V-Rating: V-ware
Where: 255 Darling St, Balmain
When: Mon-Sat 12pm-10pm, Sun 12pm-9pm
Tel: (02) 9810 1749
Prices: Mains: $11-$25

Back in the day when I was a (nearly) Balmain local, pubs in Balmain were generally a little dirtier, grungier and less reliant on stainless steel as a design feature. Basically, they had atmosphere. However, The Monkey Bar was always a shinier, more polished location in which to eat and drink — and not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it’s nice to go somewhere with floors that don’t stick to your shoes.

Recently I was visiting a friend in Balmain and he suggested we pop into The Monkey Bar for a spot of Sunday lunch from the bar menu. Unfortunately, I was less than impressed with the vegetarian options. My companions quickly selected what turned out to be very nice steaks and chicken burgers while I was left floundering. My choices seemed to be limited to bruschetta, chips or wedges. Luckily, there was an additional specials menu at the bar that offered a single veggie breakfast option: a leek and mushroom omelette, which was lovely.

Confusingly, the bar menu offered on The Monkey Bar’s website contains a number of pub-standard veggie meals that were nowhere to be seen the day I was there.

So, great for a drink, great for a steak, but not so great for vegetarians who desire more than deep fried potato.

Reviewed 2 April 2006. SDEB.

Share This