With 2015 marking 175 years for the Mile End hotel, it comes as no surprise this year also celebrates the unveiling of a makeover for the western venue. With renovations completed for both the inside and outside, new eclectic artwork and furniture and a new menu, the Mile End is hardly recognisable as a suburban pub anymore, and feels more like an inner city hangout.
The architect behind the renovations, Mark Folland, wanted to create an old-meets-new feel using the original bluestone and red brick exterior and restoring the inside to it’s original details.
“The refurbishment has allowed the interior of the hotel to open up while retaining a series of different cosy spaces with open fireplaces. We have kept part of the original construction and adorned the walls with great artworks.”
We were fortunate enough to be invited to try the new menu featuring expansions on the traditional pub food, including a variety of tapas options and modern Australian cuisine. We were given small servings of each of the new menu options, which included tapas plates of chorizo, croquettes and aranchini balls, roast beetroot pear and haloumi sliders, crab linguini and a dessert aptly titled chocolate urge.
Tapas
We were given a selection of three tapas items to sample, chorizo, goats cheese croquettes and aranchini balls. The croquettes were wonderfully crunchy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside, something we’d definitely order a serving of when we eat there next. The aranchini balls were the delicious crumbed balls of mince and rice they’re meant to be. The chorizo was fried had only a mild spice to it.
Roast Beetroot, Pear and Haloumi Sliders
Haloumi is possibly one of the greatest ingrediants on the planet, so anything including this amazing cheese is a winner to us. The burger came with a pesto sauce, which added an element of freshness to the heavy cheese and bread feel. The beetroot was a great combo with the haloumi and added some sweetness to the burger, however the slice was a bit thick, resulting in the beetroot slightly overpowering the rest of the ingredients.
Warm Chicken, Pancetta and Pear Salad
This is the kind of salad you make friends with. The flavours on the plate were perfectly balanced between the salty, crispness of the pancetta, the creamy goats cheese and the crunchy, fresh pear and greens. The salad was host to a medley of other ingrediants too which gave the dish it’s amazing flavour, including pea tendrils, cucumber noodles, walnuts and ancient seeds dressed in a sherry honey vinaigrette.
Crab Linguini
The crab linguini was what you’d expect from a pasta dish, simple but full of flavour. The tomato rose sauce was creamy, and the serving of crab was generous, there was plenty left at the bottom of the bowl after all the pasta was gone.
Red Paroo Kangaroo Tenderloin
Kangaroo is becoming more common in modern restaurants, but can be extremely chewy if not cooked right. It’s a meat comparable to steak, and the Mile End did a wonderful job of cooking it medium rare. The accompanying orange sauce and chutney balanced out the heaviness of the kangaroo tenderloin.
Chocolate Urge
This warm, flourless, chocolate torte was a real big chocolate hit. Extremely rich, this dessert is sure to kick any chocolate craving in the butt. The accompanying chocolate pop rocks add an extra element of excitement, taking the Chocolate Urge from a simple chocolate torte to a fun dish.
