The Quest For Chicken: Introduction and Part One: Spur Steak Ranch

A few years ago, while I was still in high school, I went to a pub that had renovated to make their eating area nice and fancy like, in a bid to entice people other than drinkers into their establishment to eat (it worked marvellously well for them, I'll add). I was there for a friend's 18th birthday dinner. For dinner, I ordered chicken schnitzel with mushroom gravy, and the only thing I can really remember about it now was that;

1. It only cost me around the $10 mark.

2. It was impressively large. Memory tends to blur things into exageration, but I honestly swear that the schnitzel alone took up the entire plate...

3. It was incredibly delicious.

Ever since, I have longed for a chicken schnitzel to compare, but alas, I have yet to find it (granted, I've not been searching very hard). This has changed, because in the last three months, I suddenly have chicken schnitzel on the brain. All. The. Freaking. Time.

Logic would dictate that I return to the pub I first had this delectable chickeny goodness at, but unfortunately, said pub is about 1400km away. Across two state lines. Because the chicken of my dreams is 40 minutes north of Adelaide, and I am currently located 90 minutes south of Sydney, I have to find an acceptable alternative.

Sick of hearing me whine about wanting chicken schnitzel with mushroom gravy, my best friend and co-blogger Ruku dragged me to Spur Steak Ranch at Macarthur Square for lunch today.

In a few words, Spur Steak Ranch (or as I came to refer to it, "El Rancho Steako") utterly failed all three criteria. Well..... I'll be fair. It gets a passing grade on #3, but any points for taste are immediately docked for the negligent and downright slow service.

As for criteria #1 and #2? Well, the chicken schnitzel was $22.95, I paid another $2.95 for lumpy gravy sans mushroom, and as for size, well, for a supposed Tex-Mex inspired place, they have chosen to ignore what seems to be the unofficial motto of Texas. I got two little bits of schnitzel, that put together, would probably just be the size of my hand, including fingers. And I know that's more chicken than a healthy size should be, but damn it, I have little hands, and a big craving for chicken!

Also, the sides sucked. Small serve of over-seasoned, and very soggy chips, and "salad".



According to El Rancho Steako, this is salad. I have unfortunate news. That is not salad. That is a big pile of shredded carrot, next to a big pile of shredded lettuce. Putting an inexplicable lemon wedge does not give you salad brownie points either.

To summarise: Not even CLOSE to what I wanted (and I feel really ripped having paid a total of $25.90 for that). But a fun diversion to post here. If you disagree with my opinion on Spur Steak Ranch/"El Rancho Steako", go ahead and tell me why you think I'm wrong (and I do concede, that aside from the service, the rest of the menu may well be worth checking out. But this isn't a normal review. This, is a chicken review.)

The quest, for better or worse, continues!