The Pub Scribe

So I was on my way to The Durham Castle Arms to do a write up and it was closed but next door was Little Brooklyn and all I heard was a live acoustic set coming from inside. So why not, last time I was at The Durham this place was closed so let’s check it out. Walked inside and I could swear I was back in civic. This place was pretty hipster looking with A4 band tour adverts all over the walls and fairy lights behind the bar covering the bottles of bourbon and tequila and such. The next thing that caught my eye was a little out of place which was a big screen TV with the footy on. I thought 'ok this is cool' kind of catering for people that actually watch sport which makes sense as the web site actually advertises live sports.  The niggling problem I started to have though was that the whole place was almost all dining tables with the exception of a small area at the back which I will get to in a sec. It’s like someone took a pizza hut and threw band posters everywhere and doubled the price on everything. Like a pint of 50 lashes would normally cost me about $8 roughly but here was $11. At first I was wondering why a pub like this was so far out from civic but thinking about it the suburb of Kingston is a very white collar place so everything started to make sense. The hipster vibe in a restaurant venue, the overpriced drinks, the casual bar staff without uniform, it was trying to appeal to the masses but in my eyes falls short somewhat. Take away the fact that it doesn’t have any of the features of most other pubs in pool tables, dart boards and pokies, it still doesn’t really cater for anything other than food consumption. It does try, like I mentioned just before, it has an area that looks like a garage with plants on the walls towards the back of the venue where they have another TV and what I think was a space invaders game also. There are cushions and poofs there with little tables for a more relaxing atmosphere which it actually accomplishes but it’s a small area compared to the whole venue. With all this information I'm putting Little Brooklyn into that 'have a lunch date' at but not 'night out' category because when you are entertaining people from out of town or introducing locals who have never been to Little Brooklyn before, all they will take away from the experience is that it’s a bit of a distance to travel to from the northern suburbs to pay for overpriced beer for an experience you could have easily surpassed by any number of venues in civic. If you live in the foreshore area or are staying near there then have a look but only expect to buy one drink because any more than that and you are simply being robbed.

Well I'm sure you want to know a bit more so let me elaborate. The Transit Bar in civic is an underground bar that has craft beers on tap and a couple of the big beers also. They have two pool tables albeit those shit 9 ball squared off pockets but two tables nonetheless. There are band A4 tour posters that cover all the walls including the back of the little stage where local bands and open mic nights are held. This place has leather seats on the walls and leather poofs on the other side of the tables that is in front of them. This really is the Indi pub of Canberra, a lot of class and atmosphere that has to be admired even if you’re not into this kind of thing. Presentation is the key at the Transit Bar, its dark, no sports, multiple TV's that have music channel on all of them and id expect nothing else. I love an old fashioned pub like O’Neill’s but this place has swank and is the black to the normal white look of a standard pub completing a pub crawl that resembles the Chinese yin yang. I just paid $8.80 for a Prickly Moses Red Ale pint so needless to say for all you craft beer aficionado the beer on tap here is quite cheap and definitely worth a few visits at least. This pub is going 'straight to pool room' on the pub crawl map that I will be producing for north Canberra shortly. The staff here are really cool too. They have been given a lot of freedom to dress to represent their individual personalities and to control not only the music that is playing from the cd player out the back but at the volume they deem necessary also. They really make you feel like they are approachable for a conversation between like-minded individuals to discuss the world as it relates to all soap box preachers in religion and politics although my own sensibilities prevented me from testing this theory. It’s a simplistic venue and hits the proverbial nail on the head for the target scene of uni students and hip hop older folk that love a good local live band.

A short throw away from the ANU campus is UNI Pub and its setup is unlike any pub I have frequented before. Remember back when you were in school and you undoubtedly fantasised about you and all your mates living in a house where you all had your own floor to live and the bottom floor was the communal pub and the basement was a recording studio for the muso's of the group? No? Well I did and this pub is officially the closest I've seen of such a dreamer’s realised idea. Let me paint the picture, the bottom floor is the typical looking UNI Pub Bar with wall plants and bar tables around with a couple couches... nothing out of the ordinary. Typically during the weekday there are a surprising amount people in suits which I thought would be at more upper class venues but alas here they are, but then again, it is a well-dressed bar so why not. This is where it gets interesting, the second floor is the UNI OneUp Restaurant with stair and elevator access this is a much finer dining experience with a proper restaurant menu and nice candle lit atmosphere. Now we go up a floor... To heaven. Here is the UNI Felt Bar which is home to about 20 odd pool tables and a bar to boot. The tables are quite average in their condition but you will come to expect that when you see how packed it gets on the weekends, it would be nearly impossible to keep them in pristine condition with that many people using them so often so I'm not too critical of this. Plus, at the point you actually arrive at the UNI Pub on the weekend there's a pretty high chance you are well on your way to becoming legless and playing those masse' shots on the table is but pipe dream anyways! Now you go up a floor to The Lounge bar which is a cocktail bar for a more swanky and intimate atmosphere  getting away from the rabble of the felt bar. Need a quiet place to actually chat to the hotty you met downstairs and show a bit of class then this is the place. Like the equivalent to a private booth at a strip club, it looks like a scene from a movie where privileged entrepreneurs go to wine and dine. It doesn’t end there. Now on the next floor is Elevated, the UNI Pub nightclub. I haven't been to this floor yet purely because I'm interested in pubs not nightclubs but the fact that it has this is simply amazing. The place is pretty expensive but oh well, you pay to have the convenience of all nightlife options. They really are trying to make sure that everything you need from a night out is supplied by them so no need to leave, hotel California style. One venue to rule the all!

Well it was bound to happen… an Irish pub at last. King O’Malley’s Pub is what I imagine, having never been to Ireland, an Irish pub to be. Or at least a tourist version of one on account of all the Irish history written on the walls in a very Celtic font which I'm sure is not evident on the walls of the local in Ireland. Nevertheless I love it, it’s like drinking in a really nice barn that was never used as a barn but more of an 'ironical' barn which kind of suits Civic down to a T. Straight across the thoroughfare from Macca's, O’Malley’s is the most prime located pub in all of Canberra and thus it should look every bit the Irish pub it is boasting to be. Apart from the brilliant look of the place inside and out, complete with all the old school signs and quotes everywhere on brewery barrels, the tap beers are sublime. They have the usual suspects in the big boy breweries but also Guinness and a couple other dark ales which is a treat. No pool tables or dart boards but really in a place like this who needs them. Strange for me to say but I almost don’t want any tables in this pub. It’s all about the social interaction at this place where you come to meet mates after work and have a pint while enjoying the nicely lit and heated rooms and simply soak in the atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong though, although I can’t see pool tables in this place I could definitely see some dart boards put up to complete the look and feel. As always for a pub located in Australia,  there are a couple of TV's around on the walls, small as they are they at least show some sports which at the time of writing I'm watching AFL and Rugby which is a nice treat. In the grand scheme of pub crawls of Canberra if King O’Malley’s is not on your list then you are simply bonkers! The food is very good and the price is ok, not great, but what do you expect for a pub in the middle of civic. Large outdoor drinking area in front of the pub and because there is no car access there are usually people everywhere so it’s a very high traffic area and very social. There are bands that play here regularly and on Wednesdays there is an open mic night. There is also St Patrick’s Day, this is definitely the place to be in all of ACT to come! It goes mad and is packed so definitely put this one on the yearly calendar. Something else I have noticed is the chairs on the walls are old church pews which really adds to that whole Irish, prodestant feel which looks cool and authentic but they may be a little too authentic. Why do they have to have paper thin cushions on hard wood, I know this is the way in churches for the repenting to prey on hard conditions but why give the weekend punter a sore arse while enjoying a beer, It's not normal love!

O’Neill’s Pub, Dickson’s number one pub... My humbled opinion and if you are reading my blogs for suggestions then it is now your number one pub also. What I love in a good pub is a good atmosphere with some character. The best pubs all over Australia are not the fanciest with polished floorboards and casino like lobby paintings but that indiscriminate mark on the wall, the local footy tipping score board in a frame on the wall, the local 'mug of the week' winner on the chalkboard and the pool table featured in the corner under that godlike halo of light emanating from the Carlton draft light cover above the table as if a beacon of hope drawing in all who gaze upon it. This pubs heavenly glow is somewhat obscured in a cornered off room at the back of the pub. It’s what is in this room that is very interesting, two poker machines with the pool table but not just any poker machines, two five card stud poker machines. For all the love I have for a good pub and its facilities I'm not a fan of poker machines as I hate playing games that I have no direct involvement in the outcome but of all the machines a pub can have there are only the two here and they are cornered off with the pool table and of games I actually enjoy playing. There are two pinball machines which you don’t see very often anymore and a HD Buck Hunter machine also. There are screens around the pub on all different channels and as oppose to Sub Urban there are a couple different football matches on and one on UFC. Now this is a pub to bring the boys if you had to suggest a northern outlet for the consumption of fine beverages and fine beverages they are. On tap there are the big boys in draught and VB but also some finer yet still common beers like Fat Yak Pale and others. Last visit saw a schooner of VB and presumably Draught at $5.70 while a Fat Yak schooner will set you back $7.40 which is about average for a pub. Around the corner is the Dickson Tradies with cheaper drinks but you won’t get the atmosphere and amenities that you get here. After a big night it also pays to remember that between here and Tradies is a bottle shop, subway, Macca’s, KFC, two banks and a Woolworths. As with most venues in the cultural centre of Australia that is Canberra, there is live music, rock and roll lessons for those so inclined and an in pub restaurant area separated from the main bar so you can dine with very nicely priced food without any riff raff from the rowdy locals when the game is on. This is a good pub and the social place to be for the north Canberra area so get on down one weekend and have a look.

So I came for a windy drive over to the suburb of Dickson to Sub Urban to have a look at the potentials. The potential for mad night here, the potential for cheap craft tap beers, the potential for anything really. However I'm quickly halted in my quest here straight after walking through the door.  From the look of this venue from the outside having a nice outdoor dining area on the street and the fact that it’s on the corner of the street (the corner stone of any good country pub) it looks classy yet 'street' enough to be able to get a round of beers in with the boys. This isn’t the case. It’s just classy. One big room where one side is the beer serving dining area and the other side is a restaurant with open view of the kitchen. Looks nice and id come here for a meal no problem but not really a place I would bring mates from back home when they visit if they want to say, watch a game of footy or play any parlour games. There is really nothing here to sink my teeth into so to speak. They have TV's on almost every wall with sports on but the sound is always muted in favour of the music station playing for ambience. It’s almost like the sports being on TV is like "ok, 'sigh' we'll put the damn on if we must, but we're not putting the sound on!" Such is the clientele they expect in this venue that of the four TV's that are on, one is on a music channel, one is on rugby and the other two are on the netball. It’s a Sunday when I'm writing this mind you where there is pretty much rugby and AFL on every other sports channel but hey it’s pretty much creating the mood for the way this place looks. So it’s not a sports bar... That’s ok. I don’t believe they are going for that atmosphere, they are just covering their bases to appeal to as many people coming to dine here as possible. I'm almost tempted to actually discard this review as I want to bring to light the great social venues of Canberra but in the end it is a good place and they do have live music on the weekends which is a big plus. Pity there are only three bar type tables to sit at and the rest are lounges and booth like tables. In summary, this is a restaurant with a more casual dining area attached. Food looks nice and is well priced. Super-dry is the only common big commercial on tap and the rest are ciders and other average beers. The fridges are mainly all light beers and the only dark ale they stock is canned Guinness. Bring your parents here to dine when they come and visit, take your mates down the road to O’Neill’s Pub.

Simply a brew pub that is small yet very stylish. Seems simple enough, I mean, what else can I say about it. There really is nothing more to say about this place besides its atheistic appeal and the quality of its wares. There is no pool table or dart boards and definitely no room to actually place these services on premises but then again the crowd attracted to Bent Spoke wouldn’t have it any other way. Although it’s not my scene for a big night or even quiet night it can be my scene for a lunch meeting with the partner, work colleagues or boss. Sure at night on the weekends it is very busy and this is constant across all weekends, rain, hail or shine but for my liking there needs to be something a bit more entertaining, a band even... If there were room for such a thing. I know pubs are going for a scene and as far as Bent Spoke goes it has hit the nail on the proverbial head by attracting the hipsters and craft beer aficionados so it can be described as nothing less than a classy success. They have nice gourmet food in diet portions for full size price but again I expect nothing less from a venue of such class. I mean they have light covers on the two floors it occupies made up of old bike gears and the brewing process can be seen on the other side of the bar on the bottom floor and on the other side of a glass divider on the second floor so the dining experience is second to none. If nothing else can be said about Bent Spoke let me say that the beers I have tried are very enjoyable to the tongue, especially the Crankshaft IPA which I cannot suggest lovers of beer to try highly enough. There are 18 beers on tap including ciders and has a basic yet modern website which has little more information than I’ve mentioned but have a look at the link below. Those of you looking for a point on the pub crawl map would probably look further afield as there are no other beers at this microbrewery besides their own as you would expect and its location means that your crawl would likely start somewhere closer to home ending at the city. Or maybe vice-versa resulting in a contrasting taste to the palette that would not do the flavours produced at Bent Spoke any justice. My recommendation is to either start here before heading to alternate venues or simply get your ‘beer on’ for a dinner or lunch before headed home, kind of a night out at one location sort of thing. So in summary what they do, they do very well and will add a lot of class to your dining experience.

When I lived in Canberra many years ago The Tradies in Dickson was called The Canberra Tradesman’s Union Club with the short name ‘Tradies’ and now that I have moved back to Canberra it is now officially just ‘The Tradies’. This was a hidden treasure back in the day for my mind because on face value you weren’t even sure if it was a club as it looked like it was just some office building behind Dickson Woolworths. However once inside the venue and you walked through a sea of poker machines and found a small but excellent sports bar. Beers were dirt cheap and the pool tables were a dollar a game. Fast track to today and the venue has grown in space with the sports bar in the same place but now there’s a large open space with couches and chairs that opens up a path to the sports bar that looks amazing. The big eye opener for me walking in there or the first time in about 10 years was the two pool tables there that are still only dollar games which is simply unheard of in today’s pub scene. It also has an excellent and spacious beer garden and designated smoking area that is so secluded from the main beer garden that I had no idea was even there at first. Parking structure underground for members and hotel guests is in addition to a supermarket sized carpark at the front of the venue makes parking a non-issue most of the time. The number of promotions this venue has is ridiculously good with the entertainment equally exciting. There is live music from Thursday to Saturday and along with all of their other promotions which are available on the website, on Tuesdays they have a raffle on. I can personally vouch for how good this raffle is as I have won 5 out of 8 times entered and on a couple of those entries I had won multiple times taking home slabs of beers and meat trays. All in total there are 10 slabs of beer, 10 meat trays, 10 tradies $50 vouchers, 10 Lost River Produce $40 vouchers and to cap it all off is the 51st number drawn which gives you a spin of the wheel to win the jackpot or a supplementary prize of a $50. All great services provided but all venues have their downfalls and this place is no exception. It is pretty much like every other RSL you have ever been to in that on any given day you will most likely be one of the youngest people there baring staff. The chances of meeting people in your age bracket that you are likely to strike up a conversation with and party the night away is reduced somewhat. Not saying you won’t meet interesting people to socialise with for more than 5 minutes but it’s unlikely. Tuesdays also has an excellent pool comp that usually doesn’t go below 24 entrants of quality opponents and definitely worth a look. All in all I highly suggest you look into The Tradies and I am definitely planning this venue early in the ideal pub crawl of northern Canberra.

I thought it fitting to start not at the most northern end of the ACT but the first pub of Canberra being The Old Canberra Inn. From first impressions the main building looks like an old timber house that looks much newer than it actually is having been built in 1857. It’s only when you step inside the doors that you really see its age. Despite having been renovated multiple times over its 158 year existence, it still has that colonial feel with round timber support structure and looks every bit its true age. They have these old chairs and couches there for a rustic feel and are appealing to all potential drinkers by supplying board and block games like Jenga for the hipsters I guess. It’s a good idea as not many pubs are supplying these kinds of options even though the most common clientele seems to be tradies. I’ve been to the old Canberra inn many times throughout the day and night and more times than not there are ‘hi viz’ colours somewhere on premises. For these blokes and for the enthusiasts of the games they also have a pool table and two dart board’s setup in one of the function rooms labelled ‘The Stables’. I’m particularly happy about the dart boards myself as I’ve found it quite rare that such an old and respected game in the pub scene has been overlooked in Australian public house society. There are beer gardens at this venue, one at the front you walk through to get to the bar and two at the back which is really good for those warmer days of socialising but in the colder ones, and let’s face it in Canberra there’s shit loads of those, there is not a great deal of room in the bar area. Space has been provided in the other rooms but it will get tight if there are 40 or so people hovering in the main bar area. If I were on a pub crawl this would definitely be a part of the tour and I intend on making crawl maps for this blog that will include this pub as one of the early venues to start at finishing somewhere in civic. The Old Canberra Inn is now gearing towards live music which has dates on their website located in the information section below which really does put the finishing touches on an all-round good venue. Their beers are reasonably priced and they also have happy hours from 4pm to 6pm Monday to Friday. The beers provided are a modest selection of craft beers and the generic ‘thrown in to please the masses’ Carlton Draught just in case you like your mass produced generic beverages. Don’t get me wrong is a good thing because when there’s a possibility of a big night involving numerous venues you don’t want to be forced into mixing beers because that RSL you end up at doesn’t have Bridge Road on tap!

I have played the game of 8 ball since I was in secondary school so many years ago when I moved to Canberra for the first time I was naturally intrigued when a classmate local told me of a pub in the middle of civic that is host to 20 odd tables. Naturally I thought he was exaggerating and asked the name of said pub to which he replied The Civic Pub. Trying not to re-enact the famous Abbott and Costello scene ‘who’s on first’ I took The Civic Pub as the literal name and went in search of this glorious pub to wet the whistle and shoot a game of stick. I must have walked past it a couple times because from the outside it just looked like a restaurant and nothing like the pool hall I was expecting. Eventually walking into Civic it was very reminiscent of a casino in that it had no natural light, the carpets had a very casino-esk look and old English tavern styled walls. It has been renovated at least once since then to make the first room of pool tables look more appealing with a little beer garden are so small only a handful of people could potentially be out there at any one time even though ive never seen it open or occupied. The main room of pool tables hasn’t changed a bit but in my opinion doesn’t need change. It looks like the poker pit at crown casino, very dark with no natural light and two screens playing jukebox music videos at either end of the room. They don’t have any in-house pool comps however they are associated with the ACT 8 Ball competition that operates all over Canberra. Located on the city side of Braddon it is ideally situated and the turnout on a Friday and Saturday night definitely backs this up with usually big turnouts. Civic Pub would be nearing the end of a north Canberra pub crawl and at this point after a few beverages and many games of pool it would not be uncommon for your party crew to have a few tag along characters as the people here are usually friendly and out for a good night also. Prices on beers are good for the area and the selection consists of the usual suspects but the food here is amazing. The selection on the menu and the ingredients used make it possibly my favourite place to dine. Couple the food and the beers with the pool tables and the dark ambience with candle lit rooms with couches and stylish chairs this place is the pinnacle of experiences to be had in the heart of Canberra.