Albion Place Hotel, Sydney

Battered flathead and chips, tandoori chicken burger,
and grilled snapper fillet

I remember when the strip along George Street cinemas used to have a Timezone, a Galaxy World, a cafe called New York at the Movies and a seemingly permanent walkway of scaffolding.

Today there's a new generation of hotels, cafes, cake shops and clothing stores.

In amongst them is the Albion Place Hotel, modern, light and airy, and an instant hit with local officeworkers.

Leather banquettes and square low-set stools follow the latest trends in seating. The bistro and extended seating is upstairs but we stay on the ground floor and make the dash up the stairs to pick up our meals when our buzzers vibrate.

The tandori chicken burger ($14) is crammed with tomato, lettuce and cucumber raita on toasted Turkish bread. The grilled snapper fillet ($18) is a fancier affair with triangles of crisp polenta, green beans and a shallow pot of eggplant and tomato salsa.

I can't resist the fish and chips, two large flathead fillets in a pale ale batter ($16) served with shoestring fries and salad. The fish is so fresh it still has bones in it. It's a little slow-going with the golden batter distraction, but the effort is worth every mouthful and the portion is more than generous.

The rest of the menu runs the usual gamut of salt and pepper squid, steak and guinness pie, caesar salad and seafood spaghetti. Gluten-free duck and orange sausages may appeal to coeliacs but vegetarians will have to stick to nachos, bruschetta or the Greek salad.

Albion Place Hotel
531 George St Sydney 2000
Tel: +61 (02) 9993 0760