The Spotted Cow Hotel

The Spotted Cow Hotel
http://www.spottedcow.com.au/



It seems that I've made up for 3 weeks of being bored out of my brains in Toowoomba all over one weekend. Starting with the trip to Amigo's, I kept my hair let down over the next three days, doing my best to eat my way out of my small town rutt.

So far, it's working. But at the same time, I'm going to have to dial it down or risk exploding.

Last night, our restaurant marathon ended with The Spotted Cow.



We were kindly invited out for dinner by some friends living in Toowoomba. They chose the spot but Mochi and I, being keen and hungry, arrived early and snatched a table.

Appetizers

Once the boys arrived, we tossed away the idea of entrees and asked for beer to start with. The Spotted Cow has an amazing range of tap beer and I was happy to find my new personal favorite, Fat Yak, among that selection.


I had actually researched the menu the night before and knew I wanted the mussels. Even though it's a steak restaurant, The Spotted Cow boasts the Spring Bay mussels as their signature dish. I was the only person at the table who didn't order a steak.

After 10min, I was informed that the mussels were unavailable due to recent flooding/halt in supplies so I was forced to conform with the carnivores.

I'm looking at the photos I took of everyone's dish on the night and thinking about how impossible it's going to be to correctly identify what each slab of meat is. I apologize now for any incorrect labeling.

Wagyu sirloin on the bone

Rib fillet with chips

I hope that's all done right anyway... I tried to match the photos up with menu descriptions by weight.


Some of the boys also ordered salad one the side.

Tenderloin fillet mignon with chips

I ordered the fillet mignon because it was one of the smallest cuts on the menu. It was overcooked for my liking.

Cross-section of my steak

I asked for medium but it seems to be medium well at BEST, if not well done. The steak wasn't too bad though and I loved the chips with the mushroom sauce.

Steak burger - rib fillet with bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato on a Turkish roll with chips

Mochi ordered the steak burger. It was a huge serve and she commented that it was OK but dry.

After we munched our way through the paddock selection, half the table had room for dessert (yours truly included) and half the table was capable of resisting temptation.

Belgian waffles - with ice-cream and berry coulis

Two plates of waffles were ordered. Mine had a berry coulis topping and 3 fat scoops of vanilla ice-cream. The waffle itself reminded me of a crispy pancake. It was thin and didn't resemble my idea of Belgian waffles but I admit it was tasty.

Sticky date pudding - with warm toffee sauce and cream

The sticky date pudding was declared as 'average'. This prompted a discussion about where GOOD sticky date pudding could be found in Toowoomba. We actually had an amazing sticky date at Jilly's the other day, which I'll link once I've blogged it.

The service at The Spotted Cow can be summarized as friendly. Though there was new waitress who blundered over some orders and a few menu items were unavailable, everyone was nice and cheery. What topped this off was the owner making rounds at all the tables, not just checking to see if we liked the food but to make actual conversation. These special touches are rare at Brisbane restaurants.

The Spotted Cow has a comprehensive menu covering everything from steak to salads and seafood. I am still disappointed at missing out on the mussels but that's something I'm keen to go back for. I wasn't hugely impressed with my steak but secretly, I did like the little cow-shaped pastries. Almost too cute to eat. Almost.


Otherwise, the dessert exceeded expectations and the overall atmosphere was relaxed and fun.