In a leafy pocket of Ultimo you’ll find this old timer that strikes a comfortable balance between the old ways and the new. Traditional pub fixings still have pride of place in the public bar. There’s an old propeller blade mounted on the red walls above the requisite Reschs and Kent Old Brown posters, the ceiling is proper pressed plaster and the windows are painted in peeling Celtic script. There’s no beer garden but they have co-opted an outdoor section of the neighbouring park for alfresco beers and a Sunday barbecue each week.
The newer elements to the Wolseley are all found out the back in the bistro. Sydney pub food has come a long way. First it was the Gravox-and-frozen-schnitty days of yore, then the $5 grill-your-own steak epidemic of the noughties, and now, this – a former fine-dining chef helming the kitchen at Ultimo's Lord Wolseley Hotel. John Javier (formerly of Quay, Momofuku Seiobo, and chef-owner of now-closed mod-Chinese diner Master) does wagyu steak Wednesdays, Sydney rock oyster Saturdays, and barbequed octopus with salsa verde in between. The wine list is mostly Australian, with a cheeky 2008 Bordeaux thrown in because ... why not? You'll just need to remind yourself you're eating in an inner-city pub.