The Local Taphouse, Darlinghurst

 Alas, it is uni season yet again and so 'da boyz' (+ Patty) decide to bury our sorrows at The Local Taphouse (122 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst) for a casual night out. With a bigger brother also located in St Kilda, I was keenly anticipating the visit.  The 'menu' looked so irresistible online and the only thing stopping me taking a bite out of the monitor was the fact that it would probably break my teeth. Little did I know that the Sydney Taphouse had an entirely different menu. Compare this one at St Kilda's (menu) and then this one in Darlinghurst (menu), it barely seems fair! (Jacky actually called the place to see if they served the smoked ale  beef burger to which the person on the phone replied 'yes we do', they lied!!!). I was visibly upset when we eventually walked into The Local Taphouse, and into our demise. 

It Takes Beer to Make Thirst Worthwhile

Rooftop Cinema

  Tuesday coincided with The Local Taphouse screening a silent cinema up top with a $10 admission fee. It was however ... literally a silent cinema because no one was actually there to attend *tumbleweed*. Due to the lack of audience, we stole the rooftop and it became our picturesque setting for the night. 

 Above is the 'Prickly Moses Blueberry Hefe', a refreshing and highly aromatic beer with hints of blueberry. Anyhow maybe it was just the person behind the bar but their pouring was strange to say the least. After waiting a fair few anxious moments for my beer I squizzed over to have a look and saw the bartender pouring head into one glass and transferring it over to the top of my beer. Strange stuff. Nevertheless, yum!

The Boys + Patty

There she is...

Drankkkkssss!

 From left to right:

Chanka had: To Øl Sans Frontière (a belgian dark ale)

Jacky had: 4 Pine Keller Door Calypso Single Hopped Ale

Patty had: Batlow Cloudy Apple Cider

Brett had: The Grifter Cold War (wheat beer)

I had: Prickly Moses Blueberry Hefe

Chilli Fries

 Don't worry, I'm as shocked as you are. Yes, these are the supposed chilli fries. Spot the chilli. There it is on the sour cream dipping sauce provided on the side. As consolation, the chips were awesomely beer battered and hit the spot quite well. However in the end, these aren't chilli fries guys, get your act together taphouse or I'll blow it down with a huff and a puff and a chainsaw.

Spicy Zucchini Fries
with housemade aioli

 Yum yum yum, zucchini fries. These were coated in a generous heap of spice and fried with beer batter. Perfect as a light snack accompanied with some beer, you won't regret it. 

The Beef Burger
Beef Patty on Toasted Organic Bun with
Cheddar, Lettuce, Pickles & Tomato Relish

 Since there was no smoked ale beef burger, I settled for the generic beef burger. There was nothing to really fault about the burger at all because the patty was juicy, the lettuce was crisp and everything else just went well together! I was still sad though, I'm sorry I let you down boys. 

Mushroom Burger
Field Mushrooms, Zucchini, Eggplant on a
Toasted Organic Bun with Pesto Aioli

 Patty was kept busy with her mushroom burger that looked ever more tempting with a slab of mushroom poking out through the side. Looks like the burger is ready to joust! Can you imagine that ... burger jousting. Amazing. I'd sit on the floor waiting for a burger to be pummeled by a mushroom sword and gather the remains of the recently deceased victim. Cannibalism at its finest. Nevermind me. Anyhow, a burger for the 'veggos' which is packed with some decent flavour and awesome pesto aioli. 

Pulled Pork Burger
Fenner & Cider Braised Pork Shoulder

 Marcus and Brett had a pulled pork burger each. They said it was good. And thats about all the detail I can give you. Thanks for the detailed description boys. 

1kg Boston Bay Mussels
All pots are served with organic bread, shoestring fries
& French mustard mayonnaise

2 sauces the boys had
- Provencale: cooked with tomato, garlic & fresh herbs
- Au Congo: cooked with coconut cream, lemongrass, kaffir lime & chilli

 Jordan & Ravin shared the Provencale whilst Chanka & Jacky went for the Au Congo. The sauces were full of flavour and super intense, enough to knock my socks off (well I was wearing thongs, so technically they were off anyways).

300gm Sirloin
with Sauce, Chips & Salad

 Jeff Tan devoured his sirloin whilst putting on 300 grams in the process. He too was very thorough with the description, telling me that the steak was 'alright'. Cheers bro.

 Sitting on the rooftop, feeling the light autumn breeze at our fingertips and watching the clear blue sky relinquish into the dimness of dusk, it was a perfect setting for a tame night out with the boys. Our expectations were crushed from the burger that did not exist but the food served from The Local Taphouse satisfied us enough. After the dinner, we made the short walk to Messina for some gelato and the night was automatically saved.

Bunny Rating-
Category: Burgers, Pub/Bar