Eat and Tweet at The Stag Hotel
299 Rundle Street
July 21, 2016
For as long as I can remember, The Stag Hotel has been an iconic establishment of the City’s East End.
And although the past year has been a little turbulent for the venue (what with a closure, reopening and the changing of hands), the latest unveiled revamp has all the ingredients of a classy pub that is here to stay for the enjoyment of everyone.
Stepping away from the ‘steakhouse meat-dominant’ menu of the old Stag, and toning back on the opulent fine-dining experience, the new look sees a more versatile pub-like menu that matches the classy yet easy-going ambience of the refurbished bistro.
By their own reckoning, the full house they’ve been experiencing on Friday and Saturday nights – even midwinter – must mean they are doing something very right!
Eventalaide can attest this positive direction after a recent sampling of highlights from the new menu at an ‘Eat and Tweet’ hosted by The Stag and the lovely ladies at Girl About Town.
With a glass of Palmetto Barrossa Shiraz in hand, we started the evening off with a serving of chargrilled octopus with black bean, cucumber, olive and chilli jam. As a fan of seafood and all things fresh and flavoursome, this entrée dish was an ideal way to whet the appetite and had me wanting more!
Second entrée also followed a seafood line with a softshell crab slider with picked carrot, jalapeno and coriander mayo. A few tasty bites later and this delicious appetiser was gone! The balance between the crunch of the crab, the kick of the jalapeno and the creaminess of the mayonnaise made the slider quickly become a table favourite.
As I poured myself a generous glass of Alpha Box and Dice Cabernet Sauvignon the next course was brought out. In front of me was placed a duck pie floater with pea and ham bone soup, mashed potato and tomato capsicum chutney. As a born and bred South Aussie, I’m a little ashamed to admit that this is was my first ever pie floater. But the softness of the duck meat, the sweetness of the chutney and the flakey golden pastry of the pie crust was enough for me to guarantee my companions that it wasn’t going to be my last.
Next up came the hearty Black Angus Scotch Fillet served with a side of mac and cheese with roasted garlic, onion rings and truffle sauce. I have seen the likes of this dish served in plenty of North American restaurants and it has prompted me to wonder more than once why Adelaide seems to be missing this option from many of its menus so I was very glad to see it featuring on tonight’s menu. The meat was perfectly juicy and tender, which paired perfectly to the zing of the crispy onion rings and the creamy texture of the mac and cheese side. There had been expressions of concern from others at my table about how cohesive the elements of the dish would be, but after sampling the blend of complementary flavours there was not a single naysayer in sight.
In my opinion, no evening is complete without a bit of a grand sugary finale, so I was very excited when in front of me appeared a peanut butter parfait with a milk chocolate cremuex, salted caramel and peanut brittle. Yes, it was just as delicious as it sounds. The parfait melted in the mouth, the peanut brittle crunched in all the right ways and the dollop of milk chocolate was smooth and sweet. All in all – yum.
Each dish we sampled was served ‘tapas style’ which sometimes made it a challenge to fully appreciate the depth, richness and complexity of the flavours on the plate. However, we can’t deny the food was mouth-wateringly good and from what we saw of the full sized servings elsewhere in the bistro there is no way you are ever going to leave The Stag hungry after your meal!
A huge thank you to Girl About Town and The Stag for putting on a wonderful event and such a scrumptious showcase of the new menu. For your chance to taste any of the featured dishes (plus more!), head to The Stag at 299 Rundle Street, open seven days a week from 11:30am until late.
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