http://www.theranch.com.au
Kid friendly ranch
A friends milestone 40th birthday brings me to the huge Ranch Hotel perched on the leafy hill of the corner of Epping and Herring Road. It has it's own car parking area which is entered via Herring Road. All the meals for about 30-40 adults and kids are generously paid for by the birthday boy which was such a nice surprise including a delicious Mango Coconut cake bought by one of his friends from Mezzapica Cakes in Leichhardt. Catering for so many people in one group can be a nightmare but my friend was so organised that he managed to get everyone to pre order what they wanted so he could simply hand over one complete list to the bistro kitchen. The chefs in the large open kitchen did very well to cater for everyone when all the meals seemed to pretty much come out around the same time. Considering the dining area is very large they seem to have a very streamlined production line to cope with large orders.
The steaks are promoted heavily in the menu so I had to try one of these and ordered the Fillet mignon 220g with grilled tiger prawns ($32) which was a quality cut of meat with thankfully little grizzle. The side salad was perhaps quite small but it came with a decent amount of chips. It was great to see so many of the other meals ordered from the menu and by appearance I think the Slow cooked lamb shanks ($26) would have been a good choice as well. I managed to try a few standard issue fish nuggets and calamari rings from the kids meals of Fish and chips ($8.50) and Calamari and chips ($8.50) which included a soft drink and ice cream. My hopes of a good coffee weren't high but the barista at the time made a decent Cappuccino ($3.50) to go with my yummy piece of Mango Coconut cake.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Parking available, Kid friendly, Special promotion nights, Caters well for large groups, Friendly service
CONS: Steaks are quite pricey for a hotel bistro but decent quality
MUST TRY: Slow cooked lamb shanks next time
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Service counter
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Indonesian choo wok: Chicken, tiger prawns asian greens wok tossed with noodles in a mild soy chilli blend finished with cashews and fried shallots $24
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Penne boscaiola with chicken tossed with sautéed bacon, mushrooms, shallots, cream, white wine and topped with shaved parmesan $19
Salt and pepper combo-prawns and calamari coated in a salt and pepper blend, flash fried and served with a lemon garlic aoili, chips and salad $26
Grilled wild barramundi fillet dusted with lemon myrtle served with roasted chat potatoes with grilled cherry tomatoes, crisp greens and a citrus dressing $25
Cappuccino $3.50
Mango Coconut cake
Promotional signs
Kid friendly play area
9 comments:
bangaz and MASH! now thats something I havent had in a while! definitely comforting bistro food.
whoa that thai beef salad looks delicious!
meals all look generous, but I do agree with you, $32 is way too pricey for a pub steak.
I've been driving past this place since I was 13... maybe I'll actually go in there one of these days!
What a generous friend you have! The chips look a bit anaemic but hell, if someone else is paying who's complaining! Food looks good and hearty, perfect for this weather.
That is a pricey steak especially for a pub. I use to go there while in Uni and they do a mean roast on Sunday for just $6.50 but that was like 7 years ago though. Haven't been back in agesss..
The food is average here, but could be worse. Very popular place to go for after work drinks and farewell drinks from our work.
hi leona, pity the bangers and mash was a kids meal hehe
hi sara, i think for $32 you'd expect that sort of price at a fancy restaurant but not a bistro in Epping. My pub bistro steaks are usually between $5-$20 at most.
hi laura, let me know how you go if you end up visiting. i'd recommend perhaps going on one of their promo nights for a cheap meal option.
hi yaya, a free lunch is always good :-) it is pretty hearty food although some things are perhaps a bit pricey.
hi foodie-central, wow that's a cheap sunday roast. probably a bit more nowadays :-)
hi angie, i'd tend to agree. seems to be pretty popular with the family groups too, i think that kids play area is a bit of a draw card for them.
Three strikes and they are definitely out.
Food was disgusting paid for six mainis ranging from "todays special"aka chicken schnitzel, to menu items, didn't have any idea of what gluten free meant and 'chef' was totally indifferent to the reference. Staff were clueless too.
Only saving grace was the bar but hey they dont make the drinks only resell.All in all a very poor and expensive evening and a lesson for us too share!!!!!
hi anonymous, sounds like they need to step up their game for you. where would you recommend going in the area instead for a good meal?
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