The Rover — Restaurant in Sydney

The Rover does a two buck freshly-shucked oyster happy hour between 4pm and 6pm. The bivalves were from Wonboyn Lake on the pristine Sapphire Coast on the evening I visited. And—with a fully-packed front bar—they ran out before I could get in a second dozen: it pays to arrive early in these parts! Our disappointment was assuaged by the railway station signboard indicating deep-cup Batemans Bay pacific oysters ($7/each) and Sydney rocks from Tuross lake ($6/each) were both still available (though not at the bargain price). Each suited the delicate house-made Champagne mignonette, which is also a player in their estuary martini ($25), in an unholy union with Never Never oyster shell gin.

Sliding over to Chardonnay—Domaine Naturaliste’s cracking 2021 Artus ($135)—with a punctuating happy hour gin+tonic ($6) saw us smear smoky eel pâté ($16) and horseradish jelly onto glazed crumpets. Using dainty oyster forks, we speared slivers of raw scallop ($9/each) accentuated with horseradish, cucumber and dill. We made short work of sardines ($5/each) cured with tapenade on crisp croutons. From sister venue, The Gridley, their famous burger ($26) slowed us down, giving us time to appreciate the more genteel surrounds of the venue’s quieter upper bar. The burger is a double chuck and brisket patty affair oozing sauce and American cheese, presented with a knife to aid sharing.

This bar’s the whole package from booze to atmosphere to staff to food to cheese—a West Country farmhouse Cheddar ($15/40g) presented with all the trimmings. I even rate the bogs with their intriguing memorabilia and rusty buckets wash-up area. Yep, I think I’ve found my new Sydney...

It was a gloomy Thursday evening – blue skies had given way to sullen and cantankerous clouds. My day had been average to say the least: I forgot my lunch at home, spent three hours on hold with tech support and my boss had given me a stern reprimanding for putting too much milk in his tea. I was in need of a stiff drink. I was walking towards central when I spied a man in front of an ominous looking green door. Our eyes met, and he beckoned to me. There was a sense of inevitability tangled in with his curly brown hair. We stepped into what he called his office. I sat at the perfectly polished brass bar and fixed my tie in the reflection. Anticipation washed across me like mist across an Irish lake on cold autumn morning. I could see the bartenders sly grin as he hopped off the back bar and slid towards me a crystal glass full of an amber fluid. A tall tattoed man and another gentleman sporting a luscious moustache stuck their heads around the corner, nodding in unison. They approved of the young curly haired bartenders choice of whisky. That dram was everything. Sweet, smooth and decadent.

Since that fateful day I’ve yet to forget my lunch at home. I’ve acquired a keen sense for IT solutions, and have even started my own freelance business. Best of all, every cup of tea I brew seems to be absolutely spot on. As soon as I flick the kettle switch I feel a presence in the room with me; some sort of large, white regal bird – some sort of godly tea swan that guides me down the dark and murky tea garden path and helps me find a perfectly balanced brew.

Thank you Wild Rover. You have...

Came in with mates for an afterwork catch up. Got the signature Gidley burger, mushroom burger, oysters and fries. The Gidley burger was nice with a nice clean taste…. should it be rated top ten in the world? that’s debatable as there are so many great burger joints in Sydney which I rate just a highly. The mushroom burger although it didnt taste bad was literally just a mushroom in a burger instead of a meat patty. The pickles were absolutely phenomenal. The happy hour oysters were definitely the highlight….$2 an oyster? you definitely can’t beat that. Now to the cocktails. The happy hour cocktails were amazing! the gin and tonic, Venetian spritz and Miami Weiss all tasted great. Presentation of the Miami Weiss had to be the saddest cocktail presentation I have ever seen (it looked like how I would expect a cocktail at a country pub to look). Mushroom burger presentation could do with a little work also ngl. Burgers would have been a solid 4, however as customer service was fantastic (very friendly, welcoming and efficient) I’ll give an additional 1). Seating is limited so arrive early. Food came out in a surprisingly decent time. Ambience was...