The Hub Tavern

Another of our eating out visits recently was to the Hub Tavern at the Hub Shopping Centre. A daughter had recommended the Salt and Pepper Squid which is a favourite of mine, so we headed up to there for a Thursday lunch.

Bright clean premises enhanced by some bright and clean looking staff that met us with a friendly greeting. The couch style seating against the walls was very comfortable, but the other chairs were good too. A bright young lady took our order within moments of showing us to our table and we had barely had time to settle and look about the room before she placed lovely warm bread rolls on the table. The aroma of fresh bread was as good as the rolls themselves which turned out to be very crispy crust with soft white contents. Butter spread into the centre melted quickly and provided a tasty pre meal snack.

Being a very hot day I asked for Iced Coffee and although it was apparently not on the menu, the young lady was quick to offer to make one especially for me. It arrived promptly and I sipped it appreciatively while enjoying the bread rolls. When I later complimented her on the quality of the iced coffee she admitted with a slight giggle that her manager had made it as she didnt have a clue how. It was so nice to be in a place where instead of saying something was not on the menu, the staff went out of their way to provide it.

But I didn't have to sip for long. The meals came out with surprising speed and way before I expected. A bowl of nice crunchy potato chips accompanied my Lemon Pepper Squid, along with a bowl of freshly washed salad. Nicely presented on the platter and looking good enough to eat.

My wife ordered grilled Chicken and it too was nicely laid out, with an aroma that made one want to eat it at once.

My Squid dish was delightful. Just the right combination of crispiness to the salt and pepper batter without browning too much and thus not retaining any greasy taste from its rapid deep fry. Chips were crisp and tasty but the flavour was a little off and I was not sure if perhaps they had been frozen, which always spoils the taste of a good potato chip.

The salad was excellent and obviously freshly washed. So I felt a little sorry for the Chef when a small Gnat detached itself and hovered about the bowl. I guess it was watching its home get eaten. In a hills area that sort of thing is not unexpected as there are lots of insects about that are hard to control. That there was only one was probably a compliment to the cleanliness we could see all around us. I later had the chance to speak to the Chef and we discussed the Gnat problem in good humour. Certainly something he could not help and was trying hard to prevent.

Price was excellent. So good that I had to do a double take to be sure I had it right. The lunch time special certainly beats most other Hotels and Taverns of the southern region for price and quality. Size of serve was adequate if not huge and the service was so friendly as to make one want to go back.

The premises were bright and clean. Well kept up and comfortable. I would rate the Hub Tavern very highly for those wanting a quality lunch for a good price.