Pub Of The Week: Tony Leonard reviews Westmeadows Tavern

Westmeadows Tavern

10 Ardlie Street, Westmeadows.
9333 1646

When? January 27, 2023.
www.westmeadowstavern.com.au

VENUE 

In slightly out of the way and rather quaint Westmeadows, the local pub, aka ‘the old broadie pub’, is a neat and compact  brick/saloon tavern servicing the locals and doing a most acceptable trade.

The three main areas, Pokies (separate), bistro (standard) and front bar (sports) are supported by a beer garden to the rear. Local historian Ed McGuire pointed out that the old cop shop about a block away had Ned Kelly as one of its guests way back when.

The pub is owned and operated by the massive ALH group (there’s probably one near you), but increasingly there is some individuality in offer and at the Westmeadows the experience was most pleasant.

Genuine character in the front bar with lacquered tree trunks as your defacto table for drinks and resting elbows and if the pursuit of a tradie in the northern suburbs was needed by you, then the cross section gives confidence that you would have found one enjoying a pot and Parma at lunchtime.

TAB/Pokies.

The Westmeadows pub is example 1A of the slow and steady change for the better in outer suburban pubs in Melbourne.

FOOD/DRINK

Two menus (bar/bistro) means there is a shave in bar prices of a couple of dollars from menus that do pub favourites and fall bang in the middle of acceptable pub grub. E.g Chicken Parma (22/25), Rump Steak, 250g, (23.5/28.5), Fish and Chips, (17/25).

The big, big, meal is the Westmeadows Tavern mix. At $39, there are BBQ Pork Ribs, chicken wings, crispy halloumi, potato wedges, dipping sauce. Be my guest.

All meals fully plated.

Wine list is sufficiently expansive and fairly priced. The pub favourite, Pepperjack, comes in at 10pg/40/btle. Good on them. Grant Burge Cab/Sav @9.5 reflected a generosity in price and pour.

The average (bistro) prices are;

• Entrees – $14
• Mains – $30
• Desserts – $10

Tried was;

• Oysters Kilpatrick. 25/39. Slightly heavy handed on the Worcestershire didn’t overly detract from the fresh and plump oysters. Little less sauce preferred (as would have been natural but not offered), but no arguing about the finished product.
• Peppered Pork Cutlet, cous cous, roasted baby chats. $29. What a fine pub meal. Big cutlet, real spice, loved the veg, you can expect in 2023, that Pork in this form will be omnipresent on pub menus.
• Rump Steak, chips salad, 250g. $28.50. Add Grilled Prawns (5/$9). What stood out, aside from the fine beef, was that this one was thick cut allowing the steak to be cooked as ordered. This hasn’t been the case in big pubs, where flattened to accelerate the cooking process has been the norm. Good crustaceans to make the surf and turf, again a good pub meal.

SUMMARY

Perceptions are always hard to change but more fair play to the team out here as the pursuit of  better level of food and beverage is evident here whereas many years ago, it would have been a secondary consideration. 

(The long held belief being that pokies come first first, second etc., , grog sales next, and we’ll get around to the food/bev side of things one day).

But while the menu is writ large across many other pubs of its type, the Westmeadows is elevating the offer above the comparative pack and on a nondescript Wednesday recently, was doing excellent trade.

Another surprise is the near extinct bar-fly (I thought long gone) holding court in the front bar. Johnny greeted everyone with a ‘G’day, Digger/Brother’ and then proceeded to give us a potted history of every pub from North Melbourne to here with a ‘you must know Harry Knakus, Billy Bloggs’. Johnny had been barred from a nearby pub, a feat that would surprise many!

Good pub to start the year.

Score: 13/20