The R mum took us to Forty One at Club Cronulla for their Tuesday two-for-one dinner member deal (also runs on Wednesdays), which we initially thought would mean one dinner for each of them, and two for me. The deal was apparently only good for one per member though, so tonight, it was only one dinner for me like the normal person with a normal appetite that I totally am. rolleyes
The place has never looked very packed the many times we drove past, and it’s similar on the weeknight tonight. There were plenty of empty tables when we arrived a bit after 6 pm. Despite that, we seemed to have trouble attracting the attention of waitstaff.
Once we managed to get a waitress to hand us menus, and then a waitress again to take our order, it was back to waiting. Our dinner tonight was BBQ Pork Ribs ($28.5), Pan Fried Veal ($30), Beef Medallions ($30), and an extra bowl of Seasonal Vegetables ($8) for me. We were really starting to get quite hungry and grumpy.
The barbecue pork ribs was the first to arrive well over half an hour after the ordering. The ribs served on the wooden paddle serving board were decent, but Richard thought the coleslaw lacked something that he couldn’t quite place his finger on, and the potato wedges, although not soggy, were only warm by the time they made it to our table.
Not the most photogenic of the lot, the pan-fried veal comes with prawns, avocado, mushrooms and tomatoes coated in cream sauce. The dish looked very different from my expectation (I almost ordered it for myself), but R mum enjoyed it, and the effort they put into making it gluten free was definitely appreciated. I thought the serving size of this plate looked a little smaller than the other two, but I guess the thick sauce and avocado cubes made up for it.
And now the moment of truth: my beef medallions in bearnaise sauce.
When I ordered, the waitress told me they would only cook the meat to medium for this dish, which somehow suggested to me that they would be completely overdone, especially as I normally like my steak medium rare. I was pleasantly surprised to find my two medallions to indeed have a lovely medium pink inside. The pumpkin puree and creamy bearnaise sauce complemented the steaks well, and there was enough extra sauce to use on my side order of vegetables as well. The bowl of seasonal vegetables itself was also cooked just right, but I thought I tasted a bit of butter or margarine on it. Overall, I really enjoyed my food, and I don’t think it was purely because I was made extra hungry.
If it weren’t for the slow service and probably very busy kitchen, tonight would have been an even more wonderful dinner. I would like to return to try more of the meals, but probably not if I had to wait as long in between getting the menu, getting our order taken, and finally getting our food, as tonight.
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