3 August 2007

The Palace

893 Burke Rd, Camberwell
Ph: 9813 3566
Open: every day, 9am-3am

A FOOD joint doesn’t have to be spectacular to stand out in Camberwell.

The eastern suburb’s dry zone has meant that eateries are few and far between and the options are dominated by student-orientated fast food outlets rather than quality dining experiences.

So I went to the Palace not for the food but for the company and my low expectations (for the food) were met.

The menu is extensive but I thought it was pricey for pub grub. Small meals ranged from $6-$14, salads from $17-$19 and mains from $16-$30.

Saying that, there are cheap meal options on Mondays ($10 fish and chips), Tuesdays ($10 gourmet pizzas), Wednesdays ($10 gourmet beef burger and chips) and Thursdays ($12 parma and schooner).

But on this particular Wednesday my party of four rejected the $10 gourmet beef burger and went with the fish and chips, baked pumpkin gnocchi (left), gourmet vegetable risotto (all $16.95) and the vegetarian pizza ($13.95).

Before I decided the snobby side of me had to have a giggle at the menu which listed "rice" as an ingredient in risotto...thanks for that!

Anyway, the gnocchi (above) looked good and was said to be just that by the Palace fan who had rallied us all there, the fish was said to be dry and the risotto (including rice) was said to be ok - to me it looked like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for waaayyy too long.

My pizza was low budget and low taste. My first impression was there were plenty of vegetables to make it a filling meal but the tasteless “thin base” was clearly not made by the kitchen and it was topped with chopped tomato from a can.

Add to that the typical pokie pub atmosphere and a crowd that seemed to be desperately hanging onto its youth and I’ve got to say that you’ve got to be scraping the barrel to eat here…even in Camberwell.

3/10

- Zoe

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

There's what in risotto?

I hope at least one of your party wore a polo shirt with the collar up.

Anonymous said...

Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

Anonymous said...

sounds feral. anyone know a good place to eat in camberwell?

kate and zoe said...

As I said, Camberwell is a bit thin on the ground for good eateries, but I am a big fan of Gusto bakery on Bourke Rd. Although I was in there on Sat and there was a notice saying they're without a baker at the moment and are now sourcing their bread from Browns. Their pies and sweet treats are worth a visit for though.

Anonymous said...

Marty, there are no colloared shirts mid-week at the Palace. It's for Camberwell bogans.