What: The Burwood Inn
Where: 77 Berner Street, Merewether
Prices: Pub grub $18 to $24; breads $5 to $8; oysters $15 and $27; share plates $7 to $9.50; salads $17 and $18; mains $18.50 to $29.50; desserts $9.50
Chef: Alison Smith
Wines: Reasonably priced and more interesting variety than in most pubs
Hours: Lunch seven days; dinner, Monday to Saturday
Vegetarian: One salad, two share plates, breads
Bookings: 4963 5992
Bottom line: Entree, main, dessert about $90 for two without drinks
Scratch the surface of any part of Newcastle and you won't be surprised to find the traditional neighbourhood pub. What is more surprising is how many are serving really decent food. With a kitchen boasting a chef who has worked in a Jamie Oliver kitchen in London, the Bistro at the Burwood Inn in Merewether is such a place.
Traditional pub food including substantial chicken parmigiana, large steaks, great fish and chips and pretty good pizzas are all there. Dark timber chairs and tables and paper cloths give it a real brasserie feel. With bare boards and lots of hard surfaces this is probably not the place for a romantic dîner à deux but families with kids will love it.
On the other hand, a menu that also includes a small list of modern Australian dishes will reward the discerning diner. You need to go to the bar for any drinks or water but the glassware is adequate and the table service is spot on. And there aren't too many places in this town that have better coffee.
Entrees are designed to share and a selection could even make a light dinner for two. With the anticipation of a main course to come, a shared plate with three of the listed entrees looks perfect. Four small goat's cheese balls speckled with fragrant herbs squash nicely onto thin, crisply toasted slices of Turkish bread. Three skewers of melt-in-the-mouth just-seared tuna coated with black sesame seeds create a small sharing dilemma, soon solved. A dish of nam jim sauce makes for perfect dipping. Salt and pepper squid can be disappointing with a lot of flavour often lost in the frying. Here, the tender pieces of seafood still have their crunchy coating and get an extra zing from sweet chilli sauce on the side.
Veal scaloppine is Alison's signature dish of the moment. Pieces of veal are skewered with a slice of imported prosciutto and a fresh sage leaf and quickly seared in butter and lemon to mouth-watering tenderness. Purists may call it veal saltimbocca but whatever, it's a wonderful dish and sits on golden, crisply smashed chats, roasted with rosemary, and perfectly steamed green vegetables - broccolini, beans and snow peas this night - all bathed in a light broth.
Twice-cooked duck also comes with those crisp smashed chats. The thigh meat is juicy but the drumstick meat is a little dry and overcooked. A peach and apple chutney, baby leaf salad, wilted baby spinach and a red wine reduction go a long way to compensate.
Desserts stay with the tried and true but creme brulee is a good test for a chef and the honeycomb variety doesn't disappoint. The crust is fine, evenly burnished and shatters satisfactorily under the spoon to reveal creamy, caramel-flavoured custard hiding a further layer of golden honeycomb. The vanilla ice-cream with mixed berries is a bit redundant but the two shortbread biscuits make a nice contrast.
When you haven't time to cook, or the pantry's bare, you could do far worse than seek out this family-friendly suburban pub.
Email a friend