Depot on Beaumont, Hamilton

So the Depot on Darby is a long-standing fave, so when the new Depot on Beaumont opened we were amongst the first in line to try it out.

Unfortunately, the night we went they were experiencing teething problems, but the (very charismatic) manager was quite apologetic and comped our meals.

So, a couple of months later I received a $50 birthday voucher from Depot - Bam! Perfect opportunity for a revisit!

Now, admittedly both Tiron and I were down with the flu, so this isn't going to be one of our more exciting nights out. Plenty more of those to come later, don't worry.

Clover cocktail - raspberry, mint and gin $14

(Please excuse the picture quality, low lighting and Iphones do not mix)

As you might know I'm obsessed with mint in cocktails so this was defiantly a must-order. Very tart with just a touch of sweetness, this was very refreshing (and nice and strong!). It was served super-cold which was a great trick for a non-iced cocktail and managed to avoid turning from cold and refreshing into warm syrupy dregs. Being that it took me about half an hour to drink the damn thing this was a great trick. I suspect magic.

In a lovely spot of gender reversal I was craving steak and Tiron was craving salad and veggies, so we ended up going for the summer vegetable mezze plate ($25.90) and the char-grilled rib eye with king prawns ($37.90) to share, with a side order of asparagus, pancetta and walnuts ($8 small / $14 large).

Now on to the pics!

Summer Vegetable Mezze $25.90

Tomato and ricotta bruschetta, gazpacho shooter, spinach and manchengo croquettas, olives, warm fig and labneh salad.

Very pretty? Absolutely. Worth $25.90? Not so much. If the portion had been a bit bigger I think we would have been quite happy, but as it was it felt like the kitchen had sent out an entree by mistake.

The highlight of this were definately the spinach and marachengo croquettes. Creamy and cheesy and gooey with lovely fresh spinach, we could have eaten a whole plate just of these. And then had bypass surgery. Mmmm.

Chargrilled 1824 Rib Eye with King Prawns and Chimmichurri

Now this is more like it. Look at those prawns!

Mmm, steak. And a giant prawn.


The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare and had that lovely balance of flavour and tenderness inherent to a good rib eye cut. I do wonder if the steak could have benefited from a thicker cut to let the flavour of the meat itself shine through, but that could be more a personal preference than anything else.

I'm not usually a fan of chimmichurri but this one was a surprisingly good - nice and rich and fiery without being overwhelming. Not surprisingly, the prawns were fantastic and bursting with flavour. I think a trip to the fisherman's co-op is in order for some more of these :-)

So yes, it was lovely, but it just felt like it was ... missing something. I do kind of begrudge paying close to $40 for a piece of meat and a couple of prawns - no matter how nicely cooked. Unless it's wagyu, then I'm in.

This is really crying out for something on the side. The Depot on Darby offers the exact same dish (for the same price) but throws in a few polenta chips and a green salad. Bam. Done. Sounds great.

Asparagus with pancetta, walnuts and lemon ($8 / $14)


Mmmm. Asparagus. And pancetta. Noms. So much noms.

We actually didn't notice 'till we got the bill that we'd been given a large serve instead of the small ordered, but honestly when it's that tasty you can hardly begrudge a bigger serve :-)

So, what's the overall verdict?

Staff? Absolute A plus. No question about it.

This is one of those places you will walk away raving about the staff. Every single person we spoke to was friendly, helpful, and bent over backwards to make sure everyone was having a great night. Even calling to make the booking was a feel-good experience - I was all aflutter about vouchers and dates, and the gentleman dealing with my disorganisation could not have been more charming.

Many kudos as well to our hostess who happily humoured us as we played "search the file" on my Iphone looking for our voucher on checkout!

Ambiance? Look, it's busy. On weekends it's very busy.

Honestly, I think we probably picked an unfortunate night to come - with both of us slightly ill, a busy, crowded, loud restaurant didn't hold the same appeal it might normally have. However, both this visit and last I took the "pariah's seat" (back to the room) and did feel rather ill at ease with so many people rushing past in such close proximity all evening.

Food? Yes, the food is good. Sometimes very good.

I think if you were out with a bunch of friends after somewhere trendy for tapas and cocktails, or looking for something a bit more upmarket out in Hamilton, you'd be hard pressed to go past Depot on Beaumont. I loved some of the components (including the amazing baked goat's cheese and capsicum relish on sourdough we tried last visit) and all the ingredients were squeaky-fresh.

For a meal, though, Beaumont just doesn't quite live up to its twin on Darby Street. The food itself is equally as good, but the value for money just lets the side down.

Worth trying? Sure.

Make sure you go right after payday! Grab a group of friends if you're going on Friday or Saturday night, or pick a weekday evening or head on over for lunch if you're after something more intimate.

Would we go again? Maybe.

I think we'll stick to Depot on Darby for the moment though.