Been there, wasn't going back
The last time I went to the Kent Town Hotel it was underwhelming in every way: tacky, dark and gloomy and the food was just as bad. I did not have a good time.
It was a shame to see the beautiful old building [built as a Hotel in 1857] in such a state and I didn't go back for twenty years, so bad was my experience. Over the last two years a major renovation has occurred though and sometimes my route would take me past and I'd see the progress and wonder what they were doing inside.
About nine weeks ago it reopened and I decided to give it a try for a meal with my girl. We don't do date night, every day is date day or night, so we just call it "going out for dinner." I made the booking and on the appointed night arrived at the the Kent Town Hotel ready for...who knew what?
The renovation
The character and feel had been retained but had a fresh and inviting feel with loads of exposed timber and brick. It was lit in a warm and welcoming way and the décor and furnishings left me feeling like I was in the comfort of my own home. In short, they'd done an excellent job and I was impressed.
What I wasn't prepared for was the restaurant menu which was [pleasingly] interesting and something quite different. I was dubious at first, initially annoyed I'd not checked it out online to ensure it was suitable because what if it was shite? But at the end of the night I was happy and thoroughly contented.
Tertian menu
They refer to the menu as tertian, a musical term referring to thirds.
Each item of their menu is a third of a traditionally-sized main course. It's quite novel really and permits diners to enjoy more of the menu, a selection of a few dishes, or to order three of the same thing for a full-sized main course. Brilliant! I was concerned the third-sized portions would be miniscule but my concern was unfounded - the portion sizes were excellent.
Above in the main image you can see my tertian meal:
- Porterhouse steak [100g], chive mashed potato, crispy onion ring & peppercorn sauce
- Three roasted pumpkin, spinach and pine nut potsticker dumplings.
- South Australian Gulf Prawns, tempura batter, avocado, tomato salsa, lime aioli
My girl-person ordered:
- Atlantic salmon fillet & lobster farce in a filo pastry package with S.A. king prawns, lobster sauce
- King George whiting fillet, rice cabbage roll, ginger cream sauce
- Salt & pepper eggplant light crispy batter, smoked baba ganoush, lemon wedge
As a side-dish I ordered the cauliflower, [whole], blue cheese bechamel & crispy bacon which we shared. It was all legit AF!
The tertian-mains were between $10-$22AUD each and the cauliflower side was $12 so it wasn't too costly I think - It cold be a weekly thing at that price.
We swapped out some food between us so by the end of the meal we had essentially tried six dishes from the menu, seven including the cauliflower side dish. The quality, flavour and the presentation of the meals, ambiance of the Hotel, the quality of service and the price all came together nicely and while more expensive than other places we like, was reasonable - solid tier-two pricing in a tier-one atmosphere. We'll be returning for sure.
If you're keen to learn a little more about the Kent Town Hotel and see some internal images feel free to click the link to their website. I didn't take many pictures of the place as there were people there and I think it's rude to take candid pictures like that. The website will give you an idea though.
Feel free to comment below with your most recent dining experience, where and what it was and whether you liked or disliked it.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Any images in this post are my own