If first impressions are to be taken into account, I will have to admit that I wasn’t won over. As I made my way to the bar, I was, to my relief, advised that I would be dining upstairs, rather than down here amongst the pool tables and pokies. What I found upstairs was certainly an improvement, and as I was shown to my seat in the covered rooftop bar, it was immediately clear from all the reserved tables that I would not be the only diner this evening. The real feature is the view into the kitchen, which, like many modern restaurants, offers the diners the opportunity indulge their voyeuristic tendencies.
Wednesday night is steak night, and like the majority of tonight’s diners, I dutifully order a 400g Porterhouse steak cooked medium/rare. Along with a side serving of salad and chips, I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite the low price of $12, the portion size did not suffer. The steak itself is beautifully cooked, and it is reassuring to know that the chef is aware of the difference between medium/rare and medium.
All the steaks come with a choice of several sauces, and I opt for the Peppercorn and Cognac. Not adventurous, I admit, but the perfect accompaniment for this succulent slab of Porterhouse. My only criticism of this tasty meal was the decision to opt for oven chips.
If you are not a steak-lover, the menu sticks to the pub grub blueprint, with the exception of burgers, which struck me as a strange omission. There is also a section of Italian-based dishes which sound delicious and were also very reasonably priced ($15 – $20).
The menu is on the small size, but is still manages to cover all bases. Inevitably, my main gripe with The Arcadia Hotel is born out of its own identity issues. This is a pub, but it has delusions of setting itself out as a restaurant. The lack of table service, and the TV screens are a constant reminder that you are eating in a bar: but let me say that the food itself was a step above the average pub fare. Having said that, I can’t really argue, because for the price, this was still a highly enjoyable eating experience.