Campsie Hotel, Campsie

327 Beamish Street, Campsie

The Toffee Apple. 

It’s been so long that I don’t even remember how to do this anymore - this post is very much a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing.  This place has been in my side mirror for a number of years. Scary to think objects are actually closer than they appear. The Codifier called it some time ago and I’ve been joking about it for a while now so it had to happen eventually. Is this the sort of pub that you would think would nudge us out of an indefinite hiatus? Absolutely not.

It’s been a funny number of years, hasn’t it. A lot has changed since our initial flurry of reviews but one thing remains constant - pubs.  

Dust Boot said a year back, something to the effect of, “holy shit, check out this place - it looks like a toffee apple” with its red and green colourings going on from the street (Beamish Street). Green tile, red light glow, flashing “VIP beacons”. Hell yeah.

Maybe I’ll cut to the chase here - suburb AF. It’s been predicted by someone dear to me that this could be a good place to get stabbed. So it was with that statement that I decided I needed to find that out and hopefully prove her wrong. You don’t see a lot or get much more of a gist from the street, you have the enter. Once I came in though I was sort of surprised, minimally, that there was a bit more here. All the various nooks/rooms kind of join in the middle. The bistro/dining area meets a main bar, the main bar services the wall of gambling and sports screens, the wall-of-screens room meets the “VIP” slapper machines and another bar, which might be somewhat of a mini sports bar with pool room, which then takes you to the street again. Bottle shop sales at the main bar, pisser to the right of that.

Food wise I was actually a little surprised but I’m not sure why. The menu was reasonably good Chinese in an area which is quite Chinese. To go a bit further, this might be some of the better Chinese on the Beamish Street strip, which is full of a lot of pretty average Chinese and Asian food - in my average white man opinion at least. Based on what I had anyway.

I had the beef rice noodle soup, $11. And I had this alongside a $5.80 schooner of Coopers Pale Ale. That’s some kind of 2012 wizardry price shit in an era of increasingly higher priced craft beer.

There’s a “beer garden” upstairs - absolutely empty tonight - but 1 point for its existence.

I almost considered playing some pinball but had no jingle-jingle.

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced beer on a Friday - tick. If you’re looking for a Chinese meal - tick. If you’re looking for a couple of pool tables and pinny - tick.  If you’re looking for screens and screens and screens of sports, trots, dogs, keno - tick tick tick! Covid? - hopefully not a tick.

It’s like, not good. But a reasonably okay good kind of not good.

I actually might come here again. I just have to convince the girlfriend she won’t get stabbed. 

White Cockatoo, Petersham (2019)

The following was penned sometime in 2019.

(Previous cock posting, 2012)

It had to happen some day - out of nowhere here we are again with a little pub review. And here we are again at The White Cockatoo - several years later after our first visit.   The place has changed somewhat you would say, almost unrecognisable. Safe to say we've been out of the game for a while and posting these blogs is no longer second nature, but what hasn't changed is an appreciation for a good pub, a good burger and a cold beer. I'll keep this fairly brief, here we go.....

Peter's Cock underwent an overhaul a number of years ago now, we're quite late to the party. They've really opened the place up, which is immediately obvious the moment you enter the front bar doorway.  There's also some major surgery gone on around the side creating a sunny beer garden and dining area.  The pokey old dining area, from what I can recall at least, was a boxed in room for smashing massive birds (I mean, schnitzels). Now that area is opened up more and you'll find a bright purple topped pool table for the stick'n'ball folk to enjoy.

The front bar has ample room with high tables and stools aplenty.  As you swing around the bar (show us ya nice metal wears and mirrors, by the way) you'll land your two thirsty feet at the kitchen and overlooking a couple of areas to park your arse.  I write this from a perch in the beer garden overlooking the stairs to Petersham train station. Something kind of nice about enjoying the sun and watching a train-shaped world go by you.

Tap beer selection pretty good. Take-aways fridge also not bad. Craft beers for the most part.  Ridiculouschnitzel menu items of yesteryear replaced by non-corpse (see previous review) meals. Burgers, check.  I ordered the beef burger and grabbed a pint while I waited. My pint of Stone & Wood was $10. Jesus' Daughter, is that normal these days? Am I that old and out of the loop?! Didn't spot our benchmark beer, Carlton Draught, although I wasn't really looking.

The burger - now don't get me wrong, the burger was not bad but for $20 I was looking for more quality.  I couldn't finish it or the fries it came with.  Cut the quantity, increase quality.

On a side note, as I plug this text into my phone by tapping on its screen, I wonder how bars operate their music these days. Are iPods even a thing anymore? 'Back in my day' they had to operate a radio or record player with a crank handle. A small boy (or girl) was hired to do the job. Are they just hooking up to “the cloud” now? I'm imagining a bucket load of Spotify playlists called "Pub Rock", "Front Bar 80's", "Music to sink piss to, mix 5" and "Get ready to eat".  This is no comment on this pub, I was seriously just wondering. Enlighten me.

Fairly friendly pub, family friendly too (noting for self). Plenty of room. No jerks, at least today.

Overall, not bad. Like what they've done with it but where can you get a sub-$20 meal these days?!

Later.

3 Wise Monkeys, Sydney

555 GEORGE ST, SYDNEY

Reviewed by: JB
Time of this visit: Wednesday lunchtime

Bananas?

In 1879 some people built a bank; The Bank of Australasia. The heritage building still stands but instead of dealing in the financial side of life, the venue deals in food and beverage, and monkeys. Three crazy pub-loving monkeys. It's bananas. The 3 Wise Monkeys is a main-stayer of Sydney "entertainment", keeping this section of George Street going through day and night. Does it speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil?

P.J. O'Briens, Sydney

57 KING STREET, SYDNEY

Reviewers: BB O'Donoghue & JB O'Neill
Review time: Friday o'lunch

Finally made it to PJ's for lunch. As it's one of the city Irish pub mainstays it was well overdue for a review.

How was it? Well, any place that pours both Guinness and Kilkenny is off to a good start in our book, but we believe you've got to pick the right time. For us, it's a perfect 'shitty weather, comfy afternoon' pub if you're looking for somewhere like this in this area of the city. Not our choice for a lunch session though.

KB Hotel, Surry Hills

26 FOVEAUX ST, SURRY HILLS

Reviewers: Bot & Blogs
Review time: Friday Lunchtime

KB, it's still a pub! Yeah! Take that pubs that aren't pubs! In your pub face!

Yes the KB is "still a pub" according to their signage, and we think that's great. However, it's a pub that we all spend more time walking past than actually stopping in and grabbing a beer. Why is this? Too much competition in the area? Yesteryear charm not cutting it any more?

St James Hotel, Sydney

114 CASTLEREAGH ST, SYDNEY

Reviewers: Bot & Blogs
Review time: Tuesday lunchtime

St Shames?

We really have to start only going to places that are actually good. Ticking these ordinary establishments off our list is reducing us to whinging reviewers who appear to not like any pub in existence! On the plus side, it certainly makes the better places stand out!

Parlour Bar, The Morrison, Sydney

225 GEORGE STREET, SYDNEY

Reviewers: JB, Bot
Review time:  Wednesday lunchtime

"xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx Bar"

Generally if you have nothing good to say about something, don't say anything at all. We're keeping this fairly short. Parlour Bar is not really a pub anyway, in fact neither is The Morrison (The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room) that Parlour is a part of so not sure why we bothered. It sold beer and we were thirsty.

Hollywood Hotel, Surry Hills

2 FOSTER STREET, SURRY HILLS

Reviewers: Burger Bot, Joe Blogs
Time of Review: Friday lunch time, 1pm

 

"Golden Olden"

 
Tucked away in the backstreets between Museum and Central train stations stands the golden-trimmed Hollywood Hotel. While just a hop, skip and stumble away from The Macquarie Hotel, the two neighbour pubs are worlds apart.

CBD Hotel, Sydney

52 King Street, Sydney
Reviewers: Burger Bot, Joe Blogs
Review time: Friday lunch

"CBD Hotel. City Burger Diner?"

Big arse 5-floor building in the CBD presents Merivale-run pub, CBD Hotel. It's located, you guessed it, in the CBD, and caters for all your corporate bar, bistro and function needs.

Newtown Social Club, Newtown

387 King Street, Netown
Reviewers, Burger Bot, Joe Blogs, Southy, Macca, FOIL LOG!
Time of review: Arvo beers, evening beers

"Stay tuned"

The Newtown Social Club is a new kid in town and takes form in the site which was once the 'Sando' (Sandringham Hotel) on King Street. The sunbaked, cracked and flakey terracotta-salmony coloured exterior is much the same but the inside is completely different. We have a look at the Newtown pub that comes from the team behind Melbourne's Northcote Social Club.

Town Hall Hotel, Balmain

366 Darling Street, Balmain
cnr Darling and Montague st
Reviewers: Miller & Blogs
Time: Friday night

"Frown Hall"

The final stop of this evening's little Balmain pub crawl, The Town Hall Hotel, is a bit of a fizza. The 1879-established pub may have been "favoured by the locals for some 130 years", according to their website, maybe even a happening place 5-10 years ago, but the impression we got was that right now this place is a dried up soul-sucking dead waste land. Too harsh? Read on.

Dick's Hotel, Balmain

89 Beattie Street, Balmain
cnr Beattie & Mullens St
Reviewers: Miller & Blogs
Time: Friday night

"Dark Dicks"

With many pubs to choose from in Balmain, what makes Dick's stand out? The reason we dropped our dicks in was for its proximity to mini pub crawl starter, Exchange, in that it is right across the road. Two pubs on one roundabout. Which one gets the bigger knob? I mean, nod. Sydney Pube List speaks below...

Exchange Hotel, Balmain

Cnr Beattie & Mullens Streets
94 Beattie Street, Balmain
Reviewers: C J Miller & Joe Blogs
Time: Friday night

"Exchange bow tie compliments with the staff"

In an effort to drink away the memories of a job he'd quit and finished up that day, Sydney Pub List member, Mr Miller, kicks off a mini Balmain pub crawl at the Exchange Hotel.

Jackson's on George, Sydney

176 George Street, Sydney
Contributors: Southy, Miller, BurgerBot, Blogs
Review time: Lunch time

Memories and that's about it

Quick stop in from Burger Bot and Joe Blogs got a few of us chatting about previous visits to Jackson's on George. Seems we can all agree on it's reputation... "Seed house of booze".

Grand Hotel, Sydney

30 Hunter Street, Sydney
Reviewers: Burger Bot and Blogs
Review time: Pub lunch

"Grand Ahoy!"

Sail on into yet another Merivale establishment, The Grand Hotel, and enjoy some beers, food and sail away to the sounds of Enya.

Sandringham Hotel, Newtown

The Sandringham Hotel / The Sando
387 King Street, Newtown
*Former pub

"Thanks! Cheers! Bye!"

Although the Sando is dead, we couldn't leave it off our Sydney Pub List. It's a pub we had been to many times but we never quite got around to writing it up here, so for the record, here is our memory of Newtown's Sandringham Hotel.

Le Pub, Sydney

Basement, 66 King St
(Stair entrances from both King St & York St)
Sydney NSW 2000 Australia

 

"Aperçu de Le Pub!"

Although Le Pub is not quite a "pub", it is quite enjoyable, and that's why we've included it here on our Sydney Pub List. Enjoy a little Paris in the heart of Sydney.

Forbes Hotel, Sydney

30 York Street, Sydney
Reviewers present: Burger Bot, Joe Blogs
Time of review: Friday Lunch

Is this Sydney's Worst Burger? So far, yes.

It's Friday lunchtime, Bot and Blogs are looking for lunch and come across this inner-city Sydney pub, Forbes Hotel. Everywhere else was full and unfortunately for them, they felt obliged to tick it off the list. It was regretful.

Australian Youth Hotel, Glebe

63 Bay Street, Glebe
Reviewers present: Millerkands, Robot Simone, Joe Blogs, Burger Bot, Frau
Time of review: Saturday Lunch

"A wooden gooden"

Glebe seems to have a certain style of pub, a bit different to some of those in nearby Inner-west suburbs, one of which is the Australian Youth Hotel tucked away in the backstreets. Backstreets back alright!

Warren View Hotel, Enmore

2 Stanmore Road, Enmore
Reviewers present: Burger Bot & Frau, Millerkands, Simojoe
Time of review: Saturday lunch, Australia Day

"Who is Warren? And what is he looking at?"

Lovingly decorated out the front with traffic lights and a giant 'Canterbury >' sign. The Warren View (or "Wazza") is probably Enmore's greenest pub. What else?