The Torrens Arms Review

Words By

• Paul Wood

With a recently renovated dining room and the addition of a new, very funky courtyard, the Torrens Arms in Kingswood is a step above your average suburban hotel. Just a stones throw away from the Mitcham shopping and cinema complex, this neighbourhood pub is a great place to start the night with dinner. You can even buy cheap tickets to the movies and they invite you to come back afterwards to grab a free drink on presentation of your ticket stub.

The kitchen focuses on using regional and seasonal ingredients to produce some top-notch pub favourites with a spattering of Asian and Mediterranean influence. We ordered the duck salad with salad greens and crusty vegetables tossed in a sesame and orange glaze ($19.50), which was a tasty little dish and also the ricotta and roast vegetable layered pie wrapped in a crispy filo pastry ($17.50). It's good to see a vegetarian dish given just as much attention as the rest of the menu, full to the brim with a mix of vegetables and ricotta, this is a meal in itself. 

Of course you can always judge a good pub by the quality of the schnitzel and the TA have got their chicken version spot on, with a generous splash of mushroom gravy and side of crunchy chips and garden salad ($18.00). There are separate menus for the restaurant and the front bar and courtyard areas, but if you ask nicely they are more than happy for you to choose from the restaurant menu if you prefer to eat in the sun filled outdoor space. These feature a bunch of other delicious sounding options that we will definitely need to try next time, including a duck and trio of mushroom risotto ($22.50) and a BBQ Kangaroo Fillet served with caramelised sweet potato and a red currant glaze.

The TA knows how to get your night started, with the ‘Lucky 7's Happy Hour’ featuring 2 for 1 spirits from 7pm daily. They also put on a free BBQ on Friday nights with $5 Pints of beer in the courtyard, and if you're there for a session to wrap up your weekend you're in luck – every Sunday you'll be treated with $15 jugs of Cider from 2-6pm. If you needed a good excuse for a trip to the inner southern suburbs, this one is as good as any.

WHAT: Torrens Arms Hotel
WHERE: 95 Belair Rd, Kingswood
WHEN: Mon – Thu 9am – 1am, Fri – Sat 9am – 2am and Sun 10am – 12am
CONTACT: tahotel.com.au

Images: Andre Castellucci / andrec.net