A few weeks ago, Ms W and I took a trip up around the Noojee area.
Noojee is one of the (relatively) bigger towns as you make your away up to the alpine area.
Having taking a stroll around the Toorongo Falls, we had lunch at the Toolshed Bar at The Outpost Retreat in Noojee. I've come across ToR in a few foodie and travel magazines. It's known for it's great pub meals.
Inside, it's very Australiana - almost a bit cliched. There were lots of timber furniture, stickyish tables, road signs, country paraphanalia that were hung up around the pub, big, lazy flies that were circuling inside, and...
... a big fireplace. I know the place was going for ambient lighting, but I felt it could have done with a few more softly lit lights around the place.
For a pub (let alone a country one), it had quite a range of dishes that catered to vegetarians (which was a good thing for Ms W) and also for kiddies.
Ms W got a vegetarian parmigiana. A hefty stack of veggies with lots of bubbling melted cheese. As with all the mains, it was served with a chips (or mash) and salad (or steamed veg) and some macaroni salad. Ms W liked her meal, and said it was way better than the veggie parma she had only a few days ago in a cafe in Brunswick.
I went for the local golden trout. The golden trout has a very delicate flavour (even more so than the regular trout) and has a golden-pinkish hue. The salad was very fresh and crisp, chips were perfectly fried and the macaroni salad was so cute and retro.
Verdict
Food - 8
Ambience - 7.5
Service - 8
Price - 8
Overall
I quite liked the Toolshed Bar at The Outpost Retreat. It had big, generous serves and friendly service. Both Ms W and I finised about 90% of our meals, which was a heroic attempt. Although we went in March, I could definitely imagine that this place would be packed and very popular during the colder months as people make their way up to the snow. It'd be great to come back then - I'd love sit near the fireplace and get stuck into a tasty, hearty pub meal.
The TOR also has a restaurant. Going by the quality of the pub meal, I'd also like to try the restaurant when I'm back.
Address
The Toolshed Bar
The Outpost Retreat
38 Loch Valley Rd
Noojee 3833
Telephone: 03 5628 9669
That fish looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteFil