Dove & Olive

It is ‘Thirsty Thursday’ at the Dove & Olive, and in addition to $5 craft beer schooners, everyone seems to be tucking into the $9.90 burger special. This would normally seem par for the course, but since it is 38 degrees outside I can’t quite face a burger and just need something cold. Lo, the cure to what ails me is a refreshingly bitter and citrus-smelling schooner of Willie the Boatman Corn Ale ($10). The food is prudently designed to encourage quaffing. Vegetarian Pizza ($17) comes heavy on jalapenos and balsamic vinegar, and oddly light on cheese; while a delightfully crisp Grilled Kingfish ($26) with roast and fresh vegetables is exactly the sort of dish this summer calls for, albeit a tad salty. More traditional pub grub, a Chipotle Pulled Pork Po’boy ($16) is also the Tuesday $9.90 special and plenty toothsome, if again encouraging of consumption through being heavy with salt and pickles. But craft beer is what the Dove & Olive is about, with ample offerings on tap including the Feral Hop Hog ($10), a heady American IPA that is intensely flavoured but not at all overwhelming. And if I’m compelled to another draught I muse, it isn’t the worst thing that could happen…

Dove & Olive
156 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills
Ph: (02) 9699 6001 doveandolive.com.au
Pub Bistro $$