Being a pommie expat myself, I occasionally have a hankerin' for a good old British beer, usually Newcastle Brown. SO when I rocked up to the Elephant and Wheelbarrow for my first visit since the renovations, I was of course pleased to note that Newcastle Brown was right there on tap, along with Boddingtons, Old Speckled Hen and several others. Excellent. The Elephant is done out in Classic British pub style, lower ceilings, lots of wood, solid tables and chairs, classic decor. towards the back it opens up into a dancefloor and stage which I'm told gets put to good use along with the pub's 3am licence. So it looks like the Elephant is already establishing itself as a clear successor to the former Kitty O'Shea's, without the sticky carpets and stale beer smell. It's got everything I normally expect from a pub and more. Televisions, food, free wireless internet access, discreetly tucked away pokies, good disabled access (details include braille signage too), a big screen, but no pool tables, a policy decision I can understand having personally experienced a late night around the pool table in the old Kitty's. Unlike Kitty's there's a decent menu here, so you can tuck in to some hearty British fayre with your meal. The prices are probably about average, though we're not talking $5 fish and chips here. Think about $12-$15 for a main and you'd probably be about right, and of course beer prices look higher than for many local pubs, but remember you're generally buying pints, not schooners! I can of course unhesitatingly recommend the beer, but I can also say that I've tucked into the food and the All-Day Breakfast was a mighty helping and worth the price tag. The steaks also look pretty fine to me and there's plenty of choice. The Elephant is 100% on our return list, and we're looking forward to a return visit towards the weekend to catch some live music perhaps. And a note to Brad and Mark : Wow, did I feel sorry for myself the next morning..... It's taken me nearly a week to put in a review!
review by: Jason