Lemon tart milkshakes, Reubens and more at The Forresters

The Forresters

Corner Foveaux and Riley Streets

Surry Hills

Sydney NSW 2010

Ph : (02) 9212 3035

Lemon tart milkshake. These three words, tweeted, were what convinced me that I needed to visit The Forresters. Despite having visited numerous pubs in Surry Hills over the years, for some reason Forresters had never been one of them. What I didn’t realise was that this milkshake was, on the date of my visit, less than a week old, part of a new menu and new ownership.

The pub is carved out into several sections. We sat in the covered courtyard next to the entry area. There is a larger area behind the courtyard, and still more room on an upper level. 

Ordering consists of going up to the bar, paying for your food and drinks, and taking your number. As well as a weekday $10 menu, there is a much longer menu that can be ordered from at all times, covering a daily rotisserie (whose meat ends up in the Cuban sandwich of the day), snacks, salads, pizza, pasta, mains (short, but covering everything from a cheeseburger to salt cod parmigiana), sides, and two desserts (one being the lemon tart milkshake).

A Reuben ($10) was on the menu, so in line with last year’s sandwich theme, a Reuben I ordered. It may well be the final Reuben for a while, as it feels as though I’ve eaten too many. In the Reuben Spectrum that was my 2011, I’d put the Forresters one in about the 75th percentile. A decent enough filling (pickle inside), slightly let down by the bread. The chips were above average, and a decent serving. For $10, it was pretty good value.

The other sandwich was the meatball ($10). Although I didn’t try any of it, I’m told that the meatballs were tender and juicy. Again, a pretty decently sized meal.

The pizzas - dear Forresters, it’s ‘Margherita’ not “Margarita”.

Pizza Margherita ($15)

When it arrived, the first thought was that it was huge, too much for one person to eat for lunch. Fortunately, it was light - thin, crispy, with some nice slightly charred edges. Covered in tomato with chunks of melted fresh buffalo mozzarella, it was a pretty good Margherita that I’d be happy to eat again.

Onto the desserts.

First up, the lemon tart milkshake, my reason for being here.

Lemon tart milkshake ($7)

With some pastry crumble on the top and in the shake itself, this tastes exactly as you’d expect it to taste – like a lemon tart in a milkshake form. As if someone had put a tart into a blender, along with some milk, and pressed the button. Tasty, filling, and I’d drink it again happily, but it’s definitely no substitute for an actual tart.

The Tiramisu Knickerbocker Glory. That wasn’t.

Tiramisu Knickerbocker Glory ($12)

A knickerbocker glory is an ice cream sundae that is served in a large tall glass, particularly in the United Kingdom. It is typically served in a large sundae glass (tick) and contains ice cream, jelly, cream, possibly fruit, and even meringue. There are alternate layers of each of these, and it can be topped with a syrup, nuts, or whipped cream.

I ordered it because I didn’t know what to expect – some sort of clever riff on an old-fashioned sweet, I guess. It turned out to be tiramisu. A huge serving of tiramisu that I could barely finish. As a tiramisu, I found it quite heavy, as a Knickerbocker Glory …

The revamped Forresters is still a casual, welcoming type of place. Good for both small gatherings and groups, the food simple, flavoursome, and bang for buck. I’ll be back soon.

[AP]