LOCATIONClose to Milsons Point train station.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAHungry? Is that empty, cavernous space below the diaphragm in need of a feed that only bistro cuisine will satisfy? How about a pint of ale to help wash it all down? If you find yourself walking aimlessly around the leafy neighbourhood of Milsons Point when this particular mood hits you – and if you’re anything like me this could happen at any time, and without warning – then the Kirribilli Hotel is like the light at the end of the famish tunnel. Standing proudly since 1937, this true blue local pub has a great beer garden in which to gather your friends and enjoy a delicious meal.
Peking duck spring rolls with enoki mushrooms or perhaps a tasting plate of prosciutto, risotto balls, mixed dips, smoked salmon, marinated fetta, salt and pepper squid and grilled Turkish bread will suffice as sharing snacks to warn the rumbles off. Roast pumpkin, sage and goat’s cheese risotto, and the pepperoni pizza with bocconcini and wild rocket represent a lean to Italia while the beer battered barramundi fillets with chips, salad and home-made tartare sauce, and the 300g grain-fed porterhouse are Aussie mainstays. There are plenty of delicious dishes which require a little more handiwork such as the beef burger with cheese and bacon, beef nachos with sour cream, guacamole and salsa, and a char-grilled chicken BLT with avocado. You couldn’t possible leave the Kirribilli Hotel after having let loose in its bistro especially if you’ve been sampling a couple of pints of Bulmers cider too.
Annabel Wise, January 2009