Beer and Burger

Crown Inn Hotel
Old South Rd Old Reynella 5161
Ph: (08) 8381 1319

It was my Nana-in-law’s birthday and she decided that she wanted to take out the whole family to dinner. So who am I to not indulge an old lady by spending her money on food - I was there with bells on. Her choice was the Crown Inn at Old Reynella. It was upgraded several years ago and is quite popular around the area.

I started with a pint of Pure Blonde. It was $5.50; not too bad and tasted quite reasonable out of the tap. The menu was obtained by either getting out of your seat and walking to have a look at the blackboard or grabbing a real menu from the counter where you order.

After some catching up over a drink everyone eventually made a decision on food. I decided on the Porterhouse Steak with Prawns on top with a creamy sauce. The old Surf’n'Turf - the most expensive thing on the menu at $26.
All the men got their orders from their other halves and got in line at the order counter. About 5 or so minutes wait there. I also ordered us some garlic and cheese bread and some herb and parmesan bread for entree.

It took about 10 minutes or so for our breads to come out. Both the garlic and the parmesan bread were tasty and cheesy - it was unfortunate that I had to be polite and share them.
Another 15 or 20 minutes later our mains began arriving. I say ‘began’ as it took about 10 minutes before everyone had their meals. I, with a few of the others on the table were some of the last to get their meals - as is usually the way when you order steak. I did order it medium and not well done like some of the others though.
I got stuck into it. My half a dozen prawns where a good size and very fresh. They tasted great with the creamy sauce and didn’t last long at all. Now I’ve had bad experiences with steaks at pubs before so I was cautious as I bit into it. The best thing about expecting the worst in a meal is being suprised when your food tastes pretty damn good. In fact, this was the best tasting steak I’d had in a local pub like this for a very long time. Although the steak itself was a bit more cooked through than the medium that I had ordered, the flavour of the steak was great and of course that creamy sauce with it just topped it of beautifully.
As is usually the way, I also got the rest of my wife’s meal - the Scotch Fillet. She had ordered it well done, which of course is the best way to destroy any steak - but it still tasted pretty good.
Around the table were a lot of schnitzels being had with all manner of toppings. The ratings for these varied from okay to pretty good.

I overheard one of the waitresses talking at the end of the night saying that they had had 167 covers for the evening. So, considering they were that busy I think they did pretty well in delivering some decent meals.
The atmosphere (apart from being so close to the Pokie Lounge) in the dining area was pretty good with people enjoying themselves all round and using the solo guitarist/singer to sing happy birthday to their friends and family (yes, we gave Nana a mention).

Overall the Crown is a good local pub serving some very decent steaks and prawns. Maybe give the schnitzels a miss here and spend up a little as I think you’ll find that it’s worth it.

Thanks Nana

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