Barney Allen's

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
The warmth of Barney Allen’s is only partly due to the feng shui red walls, the centralised dark timber bar, and the framed mementos and posters smartly arranged on one wall. The warmth comes from the people. Those who work here are welcoming, sunny tempered and professional. The regulars are happily meeting friends, having a drink, eating and trying to make them themselves heard over the evening noise. That and the no-bookings policy gives the whole place a nicely casual air.

There’s a lot to drink: a great range of beers for a start, a fabulous selection of cocktails, a blackboard list of wine specials, and a full wine list that would do credit many a formal restaurant. The food is another good story. There’s nothing over $20 so you can share a plate of charcuterie, or have it all to yourself – a well presented selection of rillettes, an elegant scoop of pate, slices of salami, a slice of pate in a pastry case, and some pickles in a cute little pot. Or have the burger, which is one of the signature dishes here. Chips are extra but well worth it. The day’s specials are chalked up on a board, could be a shepherd’s pie with buttered cabbage or something similar. The board displays the straightforward good food with a real eye to quality and detail that has characterised Iain Hewitson’s cooking for years. And add the genuine warmth of long-time business partner Ruth Allen and her brother Barney, and you can’t go wrong.

Rita Erlich