A FOOD TRAIL

Pub-grub at the Napier Hotel.
This outwardly run-down corner establishment is infamous for its “Bogan Burger” - a tower of steak, chicken schnitzel, caramelised onions, cheese, egg, bacon, potato cake… with pineapple, beetroot, lettuce and tomato all served with some wedges and a salad. But for the more faint-hearted (or waistline-conscious), there is the usual array of delicious Aussie pub fare.
The steak sandwich, at $18, was a winner. Decent-portioned 250g of scotch fillet in toasted sliced bread, with melted swiss cheese, crispy bacon, fresh tomato and lettuce, balsamic sauteed onions and mustard mayonnaise. The combination is no ingenious invention, but it makes for one great classic steak sandwich, which is complimented by a side of fries and coleslaw.
The chicken parma was equally delicious. At $20, the classic parmagiana is made with free-ranged chicken and a choice of either ham or, for the more adventurous, smoked kangaroo. Melted golden-baked cheese tops the crumbed chicken, and the entire ensemble sits atop an enormous bed of shoestring fries with a side of fresh garden salad.
So the Napier Hotel is no Michelin-star institution but it does classic-Aussie-pub much better than most. The food is familiar, hearty, and not entirely healthy. However, it is also unquestionably delicious and sometimes there is just nothing quite as yum as some pub-grub.

This outwardly run-down corner establishment is infamous for its “Bogan Burger” - a tower of steak, chicken schnitzel, caramelised onions, cheese, egg, bacon, potato cake… with pineapple, beetroot, lettuce and tomato all served with some wedges and a salad. But for the more faint-hearted (or waistline-conscious), there is the usual array of delicious Aussie pub fare.

The steak sandwich, at $18, was a winner. Decent-portioned 250g of scotch fillet in toasted sliced bread, with melted swiss cheese, crispy bacon, fresh tomato and lettuce, balsamic sauteed onions and mustard mayonnaise. The combination is no ingenious invention, but it makes for one great classic steak sandwich, which is complimented by a side of fries and coleslaw.

The chicken parma was equally delicious. At $20, the classic parmagiana is made with free-ranged chicken and a choice of either ham or, for the more adventurous, smoked kangaroo. Melted golden-baked cheese tops the crumbed chicken, and the entire ensemble sits atop an enormous bed of shoestring fries with a side of fresh garden salad.

So the Napier Hotel is no Michelin-star institution but it does classic-Aussie-pub much better than most. The food is familiar, hearty, and not entirely healthy. However, it is also unquestionably delicious and sometimes there is just nothing quite as yum as some pub-grub.

Posted 9 months ago