Middle Park Hotel – Meat Lovers’ Nirvana
Where do you go for an early dinner on Boxing Day in Melbourne? I don’t know if you noticed… but a lot of my favourites were closed! Couple this with the fact that we were due to check into the Spirit of Tasmania by 8:30pm… and our restaurant choices were limited to Port Melbourne or close by… Thank goodness for the Middle Park Hotel, proudly open 365 days a year! And a pretty decent gastropub to boot!
Not only proud of the fact that they’re open everyday – the Middle Park Hotel has a pretty good reputation for its meat! In fact, the first thing that happens once you’re seated is that you’re presented with the meat board offering the cuts of the day! That way you can size up the options and decide just how carnivorous you want to be….
Clearly I was feeling fairly carnivorous, because I was eyeing off that seriously large hunk of cote de boeuf on the bone… it just looked so lush! But I needed at least one other to share with… in fact, given it was 1kg… perhaps 2 others. Luckily I talked Rambunctuous R and Talkative Techie T into it!! Only downside… it would take about 40 minutes to cook! Ooh la la… it seemed we had time for some entrées.
Scotch Egg, HP Sauce, Caper Relish
Wow… Scotch eggs!! I reckon these might be a bit of a signature dish – and if not, they should be. They were amazing. Deliciously surrounded by tasty sausage meat and deep fried, the yolk gorgeously runny, and that caper relish!! Woot – brilliant stuff that clears your sinuses.
Smoked salmon, blinis, Yarra Valley salmon roe & pickled heritage beets
The smoked salmon blinis was a very pretty dish – but the plural of “blinis” was a bit misleading as there was only one large one. Not to worry, we split it up and enjoyed the oily smoked salmon with the cutting edge of the pickled beets. Not quite as good as the Scotch eggs… but a good way to wait for our beef.
Speaking of which… here it is – barely recognisable as it’s been prepped for us by the chef. It’s presented in a pan pooling with jus, and topped off by roasted figs! The meat was divine – and there was certainly more than enough for the three of us!
250g John Dee 150 day grain fed minute steak with frites and herb butter
Andrew opted for the minute steak instead mainly because he thought he could handle the 250g. The offerings on the menu and on the specials board were substantial pieces of meat – so it’s great for the carnivore in you. It’s not his favourite cut – but he was happy enough with it.
We also ordered some sides – onion rings were a must, as was the potato mash. Trying to counteract the indulgence we did order some lovely broccoli complemented by toasted almonds and goat’s fetta and raisins. All were delicious.
The Middle Park Hotel is a great gastropub – especially if you love all cuts of beef you will be in heaven. The service was fabulous, and the dishes generous and hearty. Phew… and we made it well in time for our check in! And straight onto the ship – love it!! The only way to fly… or float… you know what I mean.
Done. I’m booking!
I was interested to see your view on the Middle Park Hotel as I’ve been about 3 times and enjoyed each visit. For an alternative carnivorous adventure on the same side of town you should add the Railway Club Hotel to the list – it’s daggy but the steaks are to die for and the onion rings are out of this world. http://www.railwayclubhotel.com.au/steaks.php
O.M.G! The Railway Hotel looks amazing! It’s on the list! Yum.
Figs served with the cooking oils of the meat? Brilliant. Steaming that one for the weekend!
Sharky! Roasted figs are the most amazing things with roasted meats. They’re delicious – and with such a short season – now is the time to do it!! Enjoy!!
To the farmers market this weekend I go!