Tonsley Hotel (Chrysler Bar), 274 South Road Clovelly Park SA 504
It was a cold Sunday night, a perfect night for the kitchen staff to phone it in. I was at the Tonsley with my wife and my friend Ed, who was heading to China in a few days. I thought I would load him up with traditional aussie fare for the flight.
Although it was dark, I could see that the Tonsley, like most of Adelaide's pubs, had undergone extensive renovations. It was now in the lower tier of the highly acceptable pubs around town. As it was out near Flinders Hospital, it was a out of our territory somewhat, and added a sense of adventure to the meal.
I stuck to the script. A Chicken Parmi and a pint of flavorful beer, probably Coopers. The Parmi was about $19, which is becoming standard these days, what with hefty overheads due to all the renovations.
I wasn't expecting much, but Ed assured me the meals were good. Yeah, I've heard that before. This time however, I'm glad to say that Ed was not lying. The Parmi came out and looked good straight off the plate. It was thick, and just enough to not make me cringe that it wasn't hanging off the edge of the plate. Thickness is nothing if it's not cooked correctly though, and I'm happy to report that it delivered big time here. It was succulent without being too juicy and certainly not dry.
The sauce was tasty and had a hint of spice that I couldn't place. Anybody who reads this blog knows that I love some adventure in my parmi's, and this one had me intrigued. Just the right amount of Cheese and Sauce as well, not over-cooked, but still beautifully tanned on top.
The chips were thick, although the only mis-step coming in the fact that they pretty much all buried underneath the carcase of the bird, which rendered them a little impotent. The salad was bountiful and fresh, which was very surprising for time of day.
I was ridiculously satisfied, and bonus points had to be given for the timeslot - they could've taken the night off and fed me the seconds, but no, they stepped up and delivered a great meal.
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