Woolpack Hotel229 Chalmers St
Redfern, Sydney
The Woolpack Hotel and Lounge in Redfern has been around for so long, you could almost call it a city landmark. But don’t let its solid history fool you into thinking it’s an everyday local pub. The Woolpack Hotel has not only revamped its interior, it has created a tantalising new Spanish Tapas menu.
Now, before we go on, let’s get a few things straight. The Woolpack is still a pub, so if craft beers and steak or schnitzels are your thing, then this place definitely has you covered. Their traditional pub menu is quite comprehensive and there are about eight rotating craft taps on offer, guaranteed to satisfy any thirst.For us, any opportunity to try a new menu is exciting so tonight, we’re happy to ditch the pub grub and get our forks into some delicious Spanish Tapas, created by Barcelona trained, Head Chef, John Howard.
We arrived on a busy Friday night but found a table inside quite quickly. The Woolpack has a lovely outdoor area out the front, a large main area inside and a cosy, intimate room around the back which is perfect if you are after a somewhat quieter space. There was some live music happening too.
We started our Spanish journey with a jug of Sangria. True to its tradition it was not too sweet and full of flavour, First up, some Iberico Jamon, a specific type of ham which is basically a Spanish legend. Made from Iberico free range pork and cured according to a specific process, Iberico Jamon is a thin leg of ham, with a deep golden hue to its fat. It’s absolutely delicious and far superior to any ham we have tasted till now.
Some grilled Octopus followed. Huge chunks of Octopus cooked in paprika and vinegar and marinated with Olives.
It’s so easy to over cook Octopus on the grill but thankfully this wasn’t the case here.
The paprika added a real smokey taste to the dish.
Following on the seafood theme, we also tried some fish croquettes and let us tell you these were AMAZING.
Bite size pieces of fresh salty fish, deep fried and served with the most creamy aioli.
Just one word of advice folks, these are dangerously addictive.
You can’t have a Spanish tapas experience without some famous patatas bravas, and the ones here at the Woolpack hotel don’t fail to impress.
The potatoes were golden and crispy and smothered in that creamy sauce that’s so delicious.
We were scraping everything off the plate.
Our next dish was the char-grilled beef. Thick carvings of delicious Hereford beef cooked in a very tasty salsa. They say Hereford beef is one of the best types of beef, we can definitely attest to that. It was tender, perfectly cooked on the more rare side of medium and perfectly carved and presented.
A perfect accompaniment to the beef were green beans which were cooked in a beautiful garlic and butter base, and also a chickpea dish cooked with cauliflower, spinach and aged cheese. A very impressive choice and one we would highly recommend. We couldn’t get enough of it.
Our last (but not least) dish for the evening was the stuffed Zucchini Flowers. Evidently fresh, these succulent flowers were filled with ricotta and Manchego cheese and again served with an aioli, but this time a chilli one.
After all this amazing food, we definitely were ready for a siesta so we decided to call it a night. The Woolpack hotel in Redfern is the perfect choice for your next meal no matter what the occasion as it offers a great balance between high quality Spanish Tapas and a solid, traditional pub menu, all within a relaxed atmosphere with friendly, efficient service.
Ole.
The Counts, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, were guests of The Woolpack Hotel. Big thanks to Mel Fryer for the invitation.