Review of Poachers Pantry, where to find smoked goods and a great lunch minutes from Canberra

Review of Poachers Pantry – Shared smoked meat platter AUD 35

Monsieur and I still have our frog stomachs. We love our preserved sausage so as soon as my friend, Miss Melbourne, tells me Poachers Pantry has smoked goods, we know this place is a must go.

Review of Poachers Pantry – on the road to Poachers Pantry

Here we are, on a dusty road. I’m being sent a reminder text that asks me to text back “confirm” to my booking the day before. It is roughly 20 to 25 minutes from Canberra’s center, and I find it amusing that we’re back in NSW and out of ACT.

Review of Poachers Pantry – The map to Poachers Pantry

The fridge that has all the smoked goods is oh so cold, it’s a cold chamber so I’m surprised I’m actually not frozen myself by the time I’m out.

Review of Poachers Pantry – Smoked meat from the fridge

Whilst I’m experiencing extreme temperatures, my better half orders our platter.

“I’ve picked the smoked fish platter.” he says

“Pardon?” I thought I made it clear when I said “meat”.

“No just teasing you… I got the meat platter… Please don’t look so upset.”

Loves to play silly games eh!

Review of Poachers Pantry – Shared smoked meat platter AUD 35

The shared smoked meat platter is a mix of everything. It tastes as messy as it looks, with 3 dippings (beetroot, hummus, and curry type dipping). There are 6 types of smoked meat as promised, but sadly, Kangaroo proscuitto is not on the menu today (nor the one with pepper, which is a shame). The smoked chicken was nice, and I recommend you try that one before you numb your tastebuds with the lamb proscuitto (extremely strong, so better paired with a creamy dipping). I wasn’t a huge fan of the lamb proscuitto, but must admit that the classic proscuitto was quite good.

Review of Poachers Pantry – Sticky slow cooked beef ribs and rice AUD 34

Yum. The slow cooked beef rib is definitely a must have. I found it a bit too salty for my liking if anything, but the sauce has a heavenly taste, and the cut they chose is just perfection. Highly recommended (if you find room to fit it after the testing plate).

Review of Poachers Pantry – Chocolate Truffles AUD 16 for 6

I must admit I expected real truffles, as in chocolate which looked like truffles, tasted like  ganache and well… filled the basic description of a truffle. I wasn’t utterly disappointed (mostly because I like chocolate very much) but found 16 dollars to be a very hefty price tag for 6 small pieces that did not look like they were homemade. I know that a big chocolatier is behind this, but then again… not buoyant. These “truffles” were OK, though the leaflet that helped put a flavour on each did not work quite well (2 chocolates couldn’t be found). Plus, there weren’t any pralines based truffles. :’(

Review of Poachers Pantry – The Bill

The Bill came down to AUD 85. A bit dear, but considering that they smoke their own meat, I find it fair priced. I wasn’t convinced by all items on the smoked meat platter, but loved the beef ribs.