Pub Of The Week: Korumburra Middle Hotel, Korumburra
81 Commercial St., Korumburra
Phone 5655 1024
When? 3 November 2023
www.korumburrahotel.com.au
VENUE
What a sweet old-fashioned pub is the Middle, Korumburra, some 120kms from town that is so beloved with locals and visitors alike that it has been awarded the AHAs People’s Choice Award in Victoria for the past two years.
Consider this: Korumburra, South East Gippsland has a population around 3700.
So what is it doing right? Well the facile answer is the Middle does all the basics right in food, drink and service, the latter creates the community connect evident in spades on a recent visit.
Right hand side, main drag coming in, the big brick pub sits above (slightly) street level a compact front bar with the sports in full swing, dining room, charming and neat ** (60 people) through to a new beer garden, well-shaded and green and the cynosure of activity.
Discreetly tucked away, a medium-sized room houses the pokies.
Lunch and dinner seven days a week, a range of activities including one not seen before, ‘Pick the Pig’ (whatever it may be!!), the Middle definitely aims higher to provide the best experience, never better exemplified with full table service.
The Middle trades successfully because it understands its customers, has created the right environment, and has a genuine community affection.
A very solid servant.
FOOD/DRINK
This is a menu that reads well and offers different, raising the meals well above the medium. Not only plentiful in choice, The Middle supplements this with a range of specials, e.g. Thai prawn spring rolls, with nam jim sauce (4/$20e), or sticky char sui yellowfin tuna ($44), this served with papaya, oyster, cashew and shiitake mushroom, pickled ginger, roasted sesame dressing.
Good on them!
Ginger prawn dumplings, duck spring rolls, four cheese and broccolini arancini make up an impressive list of starters, while Singapore chicken coconut curry, Bass Strait gummy or seafood chowder ($37), with absolutely all manner of shellfish and fish sit alongside burgers, parmas, etc.
There is a very good seniors offer from the Middle.
CD pot was $6.3, and there is a mix of commercial and independent. The wine list is familiar with Treasury wines heroes such as Koonunga Hill, Pepperjack, T’Gallant available, very fairly priced around $10pg. There is a small handful of locals, Lightfoot, Purple Hen (Pinot G tried and very nice) to support.
Average prices:
Entrees – $20
Mains – $30 (steaks from $47)
Dessert – $15
Tried was;
- Entree: Beef Croquettes. 4/$20. Good starter. Large boys, mighty tasty, the addition of local star Jumbunna Truffle Honey into a mustard gave these a rich afinish. Love the use of a local product in pub meals,
- Main: Char-grilled Mooloolaba swordfish. $44. Plenty happening on this plate, generous size (with price to match), potato gratin, lobster bisque sauce, asparagus, clams, mussels, zucchini bacon purée. Another dish that aims high and mostly succeeds, served medium to well, when the preference was slightly less. Still more respect to the Middle for offering this.
- Main: Roast lemon thyme chicken breast, fully plated. $30. Good serving (basically half a chicken) moist, skin roasted well, green beans, parsnip purée, nice meal.
SUMMARY:
The beauty of pubs has always been finding something novel or unusual when there is a visit and here, after all these years, a clever device sat on the tables, the like not seen before by me.
**This was a squat and round LED, very much like an round candle that had two colours, yellow and red. Simple really: when yellow nothing was needed from the wait staff, but upturned it coloured red, which was the cue for the wait staff to head to the table and satisfy your request.
Nothing is less elegant than trying to attract the staff’s attention (surely no one clicks fingers or waves like farewelling a loved one from an airport anymore?) so this is a beauty!
Solid pub, but like so many recently, the sequence of meals (into main before entree completed) was something that missed the mark, and by now (happens too regularly) is more than an annoyance. Pubs are to be enjoyed and the meals shouldn’t be rushed unless requested.
Overall however, the Korumburra Middle has much going for it, and comfortably sits in the arc of being a good country pub.
SCORE: 14.3/20