Schwarzwald Restaurant, Cabramatta

My dad is funny sometimes. He doesn't like to try new cuisines, and whenever I offer to take him to a restaurant he eyes me warily and asks what the occasion is. There are a few restaurants that he will frequent though, so for my step-mum's birthday I managed to drag him to a German restaurant in Cabramatta.

A German restaurant in Cabramatta you ask? I can explain! In the 1950s and 60s there was a large influx of post-war European immigrants who eventually planted their roots around Smithfield and Bonnyrigg, and it wasn't until the 1980s that Cabramatta was known for its thriving Asian community; it is a bit jarring to see a German-Austrian Club in such close proximity to all the Chinese Yum Cha restaurants and Vietnamese Pho places though.

We arrived at 6:30pm and signed in to the club, then we were given a choice: we could eat in the little restaurant or the beer hall. We chose the restaurant for its intimacy, were seated and given menus. Soon the man from the bar came around to take drink orders (that were paid for separately).

Elain liked the sound of the beers mixed with fruit juice, and chose the mango variety. The mango nectar was mixed with some Dab beer by the bar keep, and was served chilled. It was very much a drink for summer, the bitterness of the beer countered by the intense sweetness of the mango, and it was pleasantly carbonated. I preferred a darker beer - I'm not sure what it was called, but it was pleasantly malty with a slight aftertaste.

Langos - $6.50

Two langos came out to our table of 6, and they were easily enough for all of us. They were fried beautifully on the outside, fluffy and warm on the inside, easy to pull apart, and smothered in garlic butter. Served with sour cream (of which we could have had more of!), they were a great start.

Beef Goulash - $24.50

The goulash was HUGE - there was no way I was going to eat it all, but what I did eat was wonderful - the meat was flavoured with with sweet paprika and tomato paste, and had been cooked slowly in large chunks, until they fell apart on the fork. There was a large amount of sauce with the goulash, which I used to coat the soft, pan-fried spatzle that came with.

Roast Duck - $26.50

Elain ordered the duck, and again the helping was huge. The duck was fall-off-the-bone soft, and it retained some of that gamey flavour, probably thanks to the cooking method. The red cabbage didn't particularly go with the duck in my opinion, but it's a classic side and that's most likely the reason for its existance on the plate. There was some sort of potato bake on the side as well, which was lovely and creamy, but the top was burnt.

Gypsy Platter - 26.00

After seeing this monstrosity on Phouc'n Delicious, Stephen decided to try tackling it. The platter consisted of kransky sausage, crumbed mushrooms, a pork and a veal schnitzel, some chips, some sort of potato salad, and a fresh salad consisting of lettuce, tomato, and cabbage. Stephen's favourite part was the sausage, which he said was plump and juicy - the mushroom was too oily for his liking, and the schnitzel were a little dry on the edges, yet perfectly cooked towards the centre. The potato salad was also very good, the potatoes well cooked but still holding their shape, and the sauce was mild, creamy and accentuated with liberal use of parsley. My brother also ordered it, and he actually finished it!

Chicken Schnitzel - $23.50

Dad's schnitzel dish was a study in food that sticks to your ribs. Sure, the chicken was cooked beautifully so that it retained its moistness, and the chips were good and crunchy, but there was no sauce to speak of, and a salad or some veggies wouldn't have gone amiss either. Dad ended up having to order some gravy, which at  $4 a pop wasn't exactly cheap, especially when we all know what gravy is made of :s

Gravy - $4.00

Hot Love - $8.50


Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce - $4.00

These two desserts weren't very impressive at all. Ice cream (store bought, I'd wager), smothered in sauce. The "Hot Love" had some frozen berries and cherry liquour, and somehow that bumped the price up by $4.50.

Passionfruit Cheesecake - $7.50

My brother somehow managed to finish this as well, on top of his Gypsy Platter. The cheesecake itself was very light and slightly tangy with cheese. The base was nothing to write home about, but the topping tasted strongly of sweetened passionfruit and lifted the flavour of the cake.

My dessert was a wonderfully flaky apple strudel that I wasn't able to take a satisfactory photo of, but it was, in my opinion, the best dessert of the ones we tried and well worth the $7.50 I paid for it.

Don't come to Schwarzwald expecting 5 star dining - this is a restaurant that you come to when you want friendly faces, familiar, welcoming service, good beer, and home-style German food at a fair price. Definitely family friendly, but maybe not the greatest place for a  first date. You can take my dad's word for it ;)  or try it for yourself!

Schwarzwald Restaurant

73 - 75 Curtin St
Cabramatta, NSW
2166

Phone: 9728 7724

http://www.germanaustriansoc.com.au/

Comments

[Gaby]

Those servings are HUGE! You're right, it looks like more quantity than quality.

[Heavenly Housewife]

I know so little of German food. Most of this is new to me. I think its so fun and yummy to broaden your horizons though and try new things.
*kisses* HH

[chopinandmysaucepan]

I love the huge servings in German restaurants and that beef goulash looks pretty awesome! oh and German beers in huge mugs makes me happy!

[Phuoc'n Delicious]

WOW! Your brother finished the platter (and the cheesecake)! What a monstrous effort. How good is the restaurant hey? The apple strudel is good value and super tasty, if you eat it in the bier hall, it would've cost you $5! I'm craving for that delicious langos *drools*

I'm glad your dad enjoyed it :)

[InTolerantChef]

Did they have pork hock on the menu? I've been toying with that one, but haven't actually had it at a restaurant before.

[Kim]

Langos is Hungarian :|

Mmmm red cabbage:D