REVIEW: Southern Attitude

Mmmm steaks. Nice ring, mysterious menu holder.

On a particularly warm Saturday night, we decided to go down to Southern Attitude on Oxford Street for dinner. Southern Attitude is fairly new, opening in 2014. The restaurant is the north of the border sister to the Mexican restaurant next door, La Quinta. We've been to La Quinta many times and always had good experiences, except for once when we made a booking and yet didn't get a table. At the time, I remember being reminded of a Seinfeld episode - "You know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation".

Delicious apple pie cocktail. Get in my mouth!

Fortunately that didn't happen when we visited, although our request for an outside table went unfulfilled. We were seated at a booth inside and it was warm, but seemed bearable. The ordering system is the same as at La Quinta, you place a small flag atop your table number to get attention and it works really well. We ordered a few drinks, some soft drinks, a Pabst Blue Ribbon, of course and Sweet Apple Pie cocktail which was tequila, butterscotch schnapps, apple cider, lemon juice and cinnamon sugar for $13. The Sweet Apple Pie was delicious. Could easily have had a few more.


Wings are always a good idea.

After drinks, we ordered starters to share. First up we got a serving of 8 wings in Original with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery ($18). These were pretty good, and I liked the full wing being served. The flavour was good with a tasty mix of spices, and so was the texture. Often wings are drowned in sauce and they lose the crispiness of the fried batter but this was not the case with these wings.


Oh crab cakes. What would Mr. Krab say?

Next we got a serve of Crab Cakes ($9). There was a definite taste of crab in the crab cakes but the size was a little disappointing. They were okay. Finally, we got the Baked Chili Cheese Fries for $10, which was a generous serving of chips with beef chili, sour cream and shallots. Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of these fries - they were very meaty, which for most people would be a good thing but I'm a bit meh about these kind of chips. They're too much! But they all got eaten, and they're very much up Mr. Cakes' ally.

They look good. And they were good, for those who like them. Totally making perfect sense.

The mains came out before we'd finished the entrees. There was a slight feeling of being rushed, the restaurant by this time was getting busier and maybe it was because of the bodies in the room or the hot food in front of us but I was starting to feel the heat now. We made room on the table for the mains. First, there was the Kentucky Pulled Pork Sliders served with Rocket, Apple Cider Slaw and Chipotle Aioli for $14 with a serve of Blackened Corn for an extra $4. The sliders tasted really good and the meat wasn't fatty. The bread wasn't the greatest and I didn't think the corn was worth the extra $4, it looked a bit sad.


Mmm less than impressive. That little sauce drip is though.

Next were two Smoked Double Bacon Cheeseburgers ($14), each with a Wagyu Patty, Smoked Bacon, Cheese, Pickles, BBQ Sauce and Ranch dressing with Onion Rings and Fries ($4 each). The burger was good, the meat had a bit of a taco seasoning flavour to it, which was a little odd but not horrible. The chips were a lot better without the chili on top but the onion rings weren't cut up properly so some bits of onion were a bit thick.


So much fried goodness.

Finally, for my main, I ordered the Chicken Fried Chicken which was Southern Fried Breaded Chicken Breast with SA Seasoning, Fried and Served with Maple and Mustard White Gravy. It came with two sides, I choose Coleslaw and Sweet Potato chips. What came out was not what I expected. Instead of a whole bit of chicken breast, a flattened, breaded schnitzel type chicken breast was served. It wasn't terrible, but with the thoughts of my mothers southern fried chicken in my mind, I can't say that I wasn't a little disappointed. However, the chicken was good and the sweet potato chips were really good.


See what I mean about the chicken? It was good! Just not what I expected.

By this time though, it was sweltering. I literally had sweat dripping down my legs. I wolfed down my meal and escaped to the night outside, leaving Mr. Cakes to settle the bill with our dining companions.

PBR. Of course.

Southern Attitude was okay, I didn't hate it but I don't think I'll be rushing back. Southern Attitude do have a take away option so I think if I do eat there again, I will be eating it at home in the comfort of my air conditioning and with puppycakes at my feet.

Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Price: 2/5
Atmosphere: 2/5

REVIEW: London Porterhouse

London Porterhouse!

I'm dying to try the duck ragu at Beccofino. Just dying to. So when my sister came up to visit, after some initial negotiations, we decided to go to Beccofino at Teneriffe. Now I know you can read and the title of this post is London Porterhouse, not Beccofino so you know something is up. Beccofino in their great wisdom do not take bookings. I'm sure this benefits them and ensures they are able to keep the restaurant turning over but it does not benefit my intense, burning desire to eat their duck ragu! Why won't you take my money, Beccofino?

Since we couldn't stand around for an hour while a table freed up, I remembered there was another restaurant I had been wanting to try close by so I called them up and they could seat us straight away. London Porterhouse is an Argentinean inspired meat-centric restaurant, which I think is slightly misleading given the English sounding name. It is a pleasant deception though as it is not soggy pub fare but rather robust steaks and smoky ribs so I knew as a group of keen carnivore's, we'd be well fed.

We arrived and were seated at a nice large table in the outside seating area which was perfect in the cool evening breezes. Noel, the owner and manager was very helpful in assisting us to order drinks and they arrived quickly. With our thirsts slated, it was on to the ordering. For entrees, we ordered from the tapas menu.

I don't see any mint on this plate but it was not missed.

First up there was an order of Pan Fried Haloumi with Fresh Lemon, Mint and Balsamic ($9). It came out with a crumbed coating which was unexpected but was very useful in soaking up the lemon juice. I've never been that crazy about haloumi and didn't find this mind blowing but perhaps if you're a bigger fan of the Cypriot cheese, you'll be more excited. I did like the crumbing which lends itself to my fondness of crispy fried things.


Oysters Kil-bolognese



A half dozen Oysters Kilpatrick ($20) was next for an oyster connoisseur and a very tough critic. These were reportedly very good, not amazing, though they were all devoured quickly. I did think the presentation could have been improved as the Kilpatrick sauce reminded me of Bolognese.



Perfect 'C' shaped bites of prawny flesh.



For the next entrée, Mr. Cakes got the Porterhouse Chilli King Prawns ($18) and the presentation of this dish was much more impressive! The spices were visible and it was a generous portion, they did not skimp on the prawns. The flavours were well balanced and the chilli did not overwhelm the prawns. Mr. Cakes said that some of the prawns had a over-soft texture which might be an indication of them being frozen.


Pork belly with delicious caramelised apple on top.



Two of the happy diners were less indulgent than the rest of us and shared the Crispy Pork Belly with Caramelised Apple, Red Slaw and Seeded Mustard ($15). The presentation of this was also well done and the portion size was generous for the price. The coleslaw cut well through the fat of the pork belly and the seeded mustard was a classic pairing. The caramelised apple appeared to be poached with a nice firmness. The fat could have been a little more rendered but overall, it was crispy and delicious.



My ill-chosen mussels. 



The final entrée was mine and I selected the Beer, Chilli Jam and Coconut Mussels ($16). I had been hankering for mussels for a few weeks and couldn't pass up the opportunity, even though I was slightly concerned about the beer as I'm not a beer drinker. Unfortunately I was right. The chilli and coconut flavours were amazing and again the portion size was generous. The Turkish bread pieces were great for mopping up the juices but with each mouthful I could taste some sort of bicarb-y flavour which I can only contribute to beer. I really think this was a poor choice on my behalf more than the dish though.


The first Rib Eye...the other one looked just like this but with potatoes. Imagine it in your mind tank.



With the entrees being a little hit and miss, we moved on to the mains. Steak proved to be the most popular with four out of six diners choosing some sort of steak. Two 300g Pasture Fed Rib Eyes ($33), one with steamed veg and roast potatoes and the other with steamed veg and fries were ordered. The South American influence came through with chimichuri sauce on the side. Both rib eyes were juicy, cooked as requested and the chips were amazing.


The ever so lady like eye fillet.



The 200g Grain Fed Eye Fillet ($31.50) with veg and roast potatoes was a plump medallion of tender juiciness. The platter of plate that the steaks were served on dwarfed petite serving but anyone who orders an eye fillet knows it's quality over quantity with this cut. Seasoned well and cooked well, steak was proving to be a good choice.

The Porterhouse of London Porterhouse. That would have been my choice had I not already won the ordering game.

The last steak was the 400g Pasture Fed Porterhouse ($36) with chips and veg also. The namesake steak proved that good red meat was the star of London Porterhouse. The porterhouse was also nice and juicy, cooked perfectly.

Ahh what lovely presentation!

One of the only two non-steak meals ordered was the Oven Roasted Barramundi with Baked Potato, Steamed Asparagus and Lemon Butter Sauce ($27). Here the finesse of the kitchen really shone through, with the presentation being more fine dining than steak house. The skin of the barramundi was crispy and the asparagus spears were steamed to perfection. The fish itself was moist and not overcooked like fish can so easily be. The lemon butter sauce was delicate and was delightful with the asparagus. Highly recommended.


Yabba dabba do!

Now for my dish which if I do say so myself, was the absolute winner. I ordered the Beef Ribs in Red Wine, Tomato and Sweet Chilli Glaze, in an entrée size ($17) and because I'm a genius, I ordered the Chilli Maple Onion Rings ($8.50). This single Flinstone sized rib with chips was served to me and I was in heaven. The bone pulled out cleanly and the meat fell apart in the most delectable way. It was sticky and unctuous. And if this was the entrée sized, heaven help the person who orders the main sized. And the onion rings. Oh me oh my. Huge circles of sweet onion fried in the crispiest light batter with a maple chilli creamy goodness. I was very sorry to have to share with the silly people who did not order their own. If I was a dog, I would have growled. The takeaway message here is get the onion rings!


Mmmmmmm hmmmmmm....

And just for you, here's another shot...I could stare at this all day.

 I'm not usually one for dessert as I'd rather stuff more savoury in but in the face of incessant pressure, the House-made Doughnuts with Chocolate and Caramel sauces ($9.50) were ordered. They were wonderfully warm, freshly cooked and sweet. Everyone at the table thoroughly savoured their nibble and the sauces were lovely, with the caramel being especially nice.

London Porterhouse was a little shaky to start with some of the entrées being underwhelming but they finished strong with all the mains wonderfully cooked and all the servings were generously sized. Service was wonderful and the staff served were happy, helpful and accommodating. And I would go back for those heavenly, sassy onion rings.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3/5