St James Hotel

I heard on the grapevine about the great value steaks here, so I did my duty and headed straight there for a roadtest.

Food

There’s your standard pub menu, as well as the All Day Specials. I ordered the 250gm Certified Angus Rump steak w/ mash & jus ($9.95). It came on a square plate with a little Angus flag on top. The steak was quite nice, with a very good charred taste. It was a little bit well cooked in the places where the steak was a bit thin, but for $9.95, I wouldn’t complain. It was very juicy, and the mash was divine, creamy and smooth, much nicer than even some of the expensive places.

I washed it all down with a Becks on tap. What more could you want? Well…maybe a salad…

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

The place has been fully refurbished. The street level consists of the main bar, with coloured liquor bottle lining the back wall, and plasma screens showing sport. The cream décor and cushion stools actually make it quite a change from the blokey places or the silvery “I’m too cool” places.

The downstairs bistro is more traditional. Hard timber chairs, a few pool tables, but everything is still very brand spanking new.

Perhaps reflective of the décor, there were quite a few normal looking women dining here, instead of the stick insects that frequent the shiny places, and some even came without the men!

Rating - 2

Service

Well, we were chatting so much, we actually forgot to pick up our drinks from the bar. It was an honest mistake, as we were given the buzzer after we’d been given our food that we forgot all about our drinks! The barmaid did mange to deliver it to us at the table, but boy she was cranky! Sorry, we weren’t trying to treat you as a waiter, we just forgot. Hey, we did give you a tip though!

The food is picked up downstairs at the bistro, where you can also help yourself to cutlery, sauces and mustards.

Rating - 3

C-factor

The food is quite generous. I was very full after going through my plate of mash. Superb value, even for a pub.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 13

Info

114 Castlereagh Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9261 8277
Website