Located on a busy part of Pennant Hills Road, there has been a hotel or inn on this site for more than 100 years. I have driven past “Hotel Pennant Hills” many times and today was my excuse to venture inside. I was here to test their award-winning bistro menu.
There is easy access from both directions of Pennant Hills Road, due to a well-placed set of traffic lights affording easy access to their large car park. Right beside the Pennant Hills train station and bus terminus access is simple.
Refurbished in 2012 with a view to making the place have “better food in a family environment” they have been wonderfully successful. Winning an award for excellence in 2013 as the best family friendly hotel they have won the Best Metropolitan Bistro 2014 awarded by the Australia Hotels Association on September 16th.
Designed with families and kids in mind, Hotel Pennant Hills has an indoor soft play area as well as family-friendly parent’s room and kids menu. The evening we were there, there were a lot of families enjoying some time together including their children. All the kids were well behaved and a good evening was had by all.
We were here to test the new summer menu. Hotel Pennant Hills menu is extensive with all the expected pizza, pasta, burger and schnitzel choices. Prices range from below $17 to over $35 with many options around the $20 mark.
At the top end, signature dishes include Dukkah spiced Barramundi and a Bouillabaisse if you want something a bit more exotic.
There are many gluten free and vegetarian options. I counted sixteen vegetarian options and eleven gluten free options along with a good kids menu, so there if something there for most dinner guests.
I had the Pork and Fennel sausages with spring onion and mustard potato mash, sage peas, balsamic jus & kumara crisps. That is, a modern twist on sausages and mash with mushy peas and it was delightful. The peas were tasty with a good flavour of sage. The mash was smooth with nice chunks of spring onions. The sausages were large and well cooked.
I found the balsamic jus a little strong for my pallet but as it was only a smear on the plate, it was of no consequence to my overall enjoyment of the meal.
We also had the fillet mignon wrapped in bacon with garden salad and mashed potatoes. The steak was reasonably large and cooked perfectly. It was said to be a pasture fed piece of meat from Dinmore in Queensland and it was tender enough to be eaten with a standard dinner knife rather than requiring a steak knife.
The cheeseburger slider trio also caught my eye with three small Wagyu burgers served with chips. This would be a great meal to share, or maybe the tasting plate, or tapas board. So many choices!
I will be back to carry-on my studies of their menu.
Hotel Pennant Hills
352 Pennant Hills Rd
Pennant Hills
Tel: 9484 2266
