Hello Tuesday!
Well I must apologise for being so slack and not posting anything since Friday! I had the weekend off? Well anyway, back to business.
Something that has become a thought lately is the difference between a pub and a restaurant. Well, not so much the difference, just the fact that one is generally in pursuit of the other in that restaurants are trying to achieve a laid back persona and pubs are trying to heighten their profiles to that of restaurant quality food. I totally understand the concepts behind both of their endeavours to achieve what markets the other has. They are both trying to appeal to a broader audience which is the principle behind clever and tactical business strategy. I guess it’s because of the fact that I understand it so thoroughly through the business (logical) side of my brain, I find it so interesting in the social (creative) side of my brain too.
This all came about after our dinner at Midells last week when my pursuit of some delicious scallops started. Well in actual fact, I must admit that I have been in pursuit of scallops for a bit longer than just last week. I have always wondering if I was a fan of scallops and the only ones I could try were the ones from the fish and chip shop, and even I knew there could be better. So then came the day that the family and I went to Scene at Parnassus on the out-skirts of Drouin, where they have a fantastic concept of choosing the menu for you by eliminating your dislikes! We were served an absolutely brilliant entree that formed my true introduction to scallops. The bar was obviously set very high and ever since then I have been very, very interesting to whether this ingredient could be a great new addition to my menu choices and even my cooking repertoire.
So along came Sunday night. Out for dinner at the Toolshed in Noojee which is a country pub that we absolutely love and go to very often. I ordered some crumbed scallops, which were delicious and were accompanied with their renowned buttery veges. But as expectation was set so high, it was obviously a little deflated. As I was still holding my other encounters with scallops so high, my partner (who loves the Outback Parma from the Toolshed) suggested the thought that he is confused why I order such odd things when we are out to dinner and that “at a pub, you don’t order that weird s#@t”. As blunt as he was, he might be on to something. I am guilty of trying things and thinking of things the way I would have cooked them, and more often than not, I am let down. Which began the in depth thought I have had for the past three days. Do you only order certain things when at a pub (like a parma or steak) and only order certain things when out at a restaurant (like scallops)? Of course, nothing enjoys me more when one or the other bucks the trend and serves up something that annihilates the stereotype, so therefore, I am forever in search.
Then last night, a birthday dinner at the Cardinia Club in Pakenham. A beautiful dinner of Perch Fillet with Salsa Verde (fancy!) and some roast veges. But the question to whether the Cardinia Club is classed as a Pub or a restaurant is the battle. A beautiful bistro with cheap and delicious wholesome meals, with great fancy options as well as some classic pub options also. Perfect example of the amalgamation between the tradition pub and the fancy restaurant! I struggle with the concept that each type of venue needs to be mutually exclusive. I think that they can be one in the same and they have my permission to dabble in each other’s specialities, that what brings excitement to menus everywhere!
XO
NJC
http://www.sceneatparnassus.com.au/
http://www.theoutpostretreat.com/The-Toolshed-Bar.html
http://www.cardiniaclub.com.au/
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