A while ago, there was the Blue Boar and the Port o' Call at this end of Bowral, filling the standard image of the local pub - slightly scruffy, cheaply furnished, cheap beer, sports and outmoded decor. Now the Blue Boar is the Royal, and has taken a step towards wood and chrome clone-dom, leaving the Port o' Call as the charcter pub, replete with stags heads and footie memorabilia above the bar, wood panelling, haze of smoke and dartboard. SydneyPubGuide has a soft spot for the down-at-heel boozer, so it was with a certain smile that we sat for a pleasant afternoon among the locals for a few schooners and a quiet read. To tell the truth, it's not as low-budget as we perhaps make out. Among other things we were surprised to see a Japanese meal special on offer (hell, you don't even see that in the middle of Sydney) among the more traditional hearty fare. The motel out back has reasonable accomodation and the drive-through bottle-o supposedly has a good selection, though pubguider Sophie didn't think much of the service (to put it mildly).
review by: Jason