A Beer Garden

Recently I visited a pub for lunch with a fabulous view.  We sat inside by a wood burning fire, in the pub’s bistro.  The bistro was a large open room displaying a grand vista of a rural landscape, complete with a couple of horses nearby.  To sit outside would have been quite delightful.  There was a large verandah, as well as some tables and chairs in the pub grounds.   Even if not sitting outside the large glass windows and doors brought the outside in. We sat there for an extremely leisurely lunch enjoying the warmth of the fire and our scenic surrounds.  If a pub is lucky enough to have a position offering a natural surrounding beauty  as part of its beer garden, as this one did, there is one less thing to work at to make it a great pub, or a favourite pub.

However a beer garden doesn’t have to be scenic to lure one into a state of comfort or enjoyment.  Over the years I’ve sat in many a beer garden, both in cities and in country towns, that I think have often been the making of the pubs.  Pubs, not only surrounded by paddocks or bush and abundant bird life, but with numerous umbrella’s, tables and chairs in a confined area, abuzz with people enjoying the experience.

A beer garden where one can enjoy the warmth of the spring sun, or shade from the summer heat along with a cold refreshing drink, can be enjoyed as much in a small courtyard, a verandah or a meandering garden setting as a beer garden with majestic views.

At certain times of the year an outdoor area is obviously a bonus, but as much as I enjoyed the comfortable and scenic environment I was lunching in recently,  it is more than the view that makes a pub a great one.

Southern Highlands Country Fair

Southern Highlands Country Fair

Quality arts and crafts with old wares market

9am - 2pm (Autumn & Winter) & 9am-3pm (Spring & Summer)

Fourth Sunday each month

Moss Vale Showground, Illawarra Hwy, Moss Vale

ph:  4683 1639 or 0404 002 668 or 0404 002 667

Throsby House Open Day

18/04/09

Throsby House Open Day

Throsby Park, Church Rd

Moss Vale

Vehichl entry is off Church Re, via Illawarra Hwy. Moss Vale

Open from 10am - 3pm

Admission:  Adults $5, concession $3, Family $12

ph:  NPWS 4423 2170

A guided tour of Throsby Park Homestead

Throsby Park was built in 1834.  It has remained in the Throsby family fo r5 generations and is still furnished with Throsby family relics.

The Porterhouse Bistro, Moss Vale Hotel

Porterhouse Bistro, Moss Vale Hotel

Argyle St

Moss Vale

Phone:  (02) 4868 1599

The Moss Vale Hotel is located on Argyle Street in Moss Vale.  It is an attractive looking hotel in the centre of town.

The hotel’s bistro has recently been tastefully renovated and reopened.

Having heard numerous positive reports, it was time to have a meal there.  The front entrance takes one straight into a bistro that is beautifully furnished with wooden tables and chairs.  It has a timber floor, a brick feature wall surrounding two fireplaces.

The kitchen is exposed, and if conversation between guests is scarce, the kitchen staff are great to watch.

From where we sat, we could see through the glass windows separating the bistro from the  bar and the bar from the poker machines and gaming area.  The bar is large, clean and well displayed, quite appealing really.

The menu is pub bistro style, including wood fired pizzas. The two people I was with decided on Beer battered Flathead Fish and Chips  and I had a Chicken Caesar Salad, all around  $16.50.

The food was well presented.  The fish melted in your mouth.  The chips, cooked to the crunchy stage.  My Caesar Salad was fairly typical of a nice Caesar Salad.  The beer prices seemed to be what is average in the area at around $ 3.00 for a middy.

The bistro of this pub has only recently reopened, and I think has the potential to become a regular venue for many of the locals needing the refreshing atmosphere it brings.