November 30, 2009: Union Hotel II

Cindy and I were pretty impressed with The Union Hotel when we visited it last year but it's probably been a good six months since we'd been back, so it was interesting to check it out on our latest pub-club jaunt.

The menu hasn't changed much, but the number of veg options seems to have declined a little - if only because everything on the specials board was meat-tastic. The tofu ($16) that impressed me so much last time remains, although it was a little less impressive this time (see above) - not as well-cooked and with a dressing that lacked the spark of the last trip.

Thankfully, the chips ($6) were better - crispy, golden and served with generous bowls of sauce and lemon mayo (the mayo at Cindy's special request). A pub can be forgiven a lot of it churns out some decent chips.

In a pretense of healthiness, we also ordered a side plate of herbed buttered vegies ($6). Of course ordering anything 'buttered' is a pretty flimsy pretence, and you could taste the cholesterol on these. The herbs weren't particularly noticeable however.

Just when I was getting ready to write the Union off, they redeemed themselves with a fantastic dessert, a brûléed lemon tart with vanilla icecream and candied zest ($9). (A regular Union-goer in our group also mentioned that there are more excellent homemade icecream flavours to be had if you ask nicely.) Tangy and sweet and lightly torched on top, the tart demonstrated that the gang in the kitchen at the Union still know how to cook - it's just a pity that they're not as veg-friendly as they used to be.

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Read about our previous visit to The Union here.

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Meat-eaters might find FoodieFi's review a bit more promising.