Stepping into the newly refurbished Duxton at the O’Connor shops is like entering Goldilocks and the Three Bears house. You can smell the pastry, the chunky cut steak chips and the simmering of a Hungarian goulash coming from the kitchen. There is a warm glow that resonates on your cheeks and you immediately get a rumble in your belly signaling to you that it is time to get a drink, sit down in front of the fire and tuck into a full bowl of home-made pub grub goodness.
Everything except for their corn chips is made on the premises and all dishes have a home-made feel to them. We ordered at the bar and actually found it very difficult to choose our dishes. Everything on the menu looked good, but eventually ended up selecting the 350G Aged Wagyu Fillet, the Steak and Guinness Pie and the Pulled Pork and Gravy.
Every time someone walked past carrying a plate of food, you couldn’t help but take a peek at the mountain on their plate. The servings were generous and every dish I saw looked so appetizing, it made me hungrier for my own meal to arrive.
The beeper went off and we hurried over to the kitchen to collect our meals. Piping hot, we tucked in. The steak and Guinness pie was tall, golden and had a puff pastry lid that could rival most pies in Canberra. The best way, in my opinion to eat this pie, is to break the walls of the pie in and dip the pastry in the mouth-watering steak and Guinness filling. The filling of the pie soaked into the pastry is like eating a little slice of heaven. Combined with the tomato chutney and the crispy chunky steak fries, this dish is definitely a winner for the serious pie lover.
The Pulled Pork and Gravy was a hot sandwich served with chunky steak fries. I have never tasted anything like it before. The pork and gravy between two slices of bread is soft, succulent and quite sweet. It is marinated in a sticky sauce and lip-smacking as either a snack or main meal. This clever little sandwich inspired me to come back and try their other hot sandwiches; the Philly Cheese Steak and the Meatballs Cevapi, paper think onions and coleslaw.
The 350G Aged Wagyu Fillet was cooked to perfection; medium-rare and was served a side of peppercorn sauce. The fillet was plump and juicy and melted in your mouth a little. You can choose what side you want; burnt butter corn on the cob, coleslaw, corn and potato rosti, or in our case, the chunky steak fries. And I could not speak any higher of these fat fries. They were perfectly cooked – soft inside and crispy on the out and seasoned in a light salt and herb.
Leaving with very full bellies and a complete feeling of satisfaction, Duxton was definitely a place I would be returning to.
