Union Hotel Brunswick, funnily enough in Brunswick

Where: 109 Union Street, Brunswick

When: 23 April 2012.

Website: http://www.unionhotelbrunswick.com.au/ (menu page is unfortunately blank at time of writing)

Rating: 4.5/5

Charlotte's delicious steak sandwich and mountain of chips.

The Union Hotel Brunswick - or UHB - has recently become our local.  Normally we head over to the Northcote Social Club on Mondays for their free live music, but this particular Monday had been hijacked by Pond to play an extra (not free) concert after their Sunday night show sold out, so we figured it would be a good opportunity to go and check out the UHB. We were very glad that we did. Outside, it doesn't appear particularly spectacular, but inside it's a smart casual sort of bar, friendly and homely. The beer garden looked great, but unfortunately it was a cold night with showers forecast, so we stayed inside. Even though we went over a bit late (not long before the kitchen closed), the place was still pretty full - we got the second-last table. You may want to book ahead, especially if you've got a large group. We weren't drinking much this particular evening, but the beer selection was good.

Starters

Saganaki ($12): A bit pricey but our group of four wanted a saganaki fix before our dinner. There were some other appetising entrée options, including a sausage roll that sounded nice, but we decided to just go with the saganaki. It came out before the mains (unlike some pubs that love to just throw everything at you at once); two healthily large slices of saganaki that divided easily in half so that we each got a satisfying amount of saganaki. It was matched with a generous bowl of olives, which shouldn't have been a problem - but it was. You see, it turned out that I was the only one of us four who actually eats olives. I love them. But there were just a few too many for me to knock off alone without total olive overload; I didn't anticipate so many. Perhaps next time we'll ask for another slice of saganaki instead of the side olives!

Mains

Thanks to the lack of an online menu and my own poor memory, I can't recall the price of a couple of the mains. They were around the $15-20 vicinity, though. Usual pub prices.

A parma that tastes much better than it looks - highly recommended!

Chicken parmigiana ($18): There is more to this parma than meets the eye. Luckily, a couple of reviews had prepared me for this, so I wasn't put off by the arrival of a parma with a fair bit of nude schnitzel and not exactly a generous amount of cheese. I assure you: you just don't notice. The chicken is absolutely top quality, crumbed beautifully, and cooked to a delectable tenderness. It is impossible to fault. The ham is very tasty too, some of the best ham I've had on a parma. The napoli sauce could be more and better, but it does the job, and the Swiss cheese punches above its weight, delivering a good taste. As for the sides? The salad ticked all the boxes and the serve of chips was larger than usual. They were a bit hidden under the gigantic parma, which is something I don't tend to like, but they didn't lose any crispiness. I went home very full and very content.

Cape Grim steak sandwich ($20): Charlotte got this on the basis of its name alone. The decision paid off. By the sounds of enjoyment coming from her side of the table, the steak was ideally cooked just like my chicken, the caramelised onion was outstanding, the aioli was on a similar level, and the bun was of good quality. The UHB certainly doesn't skimp on size either: she wasn't sure if she would be able to finish it, but it was too good to go to waste. Of course, this meant some of the chips unfortunately stayed on the plate. I suspect next time we go to the UHB, we might share a main - they are certainly big enough to be a satisfying meal for two - and indulge in another one of the entrées.

Definitely a satisfying serve of fish and chips.

Fish and chips: It's become something of a running joke that a particular friend of ours, whenever he dines with us, orders anything on the meal that I can't eat. So no samples for me! He seemed pretty pleased though, and again, the serving size was quite considerable.

Bangers and mash: I forget what it was actually called on the menu, but that's basically what it was - sausages piled atop mashed potato, with steamed vegetables on the side. Not just any mashed potato either; it contained basil and bacon pieces. The sausages were nice, but the friend who ordered this dish was just in love with the mash. Naturally, we all had to sample it. I'm a fussy bastard when it comes to mashed potato, but yeah, it delivers.

The sausages looking pretty phallic.

I had baked a cake for our group to share for dessert when we returned home, but we were much too full and very content after our meal. So alas, the cake had to wait for another day to be eaten. We didn't mind. The UHB is a place I'm very happy to call my local.

The Workers Club, Fitzroy

Where: Cnr Brunswick St and Gertrude St, Fitzroy, Victoria

When: 26.04.12; occasionally in 2010.

Website: http://theworkersclub.com.au/menu/

Rating: 4/5

The Workers Club is one of many fantastic live music venues in Fitzroy that also happens to serve food. It brings back fond memories for us, since it is where we first discovered Rekorderlig strawberry and lime cider, which has sustained us though many hot, sticky afternoons since. However, we have only eaten there twice, and I don't remember the first time very well. I vaguely remember having some delicious pasta dish, and we both have fond memories of their crinkle-cut chips with aioli. Last week, we decided that we were long overdue to eat at the Workers Club again.

We arrived just as it had begun to rain, and managed to secure one of the last remaining tables in the front bar. We decided to order one main and one side to share between us, given that the serving sizes of pub food are usually likely to leave you feeling somewhat bloated. We placed our order and sat down to enjoy a jug of Bulmer's pear cider - slightly more interesting than the apple variety. They normally have Dirty Granny apple cider on tap, but on this night they were unfortunately out of stock.

Our food arrived more quickly than we expected, which can sometimes indicate somewhat mediocre food quality, but in this case, we needn't have worried.

Manchego cheese quesadilla, $7

This quesadilla was a substantial size, and we ended up glad that we didn't opt for a second starter! The braised kidney beans were cooked very well, and I quickly forgot that I was eating something without any meat in it. The cheese was delicious but a little on the sparse side - a touch more and this would have been perfect. The dish did have a few jalapeño peppers dotted around, but I steered clear of these and left them to Ax, who has much more of a palate for spice than I!

Grilled saganaki burger, $16
This reasonably-priced burger certainly delivered. It was absolutely brimming with saganaki - any more and I probably would have dehydrated from the salt, but the cucumber and tzatziki balanced out the salty cheese perfectly. It was served with a generous helping of the crinkle-cut chips that we remembered so fondly, and they were just as good as we'd remembered - crispy and salty.

We were very satisfied after sharing these two dishes between us, and the burger/cheese craving we had been harbouring for the last few days was certainly quenched. For a couple of carnivores like us, we were somewhat astonished that we'd just eaten a dinner containing absolutely no meat, but with food of this quality, we really didn't miss it. I am very keen to come back and try the wagyu beef burger ($16), and of course, the free-range chicken parma ($21). Very interested to see if it lives up to its price tag.

Northcote Social Club, Northcote

Where: 301 High St, Northcote, Victoria

When: Most Mondays since June 2011; occasionally beforehand.

Website: http://northcotesocialclub.com/front-bar-kitchen/

Rating: 4.5/5

Most of our reviews will be written individually, but for our first review, we are both going to take turns to discuss one of our most regular haunts. Normally, we will have photos, but we actually don't have any on hand from the NSC. We wanted to get the blog up and running though and there is nowhere more fitting for our first review than the NSC, so you'll have to use your imagination for this review. We'll post some pictures in May.

The Axver Version

I don't remember the first time I ate at the Northcote Social Club (NSC); the first time I ever went there was on 12 November 2009 to see Dimmer perform in the bandroom, but I didn't eat on that occasion. At any rate, we became regulars at the NSC when they began "Monday Night Mass" - three free bands, $15 chicken parmigianas, and $12 jugs of Carlton. Yes, the $12 jugs only applies to Carlton, which is a pain if you're cider drinkers like us. But the $15 parma? Yes PLEASE.

In our time going to the NSC, we've eaten our way through much of the menu and we never hesitate to take visitors there for a good feed (and hopefully a good band). So here are my thoughts on some of the menu highlights. The menu does go through small changes; they've never significantly overhauled it in our time there, and some dishes (the parma!) will never go anywhere, but they tinker at the edges regularly so don't come crying if something's gone - it's probably been replaced by something else good anyway. It sadly looks like the shaved jamon is gone, for instance.

Starters:

Garlic bread ($5): Delicious, pulls apart wonderfully, and with a good but not excessive quantity of garlic.

Beer battered onion rings ($8): Love on first sight. They are large, they are REAL ONION RINGS (not some of that processed onion ring shite), and the romesco dipping sauce is delectable. They can get a bit greasy and over-bearing by the end, but they make a very good side for any main. I recommend you put them on your parma. Seriously.

Patatas bravas ($9): The NSC has a mild Spanish theme going on, and this is one of the highlights. These crispy potato cubes are similar to potato wedges, and although I would generally prefer good wedges, these are a delight too. $9 looks pricey, but if you're not a big eater, the serve is large enough to fill you up quite happily.

Mains:

Chicken parmigiana ($22, or Mondays $15): The parma is a fucking star. This is our benchmark for parmas. It is not the best parma on earth, but it does everything a parma should do, and it does it well. Basically, I expect my parmas to match up to the NSC; if a place doesn't at least get within the NSC ballpark, I won't be going back there for another parma, while if they do a better parma than the NSC, then I am suitably delighted and will recommend it to anyone. So what of the NSC's benchmark, then? It's a very large chicken breast, good quality, well-crumbed, rarely any nude schitznel at all, generously topped, plenty of chips, and the salad is satisfactory. We usually split it between the two of us. When I think "god, I'd love a parma", the NSC's parma is what I think of.

Burgers - beef and 'roo ($19): Until March 2012, the burgers used to be a bit cheaper and a bit bigger. That might sound like a bad thing. It's not. They have upgraded their burgers to the most wonderfully succulent beef patties, the sort of tender beef that just falls apart in your mouth, and they've added another option - a 'roo burger. It's very well cooked 'roo too, tender and thoroughly enjoyable. I normally recommend 'roo over beef, but in this case, I actually recommend the beef burger because of the quality of the beef and the fact it comes with bacon. Both burgers are now in very tasty Turkish buns rather than bog standard buns. So although the size is slightly smaller, the quality's gone up and the price is worth it. Plus, unless you're gargantuan and need a Yank-sized serve to feel full, you can now polish off the whole burger and sides without feeling bloated.

Dessert:

Sticky date cake ($8): I don't normally like dates, but I love sticky date pudding, so the moment this was added to the menu, we had to have it. The moment it was placed in front of me, I was in love. This is a really, really good sticky date pudding - it's a generous slice of cake, enough to share between two if you've had a filling parma for dinner. The butterscotch sauce is rich, they give you a reasonable amount of ice cream on the side, and it's not overly sweet. It goes down extremely well after a parma or a burger ... if you have room.

The Charlotte Version

When I first moved to Melbourne, I was relatively (okay, completely) inexperienced when it came to pub grub. In New Zealand, for instance, the idea of a parma is pretty much unknown. Pub staples are more likely to be a good old steak or fish and chips. Anyway, all that aside, I only ever went to pubs when I was already much too drunk to appreciate the food. These days I eat first.

The Northcote Social Club is easily the Melbourne pub I've eaten at the most, and for good reason. The atmosphere is awesome, there's usually good music playing, and one of the bartenders sometimes gives us cheap drinks. And the food just happens to be excellent. Here are a few of my favourites:

Starters:  

Beer battered onion rings ($8): I am a sucker for all things greasy and salty, and these onion rings fit my criteria perfectly. The batter is light and crunchy, filled with fat slices of real onion. The romesco sauce tops things off nicely. Easily the best onion rings I've ever had.

Patatas bravas ($9): Delicious crispy potato cubes akin to wedges. The serving is large and it can get a bit overbearing by the end, so I would recommend sharing, but they are a very filling snack.

Mains: 

Chicken parma ($22, or $15 on Mondays): A straight-up good parma. The chicken is of good quality and the crumb is always nice and crispy without being burnt. The napoli to cheese ratio is just right, and no ingredient ever overpowers another. The salad is simple but good, much better than the token lettuce leaf you get at some pubs.

Fish and chips ($22): Northcote's fish and chips is absolutely divine. The batter on the fish is perfect, light and crispy, and the fish is always nice. The house-made tartare complements the fish very well, and the chips are crisp and salty. The serve is massive though, so make sure you're hungry!

Specials: I think the specials are definitely worth mentioning. They change from day to day, and some amazing things have popped up. A few weeks ago, I had a spaghetti dish with three different kinds of mushroom. It was absolutely delicious. The mushrooms had more flavour than I ever thought they could have, and combined with the light tomato and olive oil sauce to give the dish a wonderful subtle array of flavours. We have also had an incredible starter special, consisting of three kinds of cheese crumbed, fried and spiced with paprika. It was divine, and we think it should become a menu staple!

Desserts: 

Churros ($8): If I can ever fit dessert in, the churros are an excellent choice. The serve is just right - any more and the sweetness would be overpowering, at least for me and my total lack of sweet tooth. The chocolate sauce is delicious, with just a touch of bitterness that complements the cinnamon sugar on the churros nicely. Perfect to share if you can't manage a sticky date cake!