The Old Crow in Northbridge is a place that knows how to hit all my soft spots. Believe a foodie when she says this is undisputedly the best place she has ever eaten at, because I cannot offer many more adjectives of praise higher than this. This is the second time I've visited The Old Crow, and it has quickly clawed its way into my stone cold heart. 

The staff offer fabulous service, the interior is engaging but not excessive, and the dining areas are intimate, practical and welcoming.

They score top marks on both aspects of ambience and service, but this does not detract from the show-stealer, which is the menu that keeps us coming back for more. Both times that I have been, the food has been exceptional- large serving sizes, good variety and most of all, displaying an utter creativeness that cannot be found anywhere else. We greatly anticipated the challenge of their new seasonal menu, full of unique and exciting flavours The value and experience of coming to The Old Crow is something I have never encountered at any other restaurant.

Our picks:

Fried potatoes, ranch, Cajun salt………$9

Duck parfait, rhubarb, charred bread………$16

Rye smoked salmon, beetroot remoulade………$17

Lamb rump, crispy belly, lentils, cauliflower puree………$32

BBQ pork hock, mash potato, pickled cabbage………$30

New Orleans Nutmeg Pitcher

I didn't get a chance to snap a pic of the New Orleans Nutmeg Pitcher before it was down our throats. Elderflower is my weakness, it was so good I cannot describe. Definitely recommend this one hands down!

We went with the fried potato side again (above), this offering was minus the spicy seasoning that was on their summer version. Still absolutely delicious for something so simple. I loved the complimentary bread and the fragrant butter was heavenly.

The smoked salmon was another intense dish was stimulated my senses. I'm not a huge fan of salmon (unless it's steamed, yes, I'm boring!) but this dish was also great. I became a fan of the beetroot after nibbling on the cubes. There are several elements to this dish that work in perfect harmony together. The smokiness and intense salted salmon is neutralised by the poached egg and several textures were at play with the beetroot and garnish. All of it melted in the mouth.

The lamb rump was beautiful and pink, with two variations- a simple cooked slice contrasted the battered and crunchy strips. Again, another dish with excellent harmony within the elements. Loved the lentils and sauce in this one!

Now what could top off this plethora of flavours? The GIGANTIC piece of pork hock is what! It came out as the stunning finale to our whimsical journey. There was a unanimous silence as we beheld the beast at our table- a thrilling offering of meat that had been prepared perfectly. Each shred off meat that fell of the bone unmasked soft puffs of smoke that was a tribute to its freshness and delicious flavour (My mouth waters even thinking about it now).

Even the mashed potato was perfectly smooth, without the noticeable presence of a sickening creamy flavour. 

You know ain't no body had time to be taking proper pictures when the food is so good. I'm not even going to apologise!

The Old Crow

raw nachos dehydrated hand-cut corn chips, walnut refried ‘beans’

fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, cashew sour ‘cream’, chives (R) 19;again, a very interesting dish. Serving size was quite small. The dehydrated corn chips were the stand out: thin and crisp yet full of flavour. Quite delicious but would probably try something else next time.

The staff were friendly and the menu has a good variety of sides, mains, beverages and dessert. We were very excited to try the dishes but the extremely long waiting time after we ordered was quite disappointing. We initially ordered the mushroom pizza instead of the nachos. Only after thirty minutes from when we ordered were we informed that the pizza was unavailable. Felt that it would have been more appropriate if they had told us when we ordered and I was confused as to why the staff did not know or bother to check up on something like this for over half an hour. Elapsed waiting time was over forty minutes for the two mains and one side, and the smoothie arrived twenty minutes after ordering. I didn't mind as much as my dining company, who were actually quite mad and felt this situation was unacceptable. The staff were sincere and apologetic about both the wait and the unavailable dish, but I became quite disgruntled as well after witnessing several tables that had placed their orders after we did received them within ten to twenty minutes. I think that the service could be greatly improved with more organisation (mixing up the order of your customers from who ordered first for no reason is unacceptable in my opinion). The waiting time had probably affected my judgement and appreciation of the dishes, and I feel that is quite reasonable considering we were waiting for almost an hour for such a small order.