The pub has been an institution to any nation with enough of a Celtic influence, and Australia is far from being one of the exceptions. What is expected from the pub in recent years is essentially beer, some bar snacks which could be basically peanuts to anything that is greasy. That might be about it. Food has always been surprisingly cheap, where they expect a paycheck's worth to be spent on grog in conjunction with the meals - which are never pretentious, versions of the Celtic or European influence, and always massive. Something in the past five years has changed and that leads us to gastropubs.
Stepping up the game, it has the same idea but with a good focus towards being out of the box and more recognised. Keeping it simple is still within the philosophy, now with craft beers, changing the items to what is available, and experimenting with the dishes. This has brought the attention back to the traditional institution, and people are now starting to give more of a damn on what is to be offered. One of these examples in Brisbane is the relatively new kid on the block Hop and Pickle.
Coming to here was the same case with meeting a good friend of mine. One day just meeting him near the cinemas, it was booking in a film to watch before heading off to find somewhere to eat. With well over a couple of hours to kill before the film was to begin, the lunch was able to be more leisurely than usual - though the criteria was still that being cheap was preferred. Walking along with all the options, showing off some possibilities it ended right with here.
One of the reasons this place works to an advantage is the design, and how well it suits the location. South Bank is a place you want to sit al fresco and be seen. Too much does the aesthetic of the place suffer from having this but they struck a good medium in designing this place. No walls except for the kitchen, the whole place is on a deck that has some astroturf. Where you chose the benches, the bar stools, the tables or the perimeter acting as a place for bar stools, it is all comfortable. The shaded deck makes it cool in both sense of the word, and a few more tables are across from the pub underneath the tree. Open and friendly is exactly how it looks, and so is how it feels once you step into their perimeter.
The level of business for the place was at a quiet low during the day, being just before the lunch time rush. From the looks and interaction with the staff, I can tell that when it is busy and packed full that they will manage it very well. They were friendly and constantly on the move; a place with bad service would have the staff leaning on the counter bored - not here. They take the time out to explain the mode of service - look at the menu, go up to the counter to order and pay. Whether there are table numbers or not, none were given this time - if they can memorise who ordered what at peak times without them, all the more credit to some great customer service. And to add on brownie points, when most places have the cutlery et al out there for customers to collect they are left to their own device. At Hop and Pickle, it is a small gesture but they collect it for you (hey, when the business is quiet more chance for more praise). That, to me, is a gold star level of customer service. Oh, and they are more than happy to provide for functions whether big or small.
The best way to describe their menu, is that it takes the form of a gastropub. Starting off is the bar food, a selection of finger foods that range in price and are classic staples such as fries, chicken wings, salt and pepper calamari, and flatbread to more exotic and inventive kinds of food like empanadas and chicken soldiers. Those are good with the range of drinks that they offer - more on those later. For actual meals, changing on a regular basis is the selection of bigger, more substantial meal items: there is a constantly changing range of meals for a more subsantial price, and come Saturays they offer a selection of pub favourites from around the world. For the Sabbath, there is a roast meal on display awaiting a good deal.
Like any pub these days, just expect something from everything so long as they keep it simple. It could be a pasta, a couple of burgers, meat and three, curry or whatever they have in store for diners. Hot, filling and satisfying is their criteria for the food.
Even though I am not a drinker, it is not possible to describe the gastropub without discussing the available beverage options. Among all the gastropubs and craft beer places that are now becoming the rage, you got to wonder how they expect customers to manage to get through them all especially with such a rotating selection that often happens. They get it right here. There are several kinds of beers from the bottle including all kinds of international favourites and a draught that can be asked about at the counter, along with a range of ciders. They also offer several lots of wine - red, rose, white, and sparkling - along with a selection of cocktails. If none of those cocktails sound appealing, just ask and they could come up with another concoction - maybe even a mocktail. Coffee, sodas and everything else is also available.
The meal in which I had was from the rotating and changing menu. I went for a linguini carbonara. The size of the serving was quite substantial, and it might not be the most authentic recipe howerver from a portion point of view it would make an Italian mother proud. This was a combination of cream, egg, pepper and bacon - that is all that you need. The pasta was cooked al dente, and the pasta sauce is one that can rarely go wrong. C'mon - pasta carbonara, one of the classic dishes within and outside of Italy! It's simple, it's wholesome, the mixture of items interacts well, there is a good reason it is regarded as a classic as such. In the big serving, this thick sauce with great pasta and some cheese will fill the most empty of stomachs any day of the week. And it is no exception at Hop and Pickle.
Ah Merlo, we meet again! This is one coffee which can never be predicted how good it will turn out, and is dependent on whether or not they have a decent barista. Well, I have had much worse coffees courtesy of Merlo than I have had from here that is something to say. It was strong, a little bigger than most short blacks and it had a decent crema on it. Hey, coffee from pubs is even starting to get to cafe levels of quality - that is something great to see.
On the side, because it was something that I had thought about trying for the sake of them (deep fried and everything) I went ahead and ordered some beer battered pickles. The beer battered pickles were.... beer battered pickles. Seriously, that is all that I can use to describe them. If you are not a fan of pickles, there is no way I can convince you otherwise; I quite like them myself. Though what I will say is that they might have benefited from being pipping hot, coming out a bit room temperature. The aoili and corn puree on the side were good additions.
Hop and Pickle is another one of the good additions that have arrived to South Bank's shores. Beforehand South Bank had either given diners the choice between really cheap if fast food-quality fare or more good quality, but with the price tag attached on it. Without a doubt some of the latter earns it, sometimes price cannot be compromised with quality and vice versa. That number of institutions getting into the sweet position between those two aforementioned areas is now growing.
Which is where Hop and Pickle gladly rests. Not only is the food a decent price, good quality and is served in a substantial portion but it also has the restaurant space that looks and feels good - you would not feel out of place being found right here. It has a lovely relaxed atmosphere that is all but missing from the South Bank dining scene that goes hand-in-hand with the al fresco appearance. This is one to stick out among the options, and is worth going in for either a drink or a bite to eat.
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