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Just eats // ife le l y st Cuchina Rex Hotel Cuchina rex in The Royal Exchange Now Open Mon - Sat for lunch Functions catered for “Simply Delicious” P 4577 3039 203 George St, Windsor 229 Windsor Street RICHMOND Phone: 4578 7945 OPEN 7 DAYS Mon-Sat 6am-5pm Sun 6.30am-4pm ALL DAY BREAKFAST * LUNCH Dedicated to good food, great coffee & fantastic service Sandwiches • Wraps • Salads Hot & Cold Drinks • Protein Smoothies Cake & Pastries Gluten Free • Special Dietary Needs Nörgen Vaaz Icecream Dine in or Takeaway Large Outdoor Courtyard / Kids playground Group Bookings & Catering Available Authentic Wood Fired Pizza Established 20 years DINE IN OR TAKE AWAY Tues-Sun 5pm - 10pm Try our Wood Fired Steaks & Awesome Pastas Gluten Free Pizza Home Made Gelato 332 Windsor Street, Richmond p 4588 5028 (top end of town next to CRAZY BEAUTIFUL LIFE) Review by Greg Martin Simple yet simply delicious – that’s the fare on offer at Windsor’s historic Royal Exchange Hotel. A simple menu but the fare we ate and saw arrive at Royal Exchange other tables hosts, Trish was, I’ll say and Paul it again Rynne. – simply delicious. The hotel, which has operated at its George Street Windsor site since being opened in 1874 by Isabella Bushell, has long held a reputation as providing great tucker and excellent service. She was a helluva publican, Isabella, running the hotel from 1874 until 1908. Wilberforce-born, Isabella died in 1918, aged 76 years. Current proprietor, Trish Rynne who runs the fine establishment with her husband, Paul, is determined to emulate Isabella’s renowned deeds as hotel keeper. A quick browse through the history books shows that the Royal Exchange has always proudly boasted a reputation as a great place to wine and dine. And so it proved to be when The Princess and I - the Tooth Fairy was off swapping kid’s teeth for coins – had lunch at The Royal’s Cuchina Rex bistro. We had a pre-lunch drink with the affable Paul and then were joined at our table by Trish who presented us with the menu and steered us into making our selections. And let me tell you, Trish’s tips were spot on. As does the Tooth Fairy, The Princess likes to kick off a meal with garlic bread and it was crispy, awash with garlic and didn’t last long on the plate. For entrees, The Princess and I shared the garlic prawns – you can NEVER have too much garlic! The prawns – and there were eight of them - were plump and succulent and came on a bed of fluffy rice in a cream, shallots, wine and garlic sauce. It was a race between Her Royal Highness and I to ensure we split the prawns fairly! This was a superb entrée and next time I visit Cuchina Rex, I’ll be having the garlic prawns all to myself! Both of us were keen for a fillet steak which came with a long list of choices of sauces– all of which whet the appetite. In the end, The Princess settled for a prawn and scallop sauce and I plumped for the bacon and mushroom sauce. Each of the steaks came with thin and crispy chips and a garden-fresh salad. Each of our steaks was perfectly cooked – tender and you could have cut them with a chopstick. If cutting things with chopsticks is your go! Cuchina Rex is open Monday-Saturday for lunch. Businesses that would like to be a part of this feature please contact David on 0412 448 883 Supporting business in the Hawkesbury 40 ISSUE 61 // June 2015 HAWKESBURY DISTRICT INDEPENDENT NEWS www.hdinews.com.au