The Australian Hotel

100 Cumberland Street THE ROCKS SYDNEY 2000
Phone 92472229

Review originally posted on the 16th of January 2003


It is a truth universally acknowledged that cooking increases Serotonan levels; the terrific inbuilt feel-good agent carried by neurotransmitters. I can’t imagine why then people claim to dislike food preparation. (General jocularity.)

This same bliss is gained from eating and drinking.

Then why do nearly 40 eateries close or go bankrupt nationwide daily?

Furthermore, how come the hospitality industry grows by 8.4% a year?

I look for answers at the Rocks, in The Australian Hotel. A corner pub built in 1913 from an established license dated 1889.

Inside, it has a resuscitated though chintzy post-war feel. And outside, a corrugated iron canopy shades trestle tables right around the walkway. Attractive staff serves the vast beer selection, and undergraduate barmen patrol the perimeter in search of errant empties.

Beef & Bock pie with a glossy crust, those ubiquitous wedges, the “Rocks” Caesar, pizza (including a breakfast pizza...) and soup make-up most of the menu. With the exception of the pie, they exemplify our culinary crisis.

What the dumbing down effect considers ironic ie Pizza Tandoori chicken served with mint yogurt, or Pizza con-carne served with sour cream, guacamole and corn chips, (really!) is properly considered sarcastic by a confidently strong cuisine.

I mean it’s like U2 wearing sunglasses. Contrariness yes, imaginative? Not notably.

But I ate and enjoyed. At night the incandescent backdrop of the city lights would enhance greatly the pub's gastronomic interest.

A big index of appeal here is Scharer’s lager. Brewed in Picton at the George the 4th Inn by the riotously funny Scharer. The Bock beer used to braise the pie’s beef is another Scharer product.

It’s no gastropub, though the tables of striped shirted salesmen suggest a good meeting place for girlies looking to flirt. Neither is it the most potent symbol of Australian cuisine. But to carry on any more would be to sound like a pub bore.