Pub: Park Hotel
Where: 191 Nicholson St., Abbotsford
Phone: 9419 4352
Score: 13.5/20
Review date: 20 February  2009

Having listened back to the first 2 reviews of 2009, I acknowledge that I use the word 'nice' a lot when talking about pubs. The Microsoft thesaurus offers pleasant, polite, fine as alternatives which I will endeavour to add into the conversation.

I also note that this is the 3rd straight week that I rate the pub as 13.5, which by anyone's estimation is a nice mark, but the Park is the best of the 3 offered such rating and to use the footy vernacular, it is the 1%ers that give it the edge.

A long time haunt for the magpie faithful pre-game when home was Victoria Park, this pub has always carefully balanced that fine line of inner-urban edge without scaring off the outsiders.

Its fascade with its neutral blue/grey color and bright red lettering could pass as any other pub of its type but inside it is old school. Small public bar, serving Coopers in 3 varieties, Carlton Draught (good) and Pure Blonde ensures it doesn’t stray into craft territory.

No TAB/Pokies, but a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" pinball provides the entertainment and as you snake around to the beer garden, a dining room and pool table area is set aside for your pleasure.

The Beer Garden is pure Abbotsford. Unspectacular but charming in its own way, with shade provided by the umbrellas, you back up to the next door neighbours. Say g'day to Dave and Mabel!

En route, you pass the kitchen and feel free to have a chat – they seem a friendly, cohesive bunch, banging out really good pub grub at very fair prices. Similar deal to the wine too.

OK, I know the spring rolls ($7 for a dozen) are brought in from outside, but just the numbers in a serve make them not only a good starter, but reflect the generous spirit of the pub.

There are around 10 choices for mains – a manageable figure that allows them consistency of offering.
A salt and pepper calamari, chips, salad, and lime chilli mayo  ($19) was again plentiful, hot and above all properly cooked. So many pubs have a crack at calamari, but unless it is served straight away, and not overcooked, you may as well chuck it away. Not this time; this met the mark.

Somehow the Parma ( and you know my thoughts there) was always going to win me. The Park didn’t claim to be the best, but proudly stated it was in Melbourne's top 5.

At $18, the thick breast was not over-coated, came with bacon and a tomato sauce the kitchen knocked up, hot chips and salad. The rating is certainly justified.

The kitchen does have tricks – oven baked chicken breast and polenta - $22, baby snapper at a similar price and the package fits neatly.

This pub also has a sensible attitude to wine pricing. There is a Pepperjack (around $35 so it scraps in) but a New Zealand Sav Blanc – Lawson's Hills for $29 – provided much better buying. 

This is a first time review for the Park and here's one more reason to love this place to go with the above.  Like so many of its inner suburban cousins, the struggle to make the business work is difficult with increased competition (bars, cheap packaged beer) and the desirability to turn the buildings into units means it could be here one day, gone the next.

With support from locals, it chugs along nicely now.  Too many pubs are now gone from these areas and simply we can't afford to lose another.

Go and spend a dollar there; I think you will like.