But since it was a "club" after all, we ordered a round of beer to occupy us while our dinners were being cooked. The food at Dooleys is traditional bistro fare: steak with chips, fish 'n' chips, pasta dishes, burgers, etc. I was quite hungry, and ordered the 350g T-bone steak (done medium rare) with chips and salad:
T-Bone 350g (gluten-free), $24.60 ($20.50 for members)
I personally don't like my beefsteaks with sauce, preferring to season it myself with salt and pepper, but the steaks here usually come with a sauce of your choice out of the four: dianne, mushroom, pepper, or gravy. Someone else in our group ordered theirs with mushroom sauce:
I'm sure I specified that I wanted my steak done 'medium rare', but maybe the only options are 'well done', 'medium' and 'rare'? When I cook steaks at home, I usually eat it rare, red juices flowing and all, but I'm a bit more cautious when I dine out. I needn't have worried about bacteria and such, because my steak turned out 'well done'. It was like eating shoe leather. My molars ached with the effort. I think I should have ordered it 'rare', because then it would have turned out 'medium rare', like I wanted ;P
Hacking away at my shoe, I mean, steak.
The 250g scotch fillet done 'rare', which I ordered to share with two others, on the other hand turned out to be perfectly juicy and tender. And looked...'medium rare'! Guess it's worth it to pay the extra for a better cut of meat.
Scotch Fillet 250g (gluten-free), $28.20 ($23.50 for members)
Fish 'n' chips (I didn't get to take a picture) and chicken schnitzels were ordered for the kids. Both were well received. In particular, 'DOOLEYS Famous Fish and Chips' looked really good. The deep-fried batter was a beautiful shade of gold, and the fish was steaming hot and flaky on the inside. I should have taken a photo of it!
Kids Chicken Schnitzel, $7.50
In addition to the traditional, 'Western' options, Dooleys has a selection of dishes "From the East", according to its own menu. These included a ginger prawn and bento box, chilli chicken with steamed rice and bok choy, curry with naan bread, and sichuan pork chops. Two pork chops were ordered, and I got to have a taste. The pork was very tasty! It came with a sweet and chilli sauce, which went well with the lean pork. I like the spring onion and red chilli garnish on top.
Sichuan Pork Chops, $19.80 ($16.50 for members)
My cousin, a growing teenage boy and lean as a beanpole, was still hungry after wolfing down his steak and chips, and went back to order something else. He got the chicken linguini arrabiatta, which looked really good and was covered with melted cheese. He didn't share, the greedy boy xD
Chicken Linguini Arrabiatta, $18.60 ($15.50 for members)
With every five meals purchased, you get a free piece of cake, and with every ten meals, a free meal up to the value of $12.00. We had ordered enough meals to get two complimentary pieces of cake. There was the sticky date pudding which was very sweet and covered with a thick layer of frosting:
Sticky date pudding
And a pretty mini Mars Bars cheesecake tart:
Overall, the food was decent and the atmosphere family-friendly. There's a nice play area for young children, and the option of courtyard seating. Our meals took a while to come out, and there is a notice at the ordering counter stating that 'well done' steaks require a 30 minute wait. The club does have a strict policy on clothing and foot-ware; my aunty, who was wearing her stylish rubber thongs, was refused entry. In the end, she paid $3 for a pair of glittery sandals from the reception, and accompanied us inside while we all heaved a sigh of relief :D
Dooleys
24-28 John St, Lidcombe, NSW 2141
Phone: (02) 8745 6100
Oh dear. I often tend to under-order my steak in case they over cook it. The mini Mars Bar cheesecake tart looks cute though!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I've learnt my lesson; definitely going with rare the next time! :D
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