Pub: Cherry Tree Hotel
Where: 53 Balmain St., Cremorne
Phone: 9428 5743
Date: 3 April 2009
Score: 13.5/20

Unless you have been under a rock for the past 5 years, Victorians have developed a morbid fascination of all matters underworld, highlighted by a successful TV series based on our gangland killings.

Let me take you back to 1985, a time when the bad guys didn’t enjoy a notorious celebrity, and a sideways glance or a smart-alec remark at the wrong person may result in dire consequences.

Tough inner suburban pubs populated by tough, merciless and ruthless standover men; one of the toughest was The Cherry Tree.

It was run by Scott Palmer and Adrian “Gags” Gallagher; journalist and champion player together and many a Friday night I spent there oblivious to the company and in hindsight, glad to be so naive. The boys ran it very well and everyone knew their place

(Hinch was a semi-regular and was often told by some patrons to nick off; suffice to say the terrier didn’t).

Then it was untrendy Richmond; today it is uber-trendy Cremorne.

From my enquiries it has had a number of attempts to fire up but a succession of owners has failed. The new team may have found the key to success and with its proximity to the upwardly mobile, the place flies, at night, late in the week.

And it’s easy to see why, in what has essentially become two spaces; the front bar with its open windows, minimal seating, wide range of craft beers, modern music is a lock to attract the locals living the inner-suburban lifestyle.

I like the 9 word puzzle written chalk on the wall – Defendant was the word of the day on Tuesday!!

The second is the separate restaurant; very nicely appointed, comfy chairs interesting menu and a number of wines that don’t run to the corporate line.

Sadly long gone is the beer garden where I heard the legendary Don “Mopsy” Fraser speak once.

I applaud owner/operators, no TAB or Pokies, pitching a different offer to the punters and my admiration is undiminished for the CTH.

But there is the daytime, when, like me, local workers don’t want the night-time feel and are happy to gravitate to a more traditional offering. In unambiguous terms, turn the background music down, it intrudes at that time of day. It grates.

The pub champions the smaller brewer and that is great – Little Creatures, Taxi, 2 Brothers for example – but not to have at least one of the big boys on tap – CUB or Lion Nathan is puzzling.

And it’s not as if there isn’t a demand with ‘Dan’ telling me that 4 boxes of King Browns (750ml bottles) were consumed the other night. At $10/bottle, I was happy to play having tried a Taxi ($4/pot). It was OK, but not my palate.

Food’s good and fairly priced. I think the first pub trend for ’09 has emerged and that is the gourmet sausage roll. At $7, a plate of 6 pork, apple, thyme beauties arrived and tasted a treat.

Pizzas were available and credit to them that they minimise the toppings. A shared pizza, ($13.50) was a tomato base, chorizo, egg, potato whose flavours worked perfectly. A different mix for sure, and very nice indeed.

Bavette of lamb ($22) atop a pile of crushed minted peas was easily devoured and a good indicator of the strengths of the kitchen.

I thought the wine prices were priced absolutely to the mark, but maybe that’s what the area can stand: $37 for Pewsey Vale Riesling, $44 Cullen Dry White are at a sharper end for a pub. The recommendation of Eagle Point shiraz ($37) was taken and a most suitable drop.

The new owners have revived a near dormant pub and more power to them. To me, a more flexible position to commercially available beer and an awareness of music levels will see the offer even better.

And as for Hinch, ring him and ask about his times at the Cherry Tree – it will make for an interesting recollection after a quarter of a century.