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Pinbone’s new adventure is here for a good time, not

a long time, writesPAT NOURSE. Get it while it’s hot.

I

don’t know what to make of

the doughnut labelled “bother

me”. It’s stencilled on the

wall along with a dancing pig

holding a bottle of wine, a slice

of pizza, a dancing can holding

a pizza, a dancing slice of pizza

holding a bottle of wine, and a love

heart beribboned with the word

“pizza”. Interesting move for a

place that doesn’t sell doughnuts

or dancing pigs. Or pizza.

On the other hand, the phrase

“self-serve coolroom full of really

great wine” is easy to grasp. That,

plus a new outing for the Pinbone

mob makes an excursion to Mascot

a “when” proposition rather

than an “if”. Yes, the name “

Mr Liquor’s Dirty Italian Disco”

smacks of a brainstorming session

that needed more brain and less

storm. And it’s consistent with

some aspects of the look and

feel of the place that are a little

grating in their overreach.

But if your idea of a good time

runs to getting together with a

bunch of pals to graze over olives,

a few things on toast and/or a few

things that go with bread, then

seguing to a tasty hunk of protein

or a plate of pasta over a good,

well-priced bottle or six, it turns

out these things are easy to forgive.

And as much “fun” as there is

being pushed (mini-neon signs on

the tables, the offer of tambourines,

god help me), there’s plenty of

unforced amusement as well. The

place is set in what used to be the

drive-through bottle-shop of the

Tennyson Hotel. The pub itself was

the sort of place you might have

visited if you were in a hurry to find

a cash machine or relieve yourself.

The rejigged bottle-o, though, is full

of life. The ceiling is high, the floor

is concrete, the noise is substantial,

and when the roller doors are open

you might be lucky enough to see

the odd Commodore SL roll up in

search of a carton of throwdowns

and a packet of darts.

Imagine if the exclamation

marks on the menu (“Please order at

the bar!” “Fresh bread!”) had been

taken to their logical conclusion

(Polenta! Corn! Chervil! Credit card

payments incur a 1.5% surcharge!).

You could certainly justify putting

one next to the ’nduja. Chefs

Jemma Whiteman and Mike Eggert

make a version of the spreadable

sausage that’s as spicy and porky as

you’d expect, but with a brightness

of flavour all its own.

If we’re going to get

typographical, I’d put an asterisk

next to a couple of dishes to mark

them optional. The white beans,

zucchini and pangrattato (gluggy,➤

Above: clockwise

from bottom:

fried sardines

with sardine aïoli;

pickles; burrata;

’nduja; olives;

and mortadella

bianca. Above

from left:

Pinbone, aka

chefs Jemma

Whiteman and

Mike Eggert and

floor manager

Berri Eggert.

the disco

Fire in

PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER

GOURMET TRAVELLER 55

Sydney review