Flinders Walk
Melbourne
3000
We visited the Arbory on a sunny spring evening and after some searching found ourselves a pair of stools overlooking the river and in the shade of the trees that I assume influenced the name. It is a great location and the establishment makes great use of the strip of outdoor space between Flinders Street Station and the river.
There had been a horse race on, which meant there where plenty of frocks, hats and suits on display, among the more casually dressed punters. Despite the volume of people the wait to order wasn't too long and our pre-visit perusal of the menu meant we knew what we wanted to order. My schooner of Coopers green ended up never settling so I returned the murky glass and it was happily exchanged with a Mountain Goat.
It didn't take long for the food to appear. The crumbed mushroom and haloumi burger also featured tomato relish and salad and was a winner, with the crunch of the crumb and lettuce complementing the juicy 'shroom and cheese.
I had the Fish and Chip roll. I checked before ordering that the chips came separately, as although the pom in me loves a chip butty, I wasn't convinced that a regular bun could resonably hold that much. In fact only the generous battered piece of fish along with remoulade and lettuce sat pinned between the soft pillows of bread. The combination proved satisfyingly easy to eat and my only reservation was the speed which it slipped down at!
Both our meals came with decent portions of crinkle cut chips which hit the spot and ensured we left with our hunger satisfied.
The service was efficient in the face of the busy establishment and courteous even when dealing with the beer issue. The two burgers came to a fairly reasonable $31 whereas the schooners came at what seemed to me a steep $9 each. I guess the location, novelty and cool factor will continue to pull in the crowds at Arbory, and it does provide a great additional option on the Melbourne riverfront.
Melbourne
3000
We visited the Arbory on a sunny spring evening and after some searching found ourselves a pair of stools overlooking the river and in the shade of the trees that I assume influenced the name. It is a great location and the establishment makes great use of the strip of outdoor space between Flinders Street Station and the river.
There had been a horse race on, which meant there where plenty of frocks, hats and suits on display, among the more casually dressed punters. Despite the volume of people the wait to order wasn't too long and our pre-visit perusal of the menu meant we knew what we wanted to order. My schooner of Coopers green ended up never settling so I returned the murky glass and it was happily exchanged with a Mountain Goat.
It didn't take long for the food to appear. The crumbed mushroom and haloumi burger also featured tomato relish and salad and was a winner, with the crunch of the crumb and lettuce complementing the juicy 'shroom and cheese.
I had the Fish and Chip roll. I checked before ordering that the chips came separately, as although the pom in me loves a chip butty, I wasn't convinced that a regular bun could resonably hold that much. In fact only the generous battered piece of fish along with remoulade and lettuce sat pinned between the soft pillows of bread. The combination proved satisfyingly easy to eat and my only reservation was the speed which it slipped down at!
Both our meals came with decent portions of crinkle cut chips which hit the spot and ensured we left with our hunger satisfied.
The service was efficient in the face of the busy establishment and courteous even when dealing with the beer issue. The two burgers came to a fairly reasonable $31 whereas the schooners came at what seemed to me a steep $9 each. I guess the location, novelty and cool factor will continue to pull in the crowds at Arbory, and it does provide a great additional option on the Melbourne riverfront.
