Bistro @ The Collingwood Hotel

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I have to confess that the Collingwood Hotel (or 'Collo' as the locals refer to it), and I go way back. I spent a considerable amount of my youth learning at the School of Australian Pub Culture at the Collo. I also had the pleasure of eating plenty of pub grub here although they didn't call it pub grub back then; they were called 'Counter Meals'. I can't remember how many times I had the legendary Curried Prawns & Rice here but the staff knew me well enough that I didn't need to open my mouth to order.



Nowadays, Liverpool's oldest existing pub (1880) is a very different place having undergone an extensive facelift a few years ago. While retaining its Tudor half timbered façade, the interior is all funky modern clean lines and timbered floors.

My mate Dave dropped by and for old times sake we headed for a counter meal, or is it Pub Grub? There's no Curried Prawns and Rice on the menu anymore but along with pub standards such as Chicken Schnitzel, Mixed Grill and Hamburgers, the Collo's new chef Ivan Weber has a few special menu items that the Collo of old wouldn't have dreamed of.



While Dave dived in at the cheap end of the menu with the 200g Rump Steak and Chips ($12.00), I was staggered that my dear old Collo had me choosing between Grilled Quail, Mash and Roast Vegetables ($20.00) or a BBQ Argentinean Beef Ribs ($22.00). Who'd have thought?

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I went for the ribs and I wasn't disappointed. Succulent, beautifully cooked ribs in a deliciously rich chilli-ish sauce. What's so Argentinean about them? I'm not entirely sure. The size? There were sufficient ribs to share some with Dave who'd polished off his 200g steak before I'd half finished gnawing through my ribs.

We left the Collo after only one drink, an unthinkable, inconceivable concept in the good old days. Despite leaving sober, we enjoyed reminiscing about the Collo and despite not being able to totally recreate the past by having a Curried Prawns and Rice, I thoroughly enjoyed my Argentinean Beef Ribs. I was impressed at the exciting new menu options the current chef has created. It looks like he's going to leave his mark and carve out his own legendary dishes here at the Collo.

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