Friday Rant - Fancy Restaurants

[Shunty]

So, the better half's birthday today. We go out for dinner to a pretty decent restaurant, The Monteiths Tasting Room. Great food (Hop smoked pork loin!!) And a pretty decent three page wine list. I ask the waitress what beer is available.

The 6 monteiths beers, Heineken, Export Gold and Sol. FFS its supposed to be a beer themed restaurant! They will quite happily sell you a $220 bottle of champagne, but a decent beer? thats asking too much. I can't say I was expecting much from outside the DB family, but at least one tasty beer would have been nice.

And another point, when you put the og, fg and bitterness of your "Craft" beers in a menu, please do not claim that 20 IBU is a very bitter beer. Thats just stupid. And miss "I think i know beer" waitress - don't try and tell me that monteiths black is a stout, or that heineken is realy expensive to brew because they only use hops and no malt.

Rant mode off. Going to console myself with homebrew

 

[Weizguy]

Tell ya wot, Shunty ( if that's your real name),

When ya get to Newcastle, me and daboyz (if I can muster any - ha ha) will take U out for a feed of Chinese and an evening a beer & bullshit (or is that bullshut?).

Seth out (at the Newy Brewery and had 4 pints for happy hour- had to leave early)

 

[mikem108]

I know what you mean, to paraphrase Michael Jackson, who ralies against wine snobs, imagine if the wine list came out in a fancy restaurant and there was only 4 Chardonays to choose from. When questioned about the choice the waiter could respond "well its wine isn't it"

I'm pissed off about being offered the same 4 or 5 crappy megaswill lagers in just about every restuarant. We HBers need to start a campaign to tell these places that its OK to have some Ales and craftbrew on the beer list too.

 

[neonmeate]

hear hear

redoak are showing the way, although they just have to serve the beer at a temperature above -3C to make it possible to drink with food. and get some ales on cask - excessive carbonation is the enemy of food, except for aperitifs that is

 

[Gough]

A new restaurant and bar here in Newcastle called Silo is having a go. It is quite pricey, but they have a pretty extensive and interesting beer list in addition to a great wine list. Best of both worlds It isn't happening over night, but it is happening (as the ad used to say...)

Shawn.

 

[yalnikim]

So, the better half's birthday today. We go out for dinner to a pretty decent restaurant, The Monteiths Tasting Room. Great food (Hop smoked pork loin!!) And a pretty decent three page wine list. I ask the waitress what beer is available.

And another point, when you put the og, fg and bitterness of your "Craft" beers in a menu, please do not claim that 20 IBU is a very bitter beer.

Shunty

I wouldn't expect anything more from a "themed" pubs/restaurants. They are all about brands. A step up from McDonalds really (though at least McD's are a bit more honest).

However... I had dinner at Martin Bosely's restaurant on Oriental Bay. Exquisite food, I was really impressed, $260 for two people - so not cheap, and I had to drink wine because there wasn't a half decent beer in the place. I've sent them an email to tell them of their shame.

20 IBU might well be very bitter, if the FG is 1.001.


From experience, very good food and beer can be had at Boulcot Street Bistro. Other places with pleasant food and good beer: Hummingbird, Malthouse, Pravda (small beer selection). I'm sure there are more.

Stu