One of the inner west’s oldest pubs, The Salisbury Hotel in Stanmore, has unveiled the final elements of a year-long, full-venue refurbishment. Following a redesign of the front bar late last year, the 117-year-old independently run venue now includes an outdoor beer garden, a re-positioned, much larger kitchen plus a new menu with an expanded food offering.
“The Salisbury is a meeting place for all, young and old,” says publican Trish Larkin. “We wanted to create a pub environment where you’d be happy to take your mum, grandad or children — somewhere that has a consistently solid offering and where all are welcome. We’re really aware that many of our locals are families so we’ll be offering kids time on Monday and Friday evenings with activities available to keep the young ones entertained.”
The kitchen is led by chef Ridz Ma’rop, a Singaporean-Malay chef who has worked at Sydney pubs The Henson Park Hotel in Marrickville and The Trinity in Surry Hills, as well as Glebe’s Le Petit Tarte and The Flying Fajita Sisters.
Ma’rop says he’s not trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the menu: “It’s just about delivering consistently good, classic pub food. Our locals love us because there’s a sense of comfort and familiarity to the venue so it was important that feeling extended to the menu”.
The menu champions classic counter meals including the Brew Truck Angus Burger with egg, beetroot, pineapple, bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce and chips; Salisbury steak sandwich with roast tomato, onion relish, lettuce, aioli and chips; and beef and Guinness pie with colcannon; baby back pork ribs with chilli and plum glaze, apple and fennel salad and roasted baby spuds; and maple miso salmon with Asian slaw and ginger and shallot dressing.
The weekly dining specials include The Feast on Sundays — a shared selection of meat, fish and seasonal sides designed to feed four for $100 — plus Thursday Curry House. Inspired by curries the team of international chefs create for staff meals, this weekly offering teams a curry with a selection of sides and a Young Henrys longneck.
The beer offering blends pub staples with craft beer from NSW breweries including 4 Pines Brewing Company, Stone & Wood and Young Henrys and sits beside a selection of predominantly Australian wines.
The redesign was a creative collaboration between co-owner Gerard Dore and Arcon. Exposed brickwork, recycled timber and tin, cobblestones and wooden beams have been integrated throughout the venue while The Hall features a soaring ceiling and a 12-seater table, ideal for group dining. Open the steel doors of The Hall and you’ll step out into the Beer Garden where you’ll find banquette seating and a 1926 Dennis red brewery truck taking centrestage next to a Chinese Elm.