Pub Bistro
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.
Le Pub
Descending the stairs of the CBD’s go-to French bistro Le Pub, this seemingly trendy, tardis-like, Parisian-style establishment opens up to reveal an odd mix of the after work drinks’ crowd, family diners, and girls’ night victims. Nonetheless, the tastefully decorated venue is quite comfortable, albeit a little raucous on the evening I dined.
Bar Fly: Woolpack Hotel
My approach to cooking steak usually involves buying whatever's on special, overcooking it until it resembles old carpet, and then failing to rescue the taste by drowning it in tomato sauce. Since discovering this cool Redfern gastropub, my approach has changed... now I leave it to the professionals at The Woolpack to fulfil my meat cravings with a grilled slab of what I'm convinced is Sydney's best steak.
Food News – Hereford Red Beef
Nutritionist and cattle farmer, James Bjorksten, is producing some of the best grass-fed beef I’ve eaten under the name of Hereford Red Beef. The cream coloured fat is simply magnificent, leading to a super-tasty steak that literally melts in your mouth.
Bar Fly – Vic on the Park
I'm kicked back on The Vic's back deck, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying a wine when I catch the moment they first notice each other. I watch their playful interactions heat up before animalistic lust takes over and the pair threaten to consummate in the corner...
Bar Fly: Public House Petersham
The Newington on Stanmore Road has been given a new lease of life; getting a fresh lick of paint and recently being re-launched as Public House Petersham – a funky space where the focus is on the community.
Hotel Palisade
With a convict-cum-chic menu, craft beers and views of the coat hanger, one of Sydney’s oldest pubs has reopened with a vengeance. Overlooking Barangaroo, it still has a certain quietness, with a whiff of potential; and with plans to open a penthouse bar upstairs, the owners are surely banking on this.
The Village Inn
After a tough week of personal attacks due to his ‘no high vis.’ dress code, Leeroy Petersen was keen to show me what his new venue should be known for – good food. He has completely gutted a ‘durty’ old Irish bar, giving it new life, natural light, wooden floors and smatterings of taxidermy on the walls.
The Cross Eyed Dog
While the predictable consequences of Lockout Laws are reaping havoc upon the character of Newtown, a level-by-level revamp is occurring in the original 1832 site of the ‘new town store’ from which the suburb drew its name.
Bar Fly: Redfern Asado
There are only two situations in which it's forgivable to wear leggings as pants in public. The first is, if you're actually a child under the age of ten, and the second is, when you're planning on eating more food than regular pants can handle.
