piece of fruit cake. Now, that was pleasant.

Overall - I was hungry so the meal hit the spot. But it was a club meal, nothing overly special.

Hog's Breath - Palmerston

Newly opened restaurant, one that I had been eagerly awaiting.

It's a long, narrow restaurant giving one the feeling that we are squashed in like sardines. The seats are quite narrow and hard to sit on. Obviously not meant for customers to partake in long, leisurely meals. Very busy, very noisy.

Service is great - smiling, happy employees. Bending over backwards to assist.

The meals were quite good although rather small for the price. The amount of meat on the ribs would have been one mouthful.

Split bills. This is fantastic. Hog's Breath has the facility to allow split bills on their registers.

K-Tong in Palmerston

K-Tong has been in Palmerston for a few years and has a fairly good reputation.

This night K-Tong was a big disappointment. To be honest, I'd eaten there previously and had really enjoyed the meals. But this night they just couldn't get it right.

Service - they certainly weren't falling over us, it was as if our table had the plague and they were warned to keep their distance.

When the final ladies arrived and sat down we waited and waited and waited for service. Finally we called a waiter over and asked for glasses and water.

The young lady taking our meal orders seemed confused and perhaps didn't understand English that well, she had great difficulty understanding that she needed to write up two of the meals as separate orders. Eight ladies at the table. Six ladies ordered meals to be shared. Two ladies ordered separately.

The shared meals came out far too slowly with not enough on the plate. Sitting around for quite some time waiting in between dishes. One of the dishes we believe they forgot all together as the waitress started clearing away peoples' plates before the final dish was served. At that stage one of the ladies, who was rather upset, told the waitress to "forget the final dish, it's too late now, we don't want it!"

Now as for the two ladies that had ordered separately. One ordered Laksa, a soup dish. Her meal was the first one served. The other lady waited, waited, waited and waited, quite patiently, until such time that she was completely starving and feeling a little left out so inquired as to where her meal was. Ten minutes later a rather haphazardly slapped together dish was served. It looked like they were trying to make up for their mistake and cooked two pieces of fish, both crumbed, and had slapped them onto a plate on top of each other. Quite bizarre.

Paying the bill - oh no, one of those restaurants that does not like people paying separately. How hard is it to use a calculator and work out what each person pays?

Overall the experience was quite disappointing. Service was poor. Food not as good as previously experienced. And we were made to feel like aliens because we wanted to pay separately.