Narellan Hotel — Restaurant in Sydney

Let me set the scene: it is Mother’s Day and we have just completed a walk around the Australian Botanic Gardens in Mt Annan. The plan was to revisit the Camden Valley Inn to express thanks to my mum for everything she does via a glorious schnitzel as previously reviewed by Rodney Holmes on that venue’s Google Maps page.

Due to the unknown timing of completion of the walk, I did not make a booking at the Camden valley Inn.

As you can probably guess, there was very little space, and as luck would have it, the heavens opened up with a localized downpour at precisely the moment we arrived, sending all those seated outside scurrying for cover and any remaining tables were quickly snapped up.

For this reason we abandoned the attempt to dine at the Camden Valley Inn, and decided to head back towards Sydney and stop off at the next available pub with a decent looking menu and at least 4 stars on Google Reviews (I note that prior to this review, the Narellan Hotel was sitting at exactly 4.0 stars, hence this review was not added in a corrupt attempt to bring it up to par for my mother).

The Narellan Hotel was identified as the most appropriate option. Upon arrival, there were far fewer people meaning that there was abundant choice in seating. We had arrived at the prime time between lunch and dinner, and thankfully this was not one of those pubs that closes their bistro in the prime hours between lunch and dinner.

Fast forward approximately 20min after we had acquired a few beverages and decided what to eat (don’t worry my mind was made up on a Schnitty well in advance), and our food had arrived.

I selected a schnitzel ABB. To clarify, the schnitzel was not manufactured by the Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation in the electrical equipment industry. The ABB stands for how the schnitzel was beautifully adorned with Avocado, Bacon, and Bernaise. Usually I am not one to adulterate the basic Chicken Schnitzel with unnecessary toppings and condiments, but on this day I was feeling it. And I must say it did not disappoint. The crispy bacon perfectly complimented the crispy batter and crumbs of the schnitzel. The avocado slices lended a creaminess in addition to the lashings of Bernaise sauce. The dollops of sauce were such that the usual condiments of mushroom or pepper sauce (or mustard as I am known to enjoy) were not required. The chicken itself was well cooked and sized, of appropriate thickness and strength of chemical bondage to its crispy batter.

The accompanying chips were well seasoned and nicely cooked. Cannot fault.

The accompanying salad was reasonably good, nothing that brought enlightenment but not bad, except for the two large slices of cucumber which I don’t really care for in this context.

Price was $24 for standard option schnitzel, plus $5 for the cost of manufacturing 3 off ABB high voltage electric motors for use in one of the many pump stations found in Sydney Water’s vast potable and wastewater network.

All in all, a very good experience after the chaos and disappointment of not getting to eat at the Camden valley Inn...

Staff are friendly and well presented. I was given the suggestions of the cheaper trade lunch specials, but opted for a menu listed item. I took the classic pub schnitzel but added the clubhouse topper which was one of several topper options. Food was made timely and presented well. Chicken was cooked through and was still moist and full of flavor, even though batter had crispy edges. Salad had a mild non overpowering dressing which is a plus for me. Meal cost $22.00 plus $7.00 for the topper. Signage around the establishment clearly inform patrons of specials, upcoming events and directions of utilities around the hotel. Bar, restaurant, kitchen and tables are clean and well presented. Tables were not overcrowded with gambling or promotional material. Smoking area is adequately designated away from non smoking patrons and no smell of smoke lingered through the hotel. Toilets first appearance appeared fine, but are in need of a detailed clean, especially on wall surfaces and silicone joints, where mould is starting its presence. The floor wastes and plug and wastes in sink are dated and clogging with grime and dirt from foot wear and use from time. BEER - beers were poured as a two pour and held head well in the Narellan Hotel branded glasses. No taste of dirty lines, so either recently cleaned or regular service to keg room and lines. WINE - I was solo on this visit so am unable to comment STAFF - knowledgeable, friendly and approachable. Colleagues have banter and friendship showing the establishment is a nice place to work with. MANAGEMENT - were present throughout my short visit. Hands on management as opposed to other venues running via security system. FOOD - timely, hot, tasty, pricing I would not like to see go any higher but meet the price to ratio to quality range. As always gambling is not applicable for me but the systems and availability appear to be working and functional.

Overall a neat and tidy establishment which presents well and embraces...

Came in at 9:30pm for a beer. At 10:40pm, I was told I either had to move to the pokie room or sit in the outside courtyard. When I requested the heater be turned on in the courtyard, I was informed this could not happen as I wasn't actually allowed to sit in courtyard, and that "i could speak to the manager if I wanted to". I was then informed that the venue was open until 4am. My only choice at this point was to gamble or leave. I purchased beers for at least 1 more hour so I was definitely not deemed intoxicaticated. so the questions begs, is this directive a matter of legislation? I also question why I was allowed to stay seated inside until 2am 3 seeks ago, but not now? Would like a response if possible.

Edit: it should be known, when i approached the manager on shift, he was only entirely too happy to turn on the heaters for me. It appears, the security guard has absolutely no clue what he is talking about, and that the actual Narellan Hotel team is incredibly hospitable. I will be changing my rating once I receive a response from the management team.

After response: thank you for your response Mr Denny. It should be known that after I left my review, the security guard in question tried to confront me regarding the review I left. This tells me you informed him and he was encouraged to start a confrontation with me. I would, at this point, appreciate mediation between me and that security guard as I felt threatened and that there was an attempt at bullying by this guard. I am sorry if this guard feels insecure enough to do this, but I am happy to engage in remediation to help this person...