Paddy’s Brewery

Paddy’s beers have won numerous awards over the years and it has been on our radar for yonks. So on this cold and raining Saturday, we thought, what better way to pass the time than beer in hand?

Food

We had lunch at the bistro - Simply Food Bistro - that’s attached to the pub. I was expecting the usual pub grub (and I’m not talking about the fancy pub stuff you get in the Eastern suburbs), but they had quite an extensive Specials menu to compliment the schnitzels and burger offerings. Nothing too out there mind you, but definitely a hearty meal you can enjoy.

Slokky picked the New York steak with king prawns, lemon pepper & shallot ($20). They were very generous with their steak, and it was cooked just slightly longer than the requested medium-rare, but was still pink enough in the middle. The steak itself was ok quality and quite juicy. The sauce was slightly sweetened by tomatoes. I’m not a fan of surf and turf and don’t think the prawns added any value, although they were nice to eat by themselves.

I, on the other hand, picked the Lamb loin with wasabi and black herb sauce ($20). Well, I couldn’t taste any wasabi, but the two generous pieces of lamb was covered in the most alcoholic berry soaked sauce I’ve ever tasted! It was divine though. The sprinkling of shallots and carrots on top was a bit superficial.

Also included in the price is bread (I was surprised they actually had Turkish pide as a choice), a salad bar (with fresh but bland salads), tea or coffee (which I didn’t try).

Of course I couldn’t eat here without trying their beer. I ordered the Chocolate porter ($3.50), a silver medal winning creation. It was dark and malty, with a slightly sweet and bitter taste mixed together. I agree, it’s pretty good stuff, although I don’t drink enough to comment on how good it is.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

An old fashioned pub really, with a salad bar, CRT TVs showing sport (we watched the French Open Men’s semis), with the addition of giant tanks that’s part of the brewery. It has an old school, bygone era, charm, although on the day we visited, we were joined by burly men and workers from the nearby Flemington Markets. It’s a bit intimidating for females.

Rating - 1

Service

Hey, it’s a pub, although everyone was very friendly. You order at the counter, pay and get a buzzer. After that it’s help yourself to cutlery, bread, salad, sauce, coffees.

Rating - 3

C-factor

It’s a little expensive for pub grub, but they are very generous with their servings. The beers are certainly cheap though, and you even get cheese cubes and biscuits as bar snacks!

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 11.5

Info

268 Parramatta Road
Flemington
NSW 2129
Phone (02) 9764 3500
Website