The London - Balmain

Attended a private birthday lunch function last Saturday at this beautiful old world pub. The Chef, Steve, did an amazing job producing a delicious 3 course meal for around 36 guests.  Chrissy, the maitre-d and Deb were so attentive and charming to all the guests needs.  Food service all ran like clockwork; drinks were plentiful and nothing was too much trouble.  They all helped make this special occasion such a wonderful day.  When I'm next up in Sydney again I will definitely be dining at The London Hotel in Balmain.

What a lovely find!! Hidden away down the more quiet end of Balmain the local gem has wonderful views of the harbour bridge from their small balcony seatings. Order the chicken winds n garlic bread entrees. Wonderfully tasty, fast delivery and service with a smile! Very satisfying!!

Balmain has more pubs than you can shake a stick at. So making a plan to visit every pub in Balmain is no small commitment. But as they say, someone's got to do it. We kicked off our Balmain pub crawl with a visit to the London Hotel. This turned out to be a good call. Gorgeous historic pub, friendly crowd and good food. The menu is classic pub food burgers, steak sandwiches etc, cooked well and with generous serving sizes. The mushroom burger was humungous, and the steak sandwich was also very respectable. Off to a flying start!

Went here Friday night. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Menu a bit of a mixed bag. I had the wagyu steak and chips (they were actually fries) $39 and my dinner companion had the tenderloin steak and mash $34. Very overpriced especially for a pub meal. Needed something else on the plate like some steamed greens. It was well cooked and tasty. Drinks reasonably priced.

Riding on the wave of a great pie, I pulled into Balmain’s London Hotel just as the sun was setting. The much vied for balcony seats allow you a crackin’ view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Needless to say in a pub gearing up for a second Rugby World Cup match (the All Blacks and Argentina) I didn’t get one! What I did get was my pie of the day – the London ham hock pie. Built on a short, house-made piecrust, the gently stewed ham hocks were topped with creamy potato puree and accompanied by a crisp, well-dressed salad. The bar manager called it “a first principles pie” where everything from the pastry shell to the red wine jus was made in house. The pie’s honesty and integrity suited the preservative and chemical free beer perfectly.