Tommy's Beer Cafe, Glebe
It's the stuff that dreams are made of. A whole bowl of pork crackling for only $4.20. It's a tangle of pork skin strips, deep-fried until bubbled and blistered, the long shoe string strips helplessly intertwined with each other in a porcine and cholesterol lovefest.
Inside Tommy's Beer Cafe
Tommy's Beer Cafe is one of a slew of newcomers to open up on Glebe Point Road, trading for at least six months or so. There's a German beer hall feel to the place but the menu extends across much of Eastern Europe, including Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic.
Bernard dark lager $5 for 0.33L and
Snake bite lager and mango syrup $7.90 for 0.5L
Crackling goes with beer and beer goes with crackling. Our only problem is that the crackling arrives twenty minutes after our beers have been poured and we're nearing the bottom of our glasses. The snake bite is a little heavy on the mango syrup, rendering the lager helplessly sweet, but I'm a fan of my Bernard dark lager from the Czech Republic, which has a nutty coffee and malt flavour.
Freshly baked pretzel served with butter $3.50
There's a good selection of choices on the snack menu, with temptations including crumbed button mushrooms ($11.80), house-made duck sausage ($13.90) and potato pancake ($8.50). Our pretzel arrives warm from the oven and fluffy in the middle. We alternate mouthfuls of butter-laden salty pretzel with the crunch of earth-shattering crackling straws. It's my kinda start to the meal.
Hunter schnitzel $14.99 Tuesday special (normally $19.90)
It's a shame then that our food takes so long to arrive. The dining room is only two-thirds full but our schnitzels take fifty minutes to get sent out from the kitchen. And sure we have two days' worth of calories in our crackling bowl but I can tell my artery walls have already started to thicken.
We've ordered the Daily Special - Tuesday is Hunter schnitzel day. The chicken breast schnitzel is modest in size but reasonably juicy in texture. The mashed potato is surprisingly creamy and the pot of mushroom sauce sauce on the side makes everything tastier.
There's a different special for each day of the week. I'd return for the crackling alone. On a night when I don't need my food in a hurry.
Daily specials $14.99 (correct as at 17/10/11)
Monday - Slow braised buffalo cheeks with mash and crackling
Tuesday - Hunter schnitzel with mash
Wednesday - Hungarian veal goulash with dumplings
Thursday - Slow roasted pork belly with crackling
Friday - Slow roasted pork knuckle with crackling
View Larger Map
Tommy's Beer Cafe
Schnitzel - Lowenbrau Keller, The Rocks
Schnitzel - Una's, Darlinghurst
Glebe - Badde Manors
Glebe - Flying Fajita Sisters
Glebe - La Banette Patisserie Boulangerie
Glebe - Mamak Village
posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 10/17/2011 12:43:00 am
17 Comments:
At 10/17/2011 1:11 am, chocolatesuze said…
that bowl of crackling is calling to me! so... friday drinks???
At 10/17/2011 4:02 am, justachef said…
That food looks really tasty - shame it was too slow though. I suppose that's always one of the perils of a new restaurant - there's always a chance that the kitchen hasn't yet found it's cadence of service so the speed really suffers, even on a quiet day.
At 10/17/2011 8:27 am, chopinandmysaucepan said…
That pork crackling looks like a delicious heart attack in a bowl. Yum!
At 10/17/2011 9:19 am, Tina@foodboozeshoes said…
Hello crackling!
At 10/17/2011 11:12 am, Hannah said…
Ooh, that crackling looks a little bit like octopus tentacles to me! Octopus chips forever!
At 10/17/2011 11:58 am, Sara - Belly Rumbles said…
That is a long wait for food :( but oh wow look at that pork crackling!
At 10/17/2011 3:13 pm, Nic@diningwithastud said…
Iv got such a thing for pretzels at the moment but yeah the crackling? Why would you order anything else ;)??
At 10/17/2011 5:20 pm, Hotly Spiced said…
How indulgent to be presented with a bowl filled entirely with crackling. And it looks sensational too. And inexpensive! Yep - it ticks all the boxes.
At 10/17/2011 7:09 pm, sugarpuffi said…
omg a bowl full of pork crackling...and only $4.20! if only im not on a diet...
At 10/17/2011 10:43 pm, YaYa said…
I've only recently discovered the delish combo of fresh pretzels and butter, what log have I been dwelling under!
At 10/18/2011 3:59 pm, a meandering mango said…
Another great review! I've been here and really like the place - cozy and super sweet staff. Will have to visit again soon. Thanks!
At 10/18/2011 6:42 pm, Craig @ Damn Fine Food said…
Awesome! Got to get there sometime soon... :-)
Schnitzel and crackling, nice...
At 10/19/2011 7:14 am, Karel Tupas said…
Tommy's beer cafe has something awesome to brag. I am talking about their food. I can't help but droll at the pictures. It's worth the wait. :)
At 10/19/2011 3:42 pm, Vivian - vxdollface said…
yummo fridays! pork knuckles, crackling and a bernard lager :D
At 10/19/2011 4:33 pm, FWS said…
went there last Friday night the place was hopping gr8 beers & gr8 food
At 10/19/2011 11:10 pm, Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse) said…
A whole bowl of crackling stips, you say?
At 10/20/2011 4:15 pm, Ayden said…
Beer with mango syrup? Sounds interesting to be honest. I can see those favours working well.
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