By Amanda – On The Chopping Board
:: 2 Bevington Road, Glenunga
Every year for my birthday one of my dearest friends takes me out for dinner, to anywhere of my choice. This year, after noticing some buzz in the media and hearing many stories of my friend’s previous visits, I (Amanda) select The Cork and Cleaver. As soon as I step inside I realise I’ve been teleported back in time all the way to the 80s and I love it! A thatched roof, cork placemats, gold plated life sized palm trees… can it get anymore old school?! Oh yes it can.
What’s a birthday celebration without kicking the night off with some cocktails, and to keep in the theme we order some classics… the Grasshopper and the Margharita. My friend selected the Grasshopper which is shaken with Creme de Cacao, Creme de Menthe and cream, with legs made from drinking straws and cute little cherry eyes on top! Just as she remembers!
I select the Margharita which is classically shaken with tequila, contreau, and lemon juice. Love that tequila burn!
I could not begin my dinner without taking a picture of one of the life sized gold palm trees situated in the middle of the dining room! You don’t find this type of decor everyday and I’m loving it.
Not long after our cocktails arrive, some warm bread, olive oil and meatballs are presented to our table. The complimentary starters are a long standing tradition and it is an impressive one at that. What a lovely, generous touch this starter delivers to the already homely feel of the restaurant.
The menu arrives and it is on a cleaver! How fitting. There were so many things to choose from which was further added to when the specials board was brought to our table.
For entree we decided we both wanted one of the specials of the day, the ‘seafood bisque’. As we were already filling up on bread and meatballs we decided to share the entree size of the bisque and thank goodness we did. The restaurant kindly split the serving for us before reaching our table and we were presented with 2 decent sized bowls of the soup. It was served nice and hot in a creamy broth with plenty of shellfish meat throughout.
For main course we decided on the ‘Chateaubriand’ which is only available for 2 people. This dish was described as a tender whole fillet grilled and served at your table with pan fried vegetables and Bearnaise sauce. This dish is presented on a big platter at your table that the server then divides onto your individual plates.
You may choose any sauce you like from a large selection offered. The vegetables plated tonight include corn on the cob, brussel sprouts, pumpkin, carrot, cauliflower and a baked potato with a big dollop of sour cream. The meat is very thickly sliced and tonight we requested it to be cooked medium. This is a very large serving which we both could not finish. All the vegetables were cooked well and had lovely buttery oily flavours. Overall the meat was enjoyable but slightly chewy at times. I generally prefer my Chateaubriand sliced paper thin so that it melts in your mouth but that is just my personal preference.
Although we were both extremely full after our already 3 course meal we couldn’t go passed sharing a ‘Sticky Date Pudding’. It wouldn’t be an 80’s themed birthday without it! This was delicious! The pudding sitting in a pool of warm butterscotch sauce was sweet and thick and provided even extra moisture to the light and fluffy pudding. The vanilla ice cream is always the perfect accompaniment and the toffee decoration adds the crunch factor and spectacular presentation.
The complimentary after dinner mints presented on the paper doily topped off my night perfectly! I haven’t seen these in ages which added to my old school excitement! Overall I had such a fun night reliving my 1980’s youth! It made me want to go home, back out the leg warmers, hunt for the women’s weekly cookbook and start cooking the classics! I definitely recommend a visit to Cork and Cleaver and please let me know if you have just as much fun!
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly :: Not the best place to bring a vegetarian unless they like vegetarian lasagne (it’s the only choice!)
Child Friendly :: Only if they are able to appreciate the step back in time!
Ambiance: 4/5 Comfortable, homely and cheesy!
Service 4/5 Friendly and knowledgeable.
Food: 8/10 Good over-sized meat lover meals!
In total OTCB gives the Cork and Cleaver 16/20 chops on The Chopping Board.
Amanda xx
:: Featured image credit: Cork & Cleaver ::
