Pub: O’Meara’s Elgin Inn
Where: 75 Burwood Rd., Hawthorn
Phone: 9819 3338
Date: 30 July 2010
Score: 14.5/20
Internet: www.elginn.com.au

Some pubs chug away quietly, away from the glare and gaze of critics, and build up a fiercely loyal following. I have bored long time readers sideways about the innate virtues of hospitality but once you bottle that fickle mistress the rest, and it is all good, usually follows suit.

Take the Elgin inn for example. Now here is a pub that gets it. It is a beauty. Does things so simply, that even though the impossible to get a park anywhere near it is a drag,(and is a clearway from 3), on entering all anxiety is erased with a warm greeting and an excellent beer.

Indeed you have probably driven by because of the all to hard parking and that is a pity, as it is a traditionally run pub, (no pokies, yes TAB, yes to a meat tray raffle every Thursday night) and has a deceptively large separate dining area split on 2 levels, all though in view of a wait staff keen to serve.

My only criticism is that on the day I went I wanted to listen to a race but Seymour was doing battle with Wham! and George Michael and his wonderful pop hit ‘Edge of Heaven’ emerged the clear winner; the nag I backed didn’t.

Point is – it has to be one or other and although a trifle, it is very annoying.

Ok, liver cleansed. The right angled frontbar, wooden floors, brick walls played home to a number of locals knocked over a countery – it is a good sign that on a Thursday, the bar is doing a thriving business.

There weren’t too many takers given the weather to the rooftop beer garden but it is a fabulous addition to the pub and allows more than a decent look at the city to the west. In warmer times, I’m tipping it is packed.

The dining room is very neatly set out with covered tables, good napery and an interesting menu.

And this is my bug bear that pubs more than a couple of k’s away from the CBD are shy or unwilling to do interesting food and bev. At the Elgin they have a crack.

One of the mains was a Warm Thai Beef Salad, wok seared beef strips tossed through coz lettuce, water cress, beanshoots, cucumber, radish, Vietnamese mint and coriander salad, drizzled with crisp shallots and a sweet chilli, ginger and soy dressing.

At $19.50, all of us had a taste and were not disappointed.

I bang on about pub pizzas. Thin base, made from scratch, the Capricciosa was not burdened like Atlas under the weight of a million ingredients. Virginia ham, kalamata olives, mushrooms, house made Napoli base. $15.50 and didn’t miss.

I love bangers and mash. $16.90, brought to the table, was a generous serving of honey, lamb and rosemary sausages served on garlic mash, mixed vegetables and red wine sauce, topped with chilli onion jam. Too much, I cried, but next to me was an eager gullet ready to consume.

Wok fried mussels, veal shanks, salt and Szechuan pepper calamari are part of a value packed, price and quantity, menu. Top of the wozza was a 300g scotch fillet at $25, with (proper) roasted chats, veg and a choice of sauces.

Went a little upmarket with the fizz. I couldn’t help but notice a Robert Oatley chardonnay ($42) from Mudgee. Love this ever reliable but rarely gloried varietal. My fascination was heightened as this was the man who sold Rosemount to Fosters at the peak of the wine boom for a small fortune.

I am certain he sleeps beautifully every night; as for the purchaser, former fosters CEO Trevor O’Hoy, I doubt he will taste this luscious drop!!

Good beer, happy service, all knocked before 3pm and no problems with the clearway.

Here’s a little fun - go to the web site and have a look at the menu. You will find a number of spelling mistakes, ones where the wrong key has been hit. I’ll start with the little known cheese ‘monzarella’.  There’s more than that, so let me know1

Good pub. Recommended.

Tony Leonard: Welcome to 2010

TONY LEONARD: "Greetings and welcome readers to the DeBortoli Pub of the Week for 2010 as the search around Melbourne and Victoria commenced 22 January and will take in around 40 hotels for the year." Read Tony's welcome.