My Mum came to stay with us on Thursday night, so we took the oppourtunity to go out for dinner and then on to some music from local bands. After some deliberation - Mexican, Italian, Indian or Other? - we finally decided on Royal on George (formerly known as the Royal Hotel).

While their menu wasn't extensive, it did offer a few tasty-looking tidbits, and we finally decided on a bottle of Tasmanian Sparkling for the table (read: me - lol), and some bread for nibbles. The bread was served with two little dishes of dipping condiments - a balsamic reduction, and basil oil - drool!

For mains Broc chose the Polenta Crumbed Chicken Breast with Ham and Cheese, and a side order of Herbed Chips. Mum chose the Ocean Trout, and I picked the Roast Chicken & Leek Pie, with a side of Braised Baby Spinach.

Broc's Chicken Breast was exactly that - a chicken breast, served on a small salad. A small serving, but the quality was excellent. The chips were crispy & yum, and came with a creamy lemon sauce to dip them in.

Mum's Ocean Trout looked divine - a reasonable serving, perfectly cooked, and on a bed of salad including yummy olives and other goodies.

But my Chicken and Leek pie was the pièce de résistance! Served in its' own little cast iron skillet, with a beautiful golden crust of puff pastry, and containing a drool-worthy, rich creamy centre with little chunks of chicken thigh and shreds of leek throughout. The side of Spinach was perfectly cooked too, and not over-seasoned.

After we finally finished up that lot, Broc decided to impose dessert on me! He ordered Cheesecake for me and Chocolate cake for himself. The cheesecake was a lovely Lemony creation, served with a scoop of Lemon Gelato - yum! The Chocolate cake was a chocolate and berry creation, served with mixed berries in syrup, and a big dollop of Meander Valley Cream. Needless to say, Broc finished most of mine, lol.

Total cost: $135 - Not bad for starters, dinner, dessert, a bottle of wine and a glass of coke for three people, but I feel the meals could have been better for the price. The service was OK, but the waiting staff were a bit lax on a couple of points, most notedly checking if we wanted drink refills - our bottle of water ran out about half way through the meal, and Broc was never asked if he wanted a refill for his coke.

We then journeyed to the Royal Oak to listen to Invisible Boy, but we were first treated with an opening band - Slippers for Shoes. Both were awesome, and we spent a good few hours there listening and sipping our drinks!

All in all, a pretty good night out, although I must say, I feel I'm getting to old for the pub scene - lol! It must come from living this quiet existance at home :)