REVIEW: Foresters Arms Hotel

Pub:          Foresters Arms Hotel
Where:     1529 Dandenong rd., Oakleigh
Phone:        9563 0233
Date:         2 October 2009
Score:         11.5/20

I’ll kick off with a couple of deep and meaningful today;

•    What was life like pre mobile phones?
•    What was life like pre the internet?
•    What was life like in Victoria pre pokies?

Simply I can’t imagine a normal existence without the great advances in modern technology, but it is the 3rd question today that intrigues me from a pub point of view.

Issues like, would your normal, big, suburban pubs have perished without them?  No is my best, and emphatic, guess there.

Would inner suburban locals be consumed by larger cashed up operators and their contact with the community die?  No they haven’t, and indeed the opposite has happened and pubs in Collingwood, Fitzroy, North Melbourne, etc., have flourished.

But it is this question that I can’t get a definitive handle on and it is this: Would pubs in the ‘burbs with machines, provide a better overall offer, with the consumer getting the benefits?

The answer is split and the Foresters Arms is the acme of this mind teaser.

You see Oakleigh for mine is near enough an inner suburb, yet, the offer at the FAH is no better or worse than you can get in a majority of pubs that fall outside the coordinates of Abbotsford St., West Melb (going west), Fitzroy St., (South), Glenferrie Rd., (east) and say Brunswick Rd in the North.

Sure there exceptions, but the imagination, drive, and desire to ramp up the hospitality package beyond the aforementioned thoroughfares has at best stalled, and at worst gone backwards.

But I hear you say, poker machine pubs don’t care about this?

Nonsense.  For the prosecution I offer up as shining examples,  The Richmond Seafood Tavern, Bridge Hotel Mordialloc, Lord of the Isles Geelong, and The Wallan Hotel for starters.

Now that covers a fair spread of the state: it can be done.

Ok, back to the FAH. There is a significant difference about going to the pub for a meal and having a feed.  The FAH does the latter brilliantly if that’s your thing.

As I said, it does what the majority does, but is that a good thing?  Staff was terrific, with the lady running the bistro an absolute star. The young girl in the sports bar was equally charming.

The pub isn’t overly big so use of space is a premium.  Their sports bar (not a front bar) has the usual – TAB, Pool tables, Arcade games - but if you don’t like the nags, it’s hard to settle in.  An area for smoking is provided; only problem is that any residual smoke is drawn back inside to the bar after someone opens the door leading to this area.

The bistro is typical of type but without any separation of area between the machines and you, you could be anywhere.  

Feed, not a meal.

To be fair, the starter kicked us off brilliantly.  $15.95 scored a dozen of the freshest oysters. Ok, they were on special and it may be a matter of sourcing, but it can be done.

After that, no.  Roast of the day - $18.95 was Pork.  Set aside the dry meat, no crackle, no apple sauce, and no ‘real’ roast spuds, it was fine.

The Chicken Oscar ($22.95), prawns, avocado, béarnaise was plentiful, but the hero of the dish – The Chook - again was too dry.  More doesn’t mean better.

The wine list (laminated on the bar and not at your table) didn’t inspire – perhaps the noble grape hasn’t travelled that far south-east, but $43 for a bottle of Pepperjack was laughable.  More realistic was the Oyster Bay S/B  (there’s a lot of it about) at $31.

And this is it; whenever I ask a large operator about this one size fits all offer, the common answer is that’s what the people want ‘out there’. If that is the case, then the people ‘out there’ are easily pleased and the FAH will meet your expectations.

I am a bit fussier.