Quarrymans Hotel

While the outward facelift hadn’t attracted my attention, the steampunk interior of this Pyrmont stalwart made me smile. From boilerplate bar, to repurposed materials like cracked leather stools and a railway signboard listing two dozen on-tap Aussie craft brews, it was hard to take it all in! Pausing for an easy-drinking Grainfed Brewing Co. Sneaky One ($5.50/reg) under the blue neon glow of an Insect-O-Cutor style sign, I surveyed lime-washed walls, softly distressed window frames, hipster aprons and Edison light bulbs dangling from pressed tin ceilings. I know, I know… but somehow here it avoids looking like a cliché; backed up by countless nooks and crannies, well-disguised gaming, and outdoor spaces from courtyards to balconies to a rooftop barbeque. The Drunken Fish first floor dining space offers up surprisingly tasty small plates – like Confit Chicken Wings ($14) on blackened corn, or the more substantial Berkshire Pork Belly ($14) with cider-stewed apples, pear, blue cheese, and raspberry vinegar pearls. Portion sizes fluctuate, though a smallish Prawn Pot ($13) ‘share plate’ does furnish you with a creamy chipotle sauce that goes with everything from Greens and Almonds ($8) to well-cooked Pan-Fried Snapper ($28) on kipflers, chorizo, corn and pickled jalapenos. And if Nail Brewing’s Rick Disnick ($6.50/reg) strawberry wheat beer’s on, you need it to live.

Quarrymans Hotel
214-216 Harris Street, Pyrmont
Ph: (02) 9660 0560 quarrymanshotel.com.au
Pub Bistro $$$