By Tina Grieve
The recent opening of the Warrior Restaurant and Bar at Australia Zoo’s newest venture, The Crocodile Hunter Lodge, was a great excuse to get together with a few old friends (and coincidentally, all ex-Australia Zoo staff) to sample what was new at the zoo.
The lodge itself, tucked away on Irwin Road is an impressive sight, surrounded by vast tracks of natural bushland.
Walking through the lobby of the lodge past the animal exhibits, The Warrior Restaurant has a relaxed warm feel.
Named after Bindi’s daughter, Grace Warrior, it boasts ‘True Blue Cuisine’ with food crafted with fresh Australian ingredients.
The cocktails were full and flowed freely.
For entrées, our group selected the baked Kenilworth washed rind cheese, duck liver parfait and beetroot cured Kingfish.
Mains were the pan-fried snapper, the grilled organic chicken breast and the river mint crusted Tasmanian lamb loin; followed for dessert was the Glasshouse Mountain mascarpone, the dark Bassam chocolate tart and the classic Crème Brulee.
The service was impeccable and the staff were all super friendly and attentive the whole night. The flavours through most of the dishes were subtle, with not much on offer that had too much bite. The freshness of the ingredients was definitely the highlight of the dishes. Whilst the entrée and main sizes were quite conservative as befitting fine dining, the desserts were surprisingly large and generous.
By the end of the night, after countless stories and glasses of wine, it was decided that the Warrior restaurant was definitely worth a revisit when the new seasonal menu comes out. It is a great new addition for foodies to add to their ‘must tries’.
Main image: Pan Fried Snapper
