Takeout stakeout

IN: Uber Eats demands of food purveyors a real ability to convey a sense of their menu to consumers quickly, stripped of the ability to design and brand themselves as they can do on their own website or in store. The one thing food purveyors can control is the order in which things appear, to demonstrate to consumers what they believe to be best about them, and it’s clear from Birdie’s menu, which starts with three chicken dishes, that the thing it cares most about is birds.

OUT: Delivery was in standard Uber Eats brown paper bags, with unadorned brown board containers for everything. Better than polystyrene but lacking character.

THE TAKEAWAY: Immediately on the opening of the package containing my messy and fully laden deli roll of rotisserie pork shoulder, my wife expressed her feelings of menu envy. It made me feel good about my choice which otherwise I might have felt was a bit greener than I would have liked.The meat, though, was glistening and tender and the roll was more like a roti, smeared whitely with the familiar yet surprising richness of miso mayonnaise. Kimchi and coriander brought the tang and freshness and after the first bite, I knew my wife was right. This was a dinner roll done well. She had ordered the quarter free-range chicken, which was itself a good and tasty bird, served with a surprisingly large pot of tasty, light-coloured gravy. But neither the bird nor the roll were the highlight of the meal. The real triumph was the duck fat chips, small, roast potato-sized chunks of crisp, triple-cooked outer, smeared with a herb and miso butter that also melted wonderfully in the bottom of the container, for additional smearing.

Birdie’s

Sylvia Park, 286 Mt Wellington Hwy Ph: (09) 570 5001 and on Uber Eats Cost: $62.39 for two adults and two children.