We went to Maldon last week, and had a meal at the Kangaroo Hotel. I was not looking forward to going there because we've been a couple of times in the recent past and it's always been AWFUL. But we were meeting a friend who lives in Eddington, and as we live in Harcourt, Maldon is a great place to meet. But there aren't many good dinner options in Maldon. In fact, are there any apart from the Kangaroo?
Well we couldn't think of any and seeing as I had heard that the Hotel had new owners, we decided to give it one last go.
BIG SUPRISE! It was brilliant! I ordered a porterhouse, cooked rare because it's a simple dish that seems hard to get right, but it was perfect. Cutting into the steak revealed a narrow cooked outer ring surrounding the pink inside. It was great! I had mine plain, as in no sauce but my friend had hers medium rare with peppercorn sauce. Hers was equally perfectly cooked, with a clear difference between the rare and the medium rare. Husband had a Wagyu Beef Burger and he was likewise impressed with his meal.
Once our meals were finished and the table was cleared I realised I had forgotten to take any photos! This meant that dessert HAD to be ordered!
I had the sticky date pudding, because the maitre de, (I'm calling him that as he did a great job and was definitely more than a straight out waiter), told us it was fresh from the oven about a half hour earlier.
That may or may have been true, but if it was, the dessert didn't quite live up to the hype. The best I could say about it was it was quite nice, as in, it was okay. I'd give it about a six out of ten. My friend was feeling intrepid so she tried the spiced cous-cous dessert. Yes, cous-cous. That was a fail unfortunately, because it really only tasted of sugar and had the exact same sauce as mine. That got a three out of ten at best.
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| even looking at the photo sets my teeth on edge the way that really sugary things do. |
Which leaves the final dessert, which was the dark cherry cheesecake. I tried it and really liked it and would have given it a seven, but it was Hubby's choice and after he eaten it he thought a five was more accurate. So a bit hit and miss on the desserts. Actually, if the mains hadn't been as good then the desserts might have seemed better!
Side bar - we went back there last night with my daughter and yet again I forgot to take photos, other than one of the exterior. I had the herbed Rockling, which was great. Daughter had the porterhouse on my recommendation and she really enjoyed it, and husband had the chicken parmagiana, which was so boring by comparison to all the other meals we'd sampled, it was weird! The only excuse we could think of was that they are intentionally keeping some of the old (terrible) dishes intact in order to placate the regulars?
But don't get the wrong impression. Despite a few quirks it is great there and is my new go-to pub grub destination. It will really give The Railway a run for its money as The Roo is already, in my humble opinion, better. And I have the feeling that the new owners have only just begun.
May 18, 2013 Update - We have now eaten here numerous times, (including last night), and we totally love it. The food is brilliant. Any quirks have been well and truly resolved.
Is it a Great Eat? Yes!
The Kangaroo Hotel
89 High St Maldon VIC 3463
(03) 5475 2214
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