Address:
Corner of Playfair & Argyle Streets
The Rocks
City:
The Rocks, Sydney
State:
NSW
Postcode:
2000
Telephone:
02 9247 7785
Email:
This is my favourite time of the year. It's springtime, daylight savings has begun, it's my birthday month, and best of all, it's Oktoberfest TIME!! YAY!!! You can not pass off September and October without experiencing some sort of German festivities. It's a time for thigh slapping fun, dancing, yodeling, hugging!?....and of course BEER!
One thing I learned about Oktoberfest is the majority of the festivities are celebrated in September. From mid-september until the first week of October it is usually celebrated. My hubby and I were very fortunate to be in Munich back in 2005, just in time for the genuine Oktoberfest. The first thing we did as soon has we hit Munich soil was to head for the bier halls at the Oktoberfest festival. I was absolutely amazed. Everyone was so happy and everyone was your friend. We've never met and spoken to so many strangers before! It's amazing how beer can suddenly bring people together.
The place was a gigantic amusement park with huge tent beer halls lined up in the middle of everything. Hubby and I weaved through the halls but was just not lucky enough to snap any seats. It was so loud in there. Everybody were singing, laughing and having a good time.
There were food stalls outside, Some unusual food like whole smoked trout on a stick were sold like pluto pups. Heaps of sausages and mustard!
Last week, hubby and I decided to try and relive that time back in Munich. We went to Lowenbrau for dinner after work. We've been to this place before, but it wasn't now I just realised just how much effort his place put in to make this look and feel just like a beer hall at the Oktoberfest. The tables and chairs are placed in long communal lanes. All diners are to sit next to each other even if you don't know them. The Oompa band were playing the same music, and the waiter are all dressed in trditional german outfits. They looked their part, they also had the friendly personality and accents. It was fabulous! I loved it! We immediately ordered our beer. I had a girly one that tasted like mango. We also ordered a kinda meat platter for two. We were rightfully warned that it is a big serve.
This is a great place to unwind and have a good time. The entertainment is so uplifting. I couldn't resist to hold up my beer stien and sway to the music. It's not such a hard thing to do when you've had a couple of them 
Give it a go. Make sure you book before hand, even on a weekday. It's a very popular place for parties and corporate ones too.
Dunke!
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Address:
Shop 1, 72-80 Allison Cres
City:
Menai
State:
NSW
Postcode:
2234
Telephone:
(02) 9532 0699
Email:
yourhost@RockSaltRestaurant.com.au
I love it, I love it, I love it. This place totally reconsidered my perception about outer Sydney restaurants. If there is one restaurant that dispels any notion of outer Sydney restaurants being below par with the inner city restaurants, then this is the one.
I really didn't expect much out of this local Menai restaurant & bar. But the moment I walked in, I could sense that this was no ordinary local eatery. The entire place is somewhat of a mix bag. The front of the restaurant has the bar with very comfy lounges and bar stools. A large LCD TV that is constantly on the sports channel. There is an upstairs, I believe caters for private functions. The atmosphere of the dining is very classic. The tables are covered in classic white linen, the furnishings are elegant and matches perfectly with the timber floors. There are artworks displayed on walls for customers to look at and possibly purchase.
The food is really the ultimate reason why I come back here as often as I can. They have soft shelled crab!!! YUMMO!! There is absolutely no dish that has disappointed me. The steaks are amazing as well as the fish and chips. Servings are very generous.
The ambience is great and the waiters and bar men are cute and friendly. Great place to bring the kids. We've had a few large family get togethers here and left very excited about what we just ate there. Can't wait to use up my Entertainment Book again soon.
I highly recommend this place if you are ever in the vicinity of Menai at the Shire.
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Address:
212 Bent Street
City:
Moore Park
State:
NSW
Postcode:
2021
Telephone:
(02) 9361 3833
Email:
eq@bavarianbiercafe.com.au
This is the newest addition to the line up of Bavarian Bier Cafe spring up around Sydney. I only recently got introduced to their York St. cafe not long ago. Check out my review of that place! While I was quite impressed with the York Street cafe, I could not say the same for the one located in the Entertainment Quarter (formally known as Fox Studios).
My same group of friends and I decided to do a quick dinner here before we head to the Russell Peters comedy show at the Horden Pavillion close by. It was a lst minute decisionn to dine there. I was quite excited to try this place out so to compare with other Bavarian Bier Cafe in the city.
PROS:
Convenient place to hang out while you wait for a performance or show. Seeing it is at the EQ.
Great variety of imported Bavarian Beer.
CONS:
Service was absolutely confusing. I ordered something from the specials board and received nothing. After complaining, they give me an alternate version of what I ordered. I didn't complain since it was pretty much the same as to what I originally ordered except what I got ended up cheaper anyway.
Food was ookaay. ...I expected it to at least get close to the standards of York St. No where near how well York Street presented their meals nor how it tasted. Many of our group didn't finish their meal.
MY VERDICT in simple terms, this place is DISORGANISED! I don't know where the failure has occured. They just need to get the systematic process of taking the order, making sure it's correct and understood by the chef/cook, and then.... getting the correct orders to the customer at the same or close proximately of time. They need to take better care of their customers. Ask if everyone is ok with their meals would be nice. That way we don't have to tackle the next waiter that comes our way asking where my meal is and then get a dumbfounded look back in return.
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Address:
24 York Street
City:
Sydney
State:
NSW
Postcode:
2000
Telephone:
(02) 8297 4111
Email:
infoyork@bavarianbiercafe.com.au
Bavarian Bier Cafe - York Street.
I don't know why I had not tried this place a lot earlier. I used worked practically across the road from it for a couple of years a few years ago, yet never step foot in the place until just last Monday. I organised friends of mine to meet up at this place afterwork to catch up with our old uni friend here in Sydney for Chinese New Year. He now lives in London.
My hubby and I arrived an hour early to sample and make use of the Happy Hour which is open from 5-7pm. One look at the menu, and I was now back in Germany. All memories of Oktoberfest in Munich came flooding back. All the familiar beers were on the menu. Memories of drinking Paulaner beer in the middle of the railway station in Munich and at Obermagau came rushing back. I was impressed.
The place is a lot smaller than the Belgian Bier Cafe on Harrington St at the Rocks. It is also a little more classy than the Belgian one. Because we were there on a Monday, the place was not crowded. We could actually hear ourselves talking. The decore is very similar. Timber floors and walls. The ambience is perfect for a group gathering or just a nice place to relax and hang-out after work.
Service was very good. The bar tenders were very attentive and waited for your order rather than walking off.
I ordered the Ladies Bier - Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Hell 7.6 with Lychee flavour. I gulped that up pretty quickly and ordered a second just before happy hour ended. Because this was a sweet beer mix, I couldn't go back to the regular larger which then tasted rather bitter afterwards.
As the friends started to arrive, we took to our table and started reviewing the extensive list of menu items. The menu consisted of typical Bavarian cuisine. I could not wait to try some Sauerkraut again. Bavarian/German food is not the most heathy thing for your heart. It tends to be a lot of fatty sausages and roasted pork belly. If only there was a magic tablet that would negate every fatty food I eat. Well, I definately lost track of my calorie count that afternoon.
When everyone arrived, we ordered our meals and started to chat away with our UK friend connection, as if he never left Sydney at all. I didn't notice the time much. We were all too busy talking and lstening to the 'boys' discussing and comparing their DSLR cameras.
The food exceeded my expectations. I had only been to one other Bavarian place which was the Lowenbrau Restaurant at the Rocks. Unlike Lowenbrau, the food is presented very well and the servings were just right. I ordered the Bavarian Mixed Platter while some ordered the schnitzel. Another ordered the chilli mussels.
Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Hell -with choice of Raspberry, Pineapple, or Lychee flavour
Pan Fried Chicken Schnitzel with your Choice of Warm Potato Salad or French Fries
I got quite excited about this place. I wouldn't mind being a regular here. Too bad my office has moved to CQ.
There is another Bavarian Bier Cafe at O'Connell Street which is closer to CQ. I've got to try this one next time. There is also another restauarant at Manly Wharf and also at the Entertainment Quarter. They're popping up everywhere! Nice! Until my next foodie update, chow chow everyone!
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Hey! I know my restaurant reviews have been a little scarce lately. My apologies. I now have about 5 minutes to try and cram something in before my hubby picks me up from the office.
Well, I haven't really been eating out so much in the past few weeks. I'm trying to save a few $$ for my trip to NZ. I've been to a Thai restaurant in my local area which I will review soon.
This weekend, I'm taking out my family to the 360 Bar and Restaurant located in the Centrepoint Tower. We're there to celebrate my mum's 60th birthday. So keep an eye out for my review on that place. It's a pricey, so we'll soon see whether it is worth it.
On Monday, I will be meeting up with friends at either the Belgium Bier Cafe near the Rocks, or try the Bavarian Bier Cafe. I've never been the Bavarian one so I'm hoping my friends will agree to my preference.
Ok, that's all I can write for now. Hubby is about to arrive. Be sure to be back here to find what happens to my upcoming dining experience.
Have a good weekend!
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