There are two things I look for in my meat when I go out to dinner – quality and quantity. Ya gots to have both! Nothing more irritating then paying a fortune for a meal and it comes out in portions that a dwarf would look at and say “Thats lousy!“. Also irritating is when you do get a big meal but it tastes average or below – just means you’ve got a lot of mediocre food to get through. Luckily, the Kings Hotel in Bathurst has both quality and quantity ticked – especially the QUANTITY!
Now this is a pub that knows it’s damn meat! No piddly little servings here. Be prepared for a plate of tucker so big that your bowel movement the next day is likely to crack even the strongest porcelain! Everything on the menu (all averaging between $28 & $35) comes out in massive servings that even a seasoned glutton such as I finds impressive. For instance, here is the Kids Menu Steak & Chips:
Now I’ve been to this pub several times with various folk and I’ve yet to hear anyone complain about their meals. However I’m going to take you through the three I’ve had – all bowel-busting delights!
Cajun Surf & Turf
sirloin steak topped with balmain bug & prawns in a cajun infused butter
This is by far the tastiest thing on the menu! The steak and balmain bug are both of a hefty size and cooked beautifully and the cajun butter is just fan-freakin-tastic! Genuinely really tasty! This is one of those meals will leave you going “Wow – god damn! That was good!” I recommend helping it down with a few beers, and if you are a Transformers Fan then you can’t go past the below beer, especially in 2016!
Rack of Pork Ribs
Bourbon bbq & apple sauce with chips & salad
They didn’t off Piglet or Wilbur for this – they killed one of those big boars out of Footrot Flats, ripped it’s ribs out, cooked’em up and slapped them on a plate! Quite possibly the biggest serving of ribs I’ve ever had served up to me! The meat is very tender, however without a sauce on it, it is a bit bland. I was surprised to find the restaurant would not budge on the sauce. You could only get bourbon bbq & apple, nothing else. They were kind enough to put it on the side for me but I would have still preferred a different flavour option, maybe something mustardy. So this is good but only grab it if you are a massive pork fan or like the aforementioned sauce flavour.
Now for the REAL reason to visit this restaurant……
THE KINGS KILO STEAK!
1kg of rump steak (cooked up to medium)
A lot of people feel intimidated by the idea of eating a kilo of beef in one go. Why?! I find this fear completely foreign, even when I was a skinny bugger I could down giant steaks like matlesers. Considering I ate a 1.5kg Pork Knuckle in Germany, a 1kg steak holds no fears for the likes of I. And nor should it for you! Eat it! Eat the damn steak! I’ve had steaks this size at many locals but I will say this was the best one. The fact they refuse to cook it more than medium shows they have a clue what they are doing, I prefer medium-rare myself. This steak was juicy, tender, succulent and you got a choice of sides and sauces (I personally went with a hearty gravy but the garlic would have been good too). At well under $40 you are definitely getting your money’s worth. Eat this steak! Eat it because it’s tasty, eat it to prove to yourself you can, eat it to impress your friends, but most of all… eat it because it’s the right thing to do.
So in a nutshell this restaurant is well worth visiting. The food is tasty, the beer cold and the meal portions are beyond reproach! Go get yaself a a gut-full right now!
A link to the Kings Hotel can be found here: http://kingsongeorge.com.au/kingstable/