Plough Hotel - Footscray

On a whim, Q and I decided to go to the Plough Hotel in Footscray. We ordered the Buffalo Mozzarella, Cherry Tomato & Fresh Basil Focaccia ($8) to start and a side of fries with aioli ($9) to share. Q ordered the Western Plains Roast Porchetta & Sticky Hock ($35) and I got the Braised Ox Cheek with mash & bourguignon garnish ($27).

Buffalo Mozzarella, Cherry Tomato & Fresh Basil Focaccia

This was actually amazing. We both agreed it was the best focaccia that we have ever tasted before.

Fries w/ Aioli

The fries were your standard frozen fries and we barely made a dent. In hindsight, we shouldn't have ordered this at all since we didn't even finish our own mains.

Braised Ox Cheek

I've never had bourguignon before and I was surprised that it was not unlike a beef stew my mum makes. The flavour of red wine was really strong though and at times it was too salty for my liking. The mash was great and there were massive chunks of meat that were super tender.

Western Plains Roast Porchetta

Q thought her dish was nice but not amazing. Her crackling was hard and chewy which was disappointing. The apples were a nice touch though.

Our setup!

Overall, we had a decent time. It started off really well which set our expectations high. The mains could have been better but they were still enjoyable and we completely stuffed ourselves. The portions were a good size for the price as well. The interior was more spacious than I imagined and the service was great.


Taste: 7/10
Presentation: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Value for Money: 7.5/10 (~$40 pp)