JON plus beer and birdcages

Thursday 4 June - The last time JON went to dinner, it was the place of a thousand wines. Not wanting to be seen favouring vineyards only, JON decided to give their time and tastebuds to a place of a thousand beers. Welcome to The Local Taphouse.

At the corner of Flinders and South Dowling in Darlinghurst, The Local Taphouse is a great new pub that has been in existence for about 4 months. Called a 'friendly beer cafe' by its owners, it has one of the best atmospheres and interiors in a Sydney pub. Over two floors, the pub is the big old house you'd want to hang out inwith friends over a winter long weekend. A higgeldy piggledy mix of dark wooden interiors, books and aged photos, little nooks and crannies and a plethora of birdcage lights hanging down from the ceiling all create the warm, winter feel.

Despite the trend across town in refurbishing 'old man' style pubs which inevitably see a shift in patronage and an increase in the 'wank' factor, the Local has an eclectic crowd - all of whom seem very much at home.

There is an amazing selection of beers on tap - not only international but local and interstate. Jake is pleased to see his hometown favourites, Little Creatures and Wicked Elf, making a cameo appearance on the list of 20 beers in the upstairs bar. However, it gets much more adventurous than the regular West Oz fare.

Jake samples the Hoegaarden Witbier, a lighter style lager, in a small shot glass proffered by the friendly barstaff. It's a yes and Jake and Nat settle into their first beer whilst waiting for the beer lover himself, Oli. His arrival is heralded with a large Red Brick Celtic Road Ale and stories of his recent housewarming involving 2 kegs sucked dry by 930pm, a jungle-juice-dispensing water cooler and the unexpected yet warmly welcomed overnight guest.

We're ushered into the dining area where Jake had earlier secured a small booth. The atmos is intimate yet lively with lots of small groups arranged around the room, sharing tastings of beer. With so many beers available and the potential for alcohol-induced confusion, the menu is helpfully divided into beer food, mussels, 10" pizzas, salads, mains, taphouse burgers and 'for after'. There are also suggestions on beers to match and an explanation of the 3 considerations when it comes to matching beer with food - cut, contrast and complement.

JON opt to share the charcuterie board (proscuitto, salami, grilled merguez, marinated artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, farmhouse pate) and follow this up with Franziskaner Hefeweizen mussels in lemon, leek and thyme, prosciutto pizza made with homemade napoli sauce and the so-simple-yet-so-amazing chilli frites.

Thankfully with the 'economic downturn', the menu looks reasonably inexpensive with items ranging from $8 to $25. While waiting for the food, Jake and Nat discuss their NY adventures. Jake's pan-Pacific move has been downgraded to a holiday while Nat is looking forward to a 6 week working stint. Over laughs about one-man band advertising agencies, beomoaning pay cuts and lack of annual leave through to the potential for JON's holiday antics across the Pacific in New York and Argentina, the beers continue to flow.

The food arrives and the agreed outcome is that it is delicious, prompt and extremely reasonable. The charcuterie board and mussels - a hit.

The service is warm, honest and friendly with cheeky beer upsells from the likeable waitstaff. Maybe they could be hotter (as noted by Jake) and their uniforms could definitely be improved. At $70 including beers, our bank balance is happy and so is JON.

A winner.