There's this thing about pub and bar food. It's either really bad or really good. I don't think there's an in between. You might think the pub grub you're eating is good because it's so cheap, but great food also comes cheap. You might love the portion size you receive for your money, but generally there's less ingredients, and these are of a lesser quality than restaurants. So really, you are receiving what you pay for.
Now, I am in search of a great pub. A pub with great food, great prices and great quality (mind you, if I come across a pub or bar that serves Rekorderlig, I can't assure you that these traits will matter so much). And what a great time it is for such a search, with my boyfriend dragging me around town to watch the T20 Big Bash. Let me just say that dining is a great time consumer!
Ashfield Hotel
I'm not sure that the term "pub grub" really fits this joint. The menu has a lot of class, and still contains all the staples - parmigiana, schnitzel, the beef burger - it deviates from your typical pub food quite a bit. Honey glazed pork belly, Atlantic salmon, butternut pumpkin risotto and Hawaiian chicken - I'm not sure about you, but none of these ring a bell from my many pub visits.
While I was tempted by the rosemary and garlic roasted half chicken, my mother and boyfriend couldn't go past what they're used to, opting for parmigiana and a beef burger.
Our meals arrive promptly, and I must say, I am impressed upon their arrival. My rosemary and garlic roasted half chicken served with sweet potato mash and green beans ($16) is well presented, as opposed to being chucked on a plate, pub-style. However, cutting into the chicken, I receive a fright. You see, it's very pink, and raw chicken is definitely not a good thing. Needing peace of mind, I ask the kitchen if this is standard for that dish, and they assure me that it's the way they cook it. And hey, I'm still alive and kicking so it must've been fine.
The beans are beans - nothing special there. The mash, on the other hand, although a bit rough in terms of texture, is delicious and my favourite part of the dish.
Mum orders the chicken parmigiana served with crunchy steak fries ($14). The serving size is huge, but both her and I have had better, especially at Bill and Toni's Stanley Street restaurant (post to come). The chicken is dry and the cheese and tomato sauce lacks punch.
Of course, Nathan can't go past the burger menu - and my is it a burger menu with Cajun chicken, Wagyu, spiced lamb and the two beef burger to choose from. Nath opts for the Almighty Angus two beef burger with bacon, cheese, pineapple, beetroot, lettuce, tomato, gherkins, Spanish onion, served with chips ($15), and receives a tower. Personally, I'm not sure how one could eat something that tall, but he manages. Still, he concludes that the patties could be more juicy and that more sauce is needed. The chips are okay.
What else should you know about Ashfield Hotel? It has a sports bar where actual noise comes out of the televisions, it's open for functions, the pool table costs $3, cocktails are available on selected nights only, there are nice, comfy booths as well as outdoor dining and that's about it.
Summer Hill Hotel
Familiar and cosy. That's how I would describe Summer Hill Hotel.
This local haunt is a suburb closer to the city and perfectly situated across the road from Summer Hill train station. What first got me hooked was theie $7 Absolut cocktails. Although these are now gone, there's still much to love.
I must say, compared to other pubs, the food is quite expensive, with most meals between $15-25. Like Ashfield Hotel there's pub staples, non-pub staples and a couple of tempting desserts.
We order two burgers; I the Moroccan spiced chicken [grilled chicken breast with Moroccan spices, rocket, marinated capsicum, eggplant and tzatziki, served with [salad] ($14.50)], Nathan, a casual beef. We're given a buzzer that doubles as a coaster and head to our seats, in front of the plasma TV on which is playing The Big Bash.
Nath give his beef burger with sauteed onions, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, cheese and BBQ sauce, served with chips ($14.50) the okay, but doesn't make weird I-love-this-too-much sounds like he did at Bill and Toni's, Balmain. And so, the search for Sydney's best pub burger continues.
Pontoon Bar, Darling Harbour
We, along with the rest of the world, visited Sydney Aquarium on New Year's Day. After making the trek to Darling Harbour, we were starving and decided to get a quick bite and thus avoid the Aquarium's probably overpriced food. Being in Darling Harbour and with a limited budget, I thought we were going to end up munching on a couple of macarons from the Lindt cafe down the road, or perhaps we'd step it up a notch and share some bruschetta or garlic bread at one of the area's swanky restaurants. So, imagine our surprise when we glanced "Beef burger $9.90" on Pontoon Bar's wall-cross-menu board.
Pontoon bar is quite family friendly, meals are also incredibly cheap, there's tonnes of outdoor seating and being in Darling Harbour, of course there's water views. I observed one couple seated at the restaurant's edge, sipping wine, and god did the visual look picturesque.
The decor itself is nothing special, with your typical bar stools and long tables, and the odd booth seating. Pontoon has some originality, though. There's a tall aqua sliding door, the paved floor and the (nighttime) d-floor.
And there's the staff. At Pontoon Bar, you cannot look in any one direction and avoid glimpsing a Red Bull red shirt. The staff are everywhere, but still, on this occasion, none seem to want to be there. It is, after all, the day after New Year's Eve.
Orders need to be placed at the counter. We pay for two beef burgers, one with salad instead of chips. They arrive roughly ten minutes later, and, in all honesty, I don't really want to eat either one.
The salad on the beef burger ($9.90) is a joke. Dried lettuce leaves, grated carrot, a couple of tomato slices and some onion. All plonked on the bun. The open burger is a great concept, but not when your meal looks like this. The melted cheese looks like the mess one finds stuck to the bottom of the sink after washing up. The beef patty is horrendously dry. And no sauce. Sure, the restaurant has a gazillion bottles of tomato, mustard and BBQ sauce on a trolley nearby, but you think they could go to a little effort and ask what sauce their patrons would like on their burger.
My salad is a joke. Put in front of me, it appears I have received red and green capsicum. Nothing else. After digging a bit deeper, I find two lettuce leaves and half a tomato.
Sure, Pontoon is cheap, but the most naive, amateur cook could whip up something twice as good, for half the price.
I should say straight up that the Illinois doubles as a stripper joint. But don't go getting all Chinese whispers, we were there for the food after I'd heard smashing reviews.
I must also apologise for the lack of photos. I did take some, but the place being what it is - the dimly lit rooms with flashing neon lights - made for images unworthy of a single glance.
It's a shame because the food here was good, and cheap (there's that word again). I ordered the chicken parmi, which is turning out to be a real favourite of mine. It set me back $12 and came with the option of mash and veggies; a real score for myself who hasn't consumed chips in four years. Every element of the dish was scrumptious: the chicken tender, the mash smooth and creamy, and the vegetables (although probably simply steamed or boiled) were there in abundance. Nath ordered the steak sandwich with chips, that I believe was also $12, and enjoyed it.
But I must reiterate, only head here if you're not turned off by the poor lighting and loud pop music. There's also the odd girl walking around in her underwear, and I'm sorry fellas, but the action goes on in a separate room, with its very own entry fee.
Ashfield Hotel, 204 Liverpool Road, Ashfield
Summer Hill Hotel, 1 Lackey Street, Summer Hill
Pontoon Bar, Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Park, The Promenade North; 201 Sussex Street, Sydney
