It must be the weather. I’ve been thinking about roasts a lot.
So here’s a round-up of the ones I could dig up around the city (there may be others, so please add to the list in the comments):
- Matterhorn – from 5.30pm until they run out (only so many portions). A different surprise meat each week (keep an eye on their FB page). Twice I’ve struck merino lamb but different cuts, elegant and won’t stuff you silly, $25.
- Boulcott Street Bistro – from 5.30pm. Roast, red wine and dessert for $45 (or roast and dessert without wine $39). Also a different surprise meat and dessert of the week (ditto re the FB page). Imagine it’s also reasonably elegant given the setting and usual standards.
- The Hop Garden – lunch (11.30am ‑3pm) or dinnertime (5pm – 9pm). Ditto re changing roasts for $20 (again with the FB) but no drink assigned so the full range of craft beers and wines are yours to choose.
The Featherston (pictured) – Saturday and Sunday all day. Roast pork with crackling for $19.50. Probably one of the best known around the city (and there’s a reason for that). I dare you not to follow it with the peanut butter and jelly ice cream.
The Featherston- The Grand – from 5pm. Beef or ham (interesting choice) for $17.50.
- Southern Cross – from 6pm. Another of the long-standing ones, again with differing meat each week. $18 including a fizzy and a free brownie at the end apparently (huh).
- Bistro on Willis – from 4.30pm. This is the former Piccolo folks from Vivian Street in the old Citron venue up Willis Street. Again different meats each week (yadda yadda FB) and $38 incl wine and dessert.
- The Welsh Dragon Bar – from 4–7pm. A traditional ‘Welsh’ roast (one would expect lamb then), $20 for 2 courses or $25 for 3. Beware pub quizzing commences at 8pm (yadda FB).
- The Tasting Room – a whisper that they’re about to start a rotisserie chicken Sunday dinner with roast-style veggies. One to keep an eye on (I’m not even gonna say it, just here).
Depending on how much choice you like, what time of day or night you fancy, and how much you feel like paying, there’s good few belly fillers on offer…
I’ve had the roast pork at the Hop Garden and really don’t recommend it. They used pork fillet or similar, instead of something with fat to keep it moist during a long cooking, and the crackling was chewy instead of crunchy. AND it was a small portion.
Good to know. Any other experiences out there we should know about?
My go-to when I needed big meating always used to be the Munster Pork Roll at JJ Murphy’s, but they’ve changed it last time so there is less crackling and they serve it with veges instead of coleslaw. Still an insane amount of it though for $26 and available all times.
The Goose Shack do roasts, though I’ve not tried them myself…