As part of the Clare Valley wine tour, a group of us stopped off at the Sevenhill Hotel for lunch. After all, you can’t drink all day on an empty stomach. The venue itself is very typical of a building in a country town; the galvanised veranda and the tin roof are the standard features. The inside is very basic, however the fireplace and the leather arm chairs gave it that rustic feel. The outdoor dining area is very spacious and probably the highlight of the venue.

Today, I ordered the Chicken Parmi. The meal came out after a 15 minute wait and all meals arrived at the same time. The chicken was tender, succulent and perfectly cooked. The schnitzel was of a nice size and thickness. The Napoletana sauce was of a nice rich texture and had appropriate coverage over the schnitzel. The mozzarella topping was generously applied and the nice golden brown surface indicated it had spent an appropriate time under the grill.

The beer battered chips were perfectly cooked; nice and crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. I liked how the chips were put to one side such that the chips weren’t being suffocated by the weight of the schnitzel. The salad was nice as the vegetables were fresh and crisp. A vinaigrette dressing was used and wasn’t over applied.

For the most part, the service was good. When it came time to paying, the staff did take their time which was kind of annoying. After all, the tour had a lot of drinking to do and we were on a tight schedule. The atmosphere was very relaxed and the meal I had was quite enjoyable. They do make a good chicken parmi here so thumbs up for that!

WHERE: Main Rd, Sevenhill