The Hotel Marlborough

American Bar Bar Food Booze Cocktails Dessert Eat & Drink Pub Bistro Wine

Jackie McMillan
May 8, 2013

Step back into the hyper-real backyard of your nostalgic childhood past at the Garden Bar. It’s not just Kodachrome colours, Astroturf and exposed bricks (from that reno. Dad never quite finished), the food’s also got a nostalgic vibe. There’s the classic Backyard Platter ($18) of cubed cheddar, cabanossi, French onion dip and Jatz, or the dish my Mum thought was the height of sophistication – the Prawn Cocktail ($19) with iceberg lettuce, dill, witlof and cocktail sauce. Goes down a treat with a bottle of Le Chat Noir Rose ($30/bottle)… You’ll also find pub-classic Aussie burgers and moist Roast Chook ($18) with coleslaw and golden spuds. But what about the hipsters, I hear you cry? With time at both The Abercrombie and The Norfolk, tattooed Chef Ernie Priestley is well equipped to cope. He’s dishing them up an updated Lamington ($9) and American-style waffles with trendy savoury toppings like Momma’s Chicken ($8) and The Philly Cheese Experiment ($8). They arrive in plastic ‘peg’ baskets (which make them slightly hard to eat). The baskets work better for Ernie’s excellent Fish Fingers ($12). Their passage is eased by a simple yet compelling Gin & Juice ($15). It’s a clever recipe of Tanqueray, blackcurrant and pink grapefruit juice that might even pop up at my next BBQ…