Beloved neighbourhood boozer The Erko is a reliable go-to for afternoon beers with mates in the sunshine, family lunches and a casual vino. Plus, dogs are welcome. If you’ve noticed they’ve stepped up their food game of late, you’d be right. Solotel – the hospo group who have run the pub since 2014, and also oversee Sydney spots Opera Bar, The Abercrombie and The Golden Sheaf, among others – have brought on former Chiswick chef Ethan Robinson to inject freshness and flavour into the menu. Now, everything is pretty much made in-house – including bread, and they are cutting all the chips by hand. Plus, the chefs are growing their own veggies in a local community garden, having fun with pickling and preserving, and using ‘ugly fruit’ that would normally be food waste.
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On the line-up, expect to see things like a slow-roasted NSW lamb rump served on a bed of white bean and bacon fricassee that’s inspired by Chiswick’s legendary lamb shoulder. Plus, enjoy yum numbers like grilled octopus with chickpeas, roasted tomatoes, grilled peppers and vinaigrette; casarecce pasta with a green herb sauce, chilli, pine nuts and parmesan; a roast chicken salad; and house-baked flatbreads topped with goat’s curd and tomatoes. If this is pub dining in 2024, bring it on.
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