I’ve driven past the Maid of Auckland many times when going up South Road, and to be honest, I’ve never wanted to walk inside, mainly due to its appearance from the outside. It doesn’t appear to be one of those modern pubs that have undergone extensive renovations. According to other reviews, it has been renovated, but on this occasion, I only got as far as the bar area.

Today, I ordered the Chicken Parmi. The schnitzel came out 20 minutes after ordering and the presentation was OK. There was a cheese overload on my parmi and it was actually oozing off the side of the plate. When the waitress put the plate down, the cheese was actually touching the table. I also noticed an eyelash hair on the edge of my plate. It was very small, but I tend to notice these things.

The chicken was perfectly cooked and of an appropriate diameter, however, it was deceptively thin. The Napoletana sauce was rich in texture and had appropriate coverage over the schnitzel. The mozzarella topping was more than generous and full of cheesy goodness.

The beer battered chips were warm which indicated they were not freshly cooked. I felt they could have been cooked a bit longer as some chips were soggy. They were also quite conservative with the chips as they came in a small bowl. The quality of the chips were OK, although I did find numerous crunchy bits in what was a small serving. The salad was nice as the vegetables were fresh and crispy. The vinaigrette dressing added a nice tang to the salad and a perfect amount was used.

The service was good and the atmosphere was relaxed. With TV screens on just about every wall inside the bar, the clientele appeared to be problem gamblers in their late 40’s who were desperate to change their luck. The schnitzel I had wasn’t the best, but still satisfying none the less. Probably not a pub I will ever visit again.

WHERE: 926 South Rd, Edwardstown