The Gang of Four dined at the bistro on Father’s Day. They don’t take bookings, so you just pitch up and grab a table. Surprisingly for a chilly Sunday night, the place was reasonably full, there were only a handful of free tables left inside when we arrived at 6.30pm, so we grabbed one as close to the heaters as poss, at the back of the room near the TV screen. There’s outside seating as well, but it was too chilly for that, although there were some hardy souls braving the cold. A better option in summer, I would think.
The seating is quite uncomfortable, with only high tables and bar stools. There didn’t seem to be any regular tables and chairs to sit at. That was especially awkward as, being a cold night, I had layers of jumpers, coat, scarf and gloves, but nowhere to put them? Eventually, had to squeeze them in the little nook under the window. Toilets are at the far end, but easy to find and they are modern, clean and well provisioned.
We started with two schooners of balter ale and a glass of sparkling white wine. That cost a rather steep $27 for three drinks.
Food ordering is done at the counter, as is customary in this gastropub type situation. As soon as your little buzzer goes off, you can collect your meals.Knowing that this place is famous for its pies, we ordered four of them, two chicken and leek and two beef and Guinness. As an accompaniment to your pie, you can choose either peas, mash and gravy or salad. I choose the peas, mash and gravy, the perfect complement. The pies were delicious. They all had fresh chunky pieces of meat in them and the beef pie had real Guinness in it, giving it a subtle and slightly bitter taste. The pastry was warm and crispy, but soft and tender enough to make it easy to slice into and digest. As extras, we also ordered a bowl of chips and a chicken and avo salad. The chips were crunchy, and came with nice bowl of a garlic aioli. The salad had lashings of finely sliced avo, with tender pieces of chicken and lettuce. All the dishes were beautifully prepared with love, care and attention to detail. The pies were a decent size, and what with the mash and peas, the chicken and avo salad and a generous bowl of chips, no-one felt hungry afterwards. We all enjoyed our meals.
Staff are polite, helpful and friendly and ordering was a breeze up at the counter. It took about 15 minutes for the meals to be ready, just enough time to enjoy a second glass of foaming ale.
This building itself dates back to 1892, and while it has undergone various internal renovations, it still has the original external facade. Clearly, the owners are trying to retain that late 19th century or early 20th century feel to it, with the heavy wooden furniture and classic original bar features, low lighting and dark felt carpets. While I’m a great fan of these historic old pubs, I found this one a tad gloomy. Perhaps it needs better lighting or a touch of modernity to give it a lift. More comfortable inside seating for diners would also help.
But overall, we had a pleasant evening and everything went off smoothly. I felt that the drinks were pricey, although the food cost, at $87 for four pies, a chicken and avo salad and a bowl of chips was reasonable.
Being a Sunday night, we found a great parking spot virtually outside on Berry Street, where there are no weekend restrictions.
And here’s the interesting story of the hotel, from their website:
“The Rag & Famish is a hotel dripping in history, with the hotel occupying its current site since 1860; it is North Sydney’s oldest pub still trading today! This original single storey structure, with a steep thatched roof, was known as the Sailors Return, however the eccentric Charles Bullivant purchased it in 1866 and renamed it The Rag & Famish Hotel.
In 1873 Thomas Casey bought the hotel and renamed it the North Shore Hotel, however in 1890 disaster struck when one of the bushfires that periodically swept through the area burned the hotel to the ground. Casey rebuilt in 1892, having the words “North Shore Hotel 1892” engraved on the first storey wall (facing Berry St) which can still be seen today.
In the early 1920’s it was renamed the North Star and leased to Tooth & Company, who purchased it outright in 1934. Tooth & Co. remodelled the hotel, opening up the first floor level for use as dining rooms and bars.
George Calligeros purchased it in May 1975 and it remains in the family today. In the late 1980’s it became only the 2nd venue in NSW to be granted a 24 hour licence. Although extensive renovation and restoration work has been carried out in the last 100 years, few changes have been made to the external façade, which remains much as it were at the turn of the nineteenth century."
(No mention though, of when the name was changed back to its original “Rag & Famish”, although, for those interested in the origins of this strange name, they offer this as an explanation:
"There are several stories surrounding the naming of “The Rag”, some say Bullivant (original owner) chose the name to reflect his scorn for the armed services. Rag & Famish was a slang term for the Army and Navy Club and around this time an artist, John Leech, obtained much amusement out of the imaginary characters of Ensign Rag and Captain Famish. Another theory is that it comes from the quote “If you come here too often you will waste all your substance and you will be in rags before you die”)
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