Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Review : Paddington Arms Hotel

384 Oxford Street
Paddington
NSW 2021


Phone: (02) 9360 9668
Fax: (02) 9361 0779
Email: bar@paddoarms.com

12pm-3pm; 6pm-late 7 Days

Don't you love it when a dining venue lives up to all that you hoped it would?
Nothing disappoints more (in Buggles and Squeak world anyway), than a restaurant that doesn't live up to expectation.
Thankfully, the restaurant at the Paddington Arms Hotel not only lives up to expectations, it exceeds them.
One could argue, how can they go wrong? Under the watchful eye of Colin Fassnidge and Neil Thompson, this is a venture that is bound to succeed.

We arrive early on a Tuesday evening and score one of the very roomy booths.

The fitout is fantastic.... well spaced tables/booths, loads of gorgeous timber and brickwork. The vibe is warm, comforting and relaxed. You immediately feel at home.


The menu, (which has much in common with the Four in Hand bar menu), is designed for those of us that revel in the joys of comfort food.

The grazing menu offers such delights as: roast bone marrow, spiced crab on toast, pea and ham soup, heirloom tomato salad with house curd.....to name but a few.


We kick things off with the Aged 18 month Prosciutto w/ grilled bread. The bread on its own is delicious enough; brushed with olive oil and beautifully char grilled it is very moreish, add to this the wonderful, slightly salty prosciutto (which is topped with capers) and you have a match made in heaven.


We follow this with the Shaved Fennel, Feta, Pea and Watermelon salad. The salad is light & fresh with a touch of feta saltiness. It is very good indeed.


For her main Buggles has gone with Roast Barramundi, peas, smoked bacon and parsley sauce.
Buggles loves this. The fish is cooked perfectly, with a very crispy skin and a wonderfully moist interior. The parsley sauce is rich and abundant as are the smoked bacon & sweet peas. A very succesful dish.


I can't ignore the Braised Beef Ribs with pickled cabbage salad and wedges. A dish that truly has my name written all over it. The beef literally falls of the bone, the meat is very moist & tender with a subtle barbeque flavour. It has just the right amount of deliciously, unctuous fat.
The slightly acidic, fresh and crunchy cabbage salad, is a wonderful foil for the rich meat. The wedges are crisp on the outside & lovely and fluffy within. A great dish: it is one of the best things I have ever eaten.

Even though we are both fairly stuffed at this stage, we soldier onto dessert.


Buggles has her eye on the Cherry Trifle (cherry jelly, sponge soaked in Chambord, custard, cream and fresh cherries), and it doesn't disappoint. It is rich, creamy and just a little bit boozy. What more can one ask of a trifle?


My Chocolate Delice with white chocolate granita & fresh berries is also very good. A rich, chocolate mousse like concoction, it really hits the spot and I finally accept defeat.

Service at Paddo Arms more than matches the food; our waiter is friendly, knowledgeable & very efficient, he made the evening that much more enjoyable.

We absolutely loved our dinner at the Paddo Arms and a return visit is guaranteed!

Squeak
Paddington Arms Kitchen on Urbanspoon

5 comments:

Simon Leong said...

gee the paddo arms menu has certainly had a face lift since i used to visit for a basic steak chips salad meal. looks like it's been touched by the Grazing Menu God. Hopefully it's still good value.

Dumpling Girl said...

The braised beef ribs look amazingly good. It's making me hungry, even though I'm so stuffed. Love a good cherry trifle too.

Buggles and Squeak said...

Well... if the grazing god is called Colin Fassnidge, I guess it has! Not all dishes are grazing though... still plenty of main meal options (ie. beef ribs and barramundi.)
As for value... it depends on your criteria. We're talking great quality food for less than $25 for a main... that's value in my eyes! You should give it a go... soon!!! As a matter of fact, I need to go back...soon!

Tina@foodboozeshoes said...

The fish looks amazing, but I would have thought capers with prosciutto to be super salty...

Buggles and Squeak said...

No Tina, not very salty at all.