Petersham RSL Club — Attraction in Sydney

This is the first time I've been there since it was re-opened. First there is no sign out on the street telling you where the parking is then when you get in there you have to drive down 4 levels to get to the parking but the sign outside the gate is not very big and we weren't sure where to go so luckily a resident was getting out of their car and told us where to go & what to do they also pointed at the small sign that you can't read from inside your car as the writing is that small. Apparently we were not the only ones who had difficulty as they told us mostpeoe aren't sure what's going on if it's their first time. The price of the food at the dining room was so expensive even other guests there were saying the same thing! I ordered the Pumpkin, Sage and Somked Mozzarella Arancini in a Sugo sauce. Service was quick but not many people were there. The Arancini was tasteless and the Sugo sauce tasted like a watered down version of tomato paste. You got 3 for $13 and I only ate half of 1. There were two tiny sage leaves as a garnish and I mean tiny! That was the only sage in the dish. My friend wasn't going to pay $17.50 for Fried fish and chips and luckily we spotted the cafe menu as all she wanted was a pie and chips and luckily there were pies in the cafe menu but she still had to buy the chips off the dining room menu. The only good thing about the meal was the chips! They were freshly cooked and came with a aioli. You only get a discount on your food as a member which for the Arancini worked out to $11.50. No cheaper drinks at the bar though. You pay the same price as every non-member. I suppose hiking up the food costs and paying full priced drinks is what there doing to pay for the new club. Even when wanting to use the toilets there are no signs anywhere. We had to flag down an employee to ask where they were. The only good thing about the night was the staff. They were polite and friendly. They were a bit slow with the drinks as we had to wait a while to be served. There were two staff on but one was obviously a trainee as the other one helped and watched her serve. I did have to take my drink back twice as they couldn't hear what I was saying because they had a trivia night on and when they were giving people time to write their answer down they were blaring out music. They were very apologetic about the mix up but did say they were finding hard to hear people speak. All in all it was a pretty dismal evening and we won't be going...

I visited this so-called “restaurant” with my family on Sunday, March 23rd, and let me tell you—it was a total disaster. If you're looking for mediocre food served with an unhealthy dose of attitude, then congratulations, this place has you covered. First of all, the food was barely edible. I ordered the chicken parmigiana, which is supposed to come with two sides of your choice. I picked veggies, thinking I’d at least get a reasonable portion. Nope. What I got was an embarrassing serving: 2-3 sad pieces of pumpkin and six measly green beans. That’s it. I’m sorry, but who exactly are you feeding here? The same thing happened with the steak—tiny portions that barely registered as a side dish. Let’s talk about the grilled barramundi for a second. $35 for a fish smaller than the palm of a child’s hand. And the “salad” that came with it? A few limp pieces of lettuce, two slices of tomato, and three sad pieces of red onion. I’ve seen better salads at a fast food joint. So, I did what any reasonable person would do and asked the woman at the front counter if the portion sizes were correct. Her response? To snap at me like I’d just insulted her firstborn. "That’s what you get," she snarled. “That’s our portion size, that’s how it comes.” No apology. No attempt to make things right. Just pure, unfiltered hostility. Then, as if she were doing me a huge favor, she offered a measly side of extra veggies—two slices of roast potato, nine green beans, and three pieces of pumpkin—and had the gall to say, "I won’t even charge you for them." I guess I should be grateful for the scraps? We ordered one parmi, four steaks, and a barramundi—yet were left with barely any sides. I mean, what do you even call that? It's not a meal, it's an insult. Now, let’s talk about the so-called “customer service.” The old woman at the counter, wearing red glasses, was the embodiment of rudeness. She had zero interest in even pretending to be polite, let alone understanding. Her attitude was condescending, passive-aggressive, and downright nasty. At one point, I overheard her bragging about her “years of experience as a waitress” to the manager. Newsflash: If those years didn’t teach her basic courtesy, maybe she should consider a...

I’m Not Angry, I’m Just Disappointed

I’ve played poker since the early 2000s, starting with the London Poker Meetup games, where I learned the game properly and saw what a well-run environment looks like. Last night at the RSL in Sydney, I was reminded just how far from that standard some games can fall.

The venue itself was great — clean, comfortable, and with friendly staff who created a welcoming atmosphere. Unfortunately, the poker game itself was anything but.

It was self-dealt, and the majority of the players had only the most basic understanding of the rules — and absolutely no grasp of table etiquette. To give you a taste:

The player to my left actually grabbed his hand back after folding to show me he had a six on a 6-6-J flop. A dealer was asked to put out the river even though the hand had already ended in folds on the turn. A player went all-in out of turn, and rather than correcting it, the tournament director ruled his bet stood.

The table was full of intoxicated players. That in itself isn’t the problem — plenty of people enjoy a drink while playing — but combined with the lack of structure and oversight, it turned the game into a circus.

I lost interest quickly. Eventually, I shoved preflop with pocket nines, more in the hope of busting out than anything else. The poker gods obliged by lining me up against jacks, and I was out.

I stuck around briefly to watch my old friend Rick — one of the original London Poker Meetup crew — dominate what were essentially glorified home-game players. Then I called an Uber back to my hotel.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t written in anger, more disappointment. Poker has come full circle in some ways: lots of new players are keen to jump in, which is great for the game. But the APL organiser running this event needs to do a much better job of controlling the tables. With just one person managing the whole thing, it was impossible to enforce rules or teach etiquette.

My recommendation? Get a helper or two to watch over the games, and make sure players understand that poker — like golf — isn’t just about rules, it’s about etiquette. Without it, the experience...