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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Concordia German Club, Tempe



You don't go to community clubs for the atmosphere. Although perhaps, in a perverse way, you do.



The Concordia German Club in Tempe, in Sydney's south, won't win any awards for its design or decor. And yet there's an element of comfort in the dated furniture, the 1980s colour scheme of salmon pink and viridian green, and the quiet unassuming staff who go about their business.

The club, in operation for over 120 years, moved from its prior home in Stanmore to an old croquet clubhouse in Tempe. The patrons are mostly locals - either families or pensioners or a group of beer-drinking mates. A couple of pet dogs tend to hang out on the front verandah too.



Non-members must fill in a slip from the visitors book at the bar. The bar staff all seem to be German, or of German descent, and are generally quick to take orders and dispense a variety of local and imported beers on tap.


The bar


Spaten Munchen on tap


Warsteiner and Dab (Dortmunder Actien Brauerei) beer on tap


Erdinger Weissbrau on tap


Half-litre of Erdinger

I go with the local favourite, the Erdinger Weissbier, a wheat beer which is reasonably light with a pure and clean finish.


Deep-fried camembert $8.00

Upon viewing the menu board, Veruca Salt and I turn to each other and instantly mouth "deep-fried camembert". A single serving is more than generous, with six wedges of cheese crumbed and deep-fried until slightly gooey in the middle.


Redcurrant sauce

The deep-fried cheese is served with a saucer of redcurrant sauce, a handful of watercrackers and a garnish of salad leaves. It feels like a picnic on a plate, and truly, I could've eaten another plate on my own and called it dinner.


Wiener schnitzel $18.00

The Wiener schnitzel arrives but all I can focus on is the peach halve covered with a dab of redcurrant sauce. The schnitzel itself is good, although a touch dry in places, and would probably have benefited from a good dollop of gravy. A bed of golden chips lies beneath the schnitzel.


Weisswurst (pork and veal) $12.00

Weisswurst is a case of hidden beauty. Whilst the sausage, potato and sauerkraut offering appears ordinary at first, there's plenty of flavour in the sausage itself, and the potatoes have a buttery and waxy tenderness that is a perfect match for the shreds of pickled cabbage.


Pork knuckle

Pork knuckle isn't on the menu but we enquire at the bar anyway and are rapt to discover it is on offer, but only to those who ask. The reason, we're told, is because the chef is new and the pork knuckle dish is still being tweaked. It's not quite ready, hence its omission from the menu, but those who are desperate for crackling, can order it if they accept its shortfalls.

There's a little murmur of excitement when our pork knuckles arrive at the table. The crackling isn't quite there yet, but the pork itself is fall-off-the-bone tender.


Elisabeth's Cafe

Dessert is procured from Elisabeth's Cafe, a makeshift stall of cakes and slices that collects money separately from the bar. It's a bit like visiting the canteen tuckshop of yore, with cakes served on plastic plates, and tea and coffee dispensed from a hot water urn.

We end up with a little bit of everything, my favourites including the custard slice and the cherry strudel (the sour cherry against the cheese filling is all kinds of bliss).


Cherry custard pie $4.00


Tiramisu $4.00


Cherry strudel $4.00


Custard slice $4.00






View Larger Map
Concordia Club on Urbanspoon


Concordia German Club
Mackey Park, Richardsons Crescent
Tempe, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9554 7388

Opening hours:
Friday to Saturday 12pm-2pm and 6pm-9pm
Sunday 12pm-8pm

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Community Clubs -
Japanese Nippon Club, Sydney CBD
Community Clubs -
Polish Club, Ashfield
Community Clubs -
Portugal Club, Marrickville

And check out these pork knuckles at
La Boheme, Balmain
Lowenbrau Keller, The Rocks
Prague Czech Beer Restaurant, Potts Point
Una's, Darlinghurst
17 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 11/10/2009 02:26:00 am


17 Comments:

  • At 11/10/2009 8:04 am, Blogger joey@forkingaroundsydney said…

    Doesn't look too bad! Plus your photos make it look pretty enticing, especially the pork knuckle with the embedded knife .... ouch! Not to mention it's close to where I am. Thanks!

    http://www.foodiepop.blogspot.com/

     
  • At 11/10/2009 10:09 am, Anonymous Belle@OohLook said…

    I thought the Concordia Club had closed down, but obviously it just moved. I remember going there when I did German at school: "Ein Wiener Schnitzel, bitte, und ein Glas Wasser!"

     
  • At 11/10/2009 12:43 pm, Anonymous Jess said…

    Oh my, all that meat, and that deep fried camembert!

    If only there was one in Melbourne.

     
  • At 11/10/2009 1:01 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Thanks for discovering this little gem! Can't stop thinking how much crackling the knuckle could have had.

     
  • At 11/10/2009 1:36 pm, Anonymous evecho said…

    We went there for Oktoberfest last year. Huge portions and fantastic strudel.

     
  • At 11/10/2009 3:20 pm, Anonymous katie said…

    mmmmmmmmmmmmmm i adore the Concordia German Club and its love of deep fried cheese!

     
  • At 11/10/2009 4:36 pm, Anonymous Julian Davis said…

    Superb , always keeping the good work in your blog. Thank you for sharing this information to we 'food loving people' .

     
  • At 11/10/2009 4:47 pm, Anonymous Leona said…

    oH MAN THAT PORK NUCKLEEEEEEEEEEEEE! ITs soo good that you blogged about a place like this. I would have never known pork crackle could be so close to where im at.

     
  • At 11/10/2009 7:05 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Oh BABYY gimme some Erdinger, deep fried camembert, schniztels and pork knuckle and I'm in heavveennnn! But still a trek for me haha bavarian is closer hee hee

     
  • At 11/10/2009 11:12 pm, Anonymous taroinbrisbane said…

    Your way to things from multiple perspectives, exploring all corners of Sydney, high and low, and to do it with so much intelectual curiosity, focus and to communicate it to the rest of us, I really have respect for that.

     
  • At 11/11/2009 8:11 am, Blogger Betty @ The Hungry Girl said…

    This place looks so charming! I love everything, from the old skool decor to the 'canteen lady'. Thanks for the review, I would've never known about it!

     
  • At 11/11/2009 8:35 am, Blogger Lisa said…

    i always enjoy food blogging :D makes me so hungry

    Hey since u hv a blog. Hehe. U might wanna check www.ozbloggers.com. It's new & expanding :) connects via Twitter

     
  • At 11/11/2009 12:44 pm, Anonymous clekitty said…

    Love the look of the deep fried camembert! I love going to these clubs to eat. The locals are always such a charm!

     
  • At 11/11/2009 2:00 pm, Anonymous Howard said…

    Nice find! can always count on you for this. Prices look decent too, nice tip about the pork knuckle will keep it in mind ;)

     
  • At 11/11/2009 10:10 pm, Blogger Yas @ hungry.digital.elf. said…

    Woo pork knuckle & deep fried camembert, I'd say Germans know what goes well with beers :)

     
  • At 11/12/2009 2:30 am, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi Campgrenada - I always love it when your pork knuckle arrives with a knife embedded into it. The drama!

    ps. Your user name always makes me think of the song! It's stuck in my head! lol

    Hi Belle - lol, I think once you have that phrase down pat, that's all you need surely? Maybe change it to bier though!

    Hi Jess - Deep-fried camembert should be brought back onto more menus, I say!

    Hi Ellie - Yes, the crackling on pork knuckle is the main attraction of ordering it! The chef was new but hopefully they will have the crackling sorted by now!

    Hi Evecho - Every year I say I will do something for Oktoberfest but think I forget about it until September. Same with Bastille Day. Ony once I was organised. lol

    Hi Katie - It was my first visit to Concordia but hopefully not my last!

    Hi Julian Davis - Always a pleasure. Anything to justify more eating!

    Hi Leona - Ahh yes, we need an iPhone app so a pork knuckle is always at hand! lol

    Hi FFichiban - All the action is on this side of the Bridge I tells ya :)

    Hi Taroinbrisbane - Thank you for your very kind words. I appreciate food in all forms, but especially in my stomach. lol

    Hi Betty - You can't beat old skool decor! Hope you make it here sometime soon!

    Hi Lisalicious - Thanks for your comment and info. So many blogs to read these days!

    Hi clekitty - I agree, locals are the added bonus. And deep-fried cheese... mmm... so very good.

    Hi Howard - We'd read about their pork knuckles so Veruca was determined to get her fix!

    Hi Yas - Oh yes indeedy, you can't fault pork knuckles or deep-fried camembert. The beer was great too although I confess I struggled to finish it!

     
  • At 11/12/2009 9:09 am, Anonymous billy@atablefortwo said…

    i totally can see Suze eating those deep fried camembert whole night! :P I seriously don't know there are so many of this kind of clubs in suburbia area, just like the polish one you went to.

     

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