Kingsley Tavern

After suggestions from colleagues and neighbors, we decided to visit somewhere very local to me, the Kingsley Tavern. I had only been there once before as a child and I can remember the heavy timber tones and dark but warm lighting.

We turned up on a Tuesday, a fairly quiet night for restaurants. There was no Maître d'hôtel and we wandered around for a few minutes trying to find someone to see if a table was available. I saw a sign near the counter (set back from the front door) asking us to wait to be seated, so I went and asked for a table there. We were greeted politely by a waitress while was obviously busy so service points there.

A table was found for us in the corner, the seats were pretty hard! The tavern had aimed for a feeling of coziness as with most but overall was too dark to achieve this. We looked through the menus as well as the specials list, nothing particularly catching my eye for what I felt like. I chose my fallback, chicken Parmigiana (admittedly on the recommendation of my colleague too).

We looked around after deciding our meals, hoping to be served until I remembered the sign asking us to order at the counter. I wandered over and ordered our meals and paid in advance. These came out a little bit slowly but I do not rank service or speed very highly as something important eating out. Drinks were ordered separately at the bar.

My chicken parmigiana was quite well presented, served with ham and generous amounts of Neapolitan sauce and melted cheese on top. The exterior of the chicken was well prepared, crunchy and crumbly, the way it should be. However I did find the chicken served a bit cooler than I would have liked, although the sauce was considerably warmer and at a better temperature. The chips were quite good, needing a tiny bit more salt but crisp and fresh tasting. The side salad was much too heavy on roquette for my tastes and could have been less bitter with something else. Admittedly parmigana is not the most challenging or exciting of dishes, but still a pleasing dish.

The meal came to $50 for the two of us, plus drinks. I felt the price fairly balanced, but the steaks looked a little overpriced (even though I didn't have one). Overall, I didn't feel amazed or disappointed. Three stars.