Harlequin Inn - Pyrmont

On our way back from Jones Bay wharf, we stopped here for a lazy Sunday afternoon drinks. What attracted me at first was the large outward facing windows overlooking a floral square. The entire pub is divided into 3 areas the sun lounge (where the large windows are), the main dining/bar and the beer garden. There is also a Thai restaurant inside. Drinks are cheap, $5.5 for a schooner of pure blonde. It appeared that an open mic event was on for wanna be singers, each of them can perform four songs. Unfortunately I wish I had my earplugs on when certain people performed. The beer garden looked inviting with vertical garden and bamboo screen. A closer look uncovered there were actually pocky machines behind the enclosed bamboo screen. Sports channels were scattered at various parts of the pub, it must get quite busy when AFL is on judging by the framed jerseys on the wall and a massive footy perching on top of the front door.

Spicy pub grub. We have eaten here a couple of times since moving into the area and the food is great and very cheap. Must like your spice though as mild is hot but we love it that way. The pub is pretty good but the wine list is poor but being reviewed at present. Nice place to chill and watch the world go by.

Pub Thai. What a transformation. One of the penisula's trashiest pubs has transformed into this. So you really can polish a turd.The food is pretty good as well!

Modern and pubby as the swankier but old looking places nearby, which is good and bad. Food and drinks here especially cheap (still not cheap compared to some suburbs), but it could have been something wrong with my beer.

After many loving memories of the Harley who live near my life at a time, I convinced that friends come and try the Harley and watch the AFL on TV last Saturday night. Bella, whom I spoke to on the phone, was brilliant. Nothing was a problem and she was incredibly accommodating in every way. She gave me the confidence that the night would be in safe hands, unfortunately at the moment we arrived, I knew that the night was in Jeapordie, like the hands in which we were Stephen 's, the manager at the service, and he was just diabolical. Bella had kindly informed us that we were accommodated in the night to watch the AFL Live and Loud and whether it was up or down, it would be good. Given the fact that our table is right next to the pool table below, and their were cartridges already watching the NRL below, I thought it best to go up where nobody was and watching the game. We asked at the bar a few times and asked to change the channel to show the game and finally Stephen came to just change the channel. He was shaken by the fact that he had to climb the stairs the day to change the channel, and we all thanked him for the trouble (i.e. it is 20 stairs above) and he did not react. His attitude to collecting glasses was also terrible. We felt like we had been in the way (yes, we were out of the way) and we were uncomfortable there. When I went down to order a round of drinks, the young man was knocked behind Stephen's bar if he had given a group of friends, he had just served a free beer. The young man was rightly upset and he said that Stephen could check and see that he didn't. Stephen went away without saying anything. We couldn't wait until I get out of there, I'm sad to say, and when we went past Stephen with another cigarette on the pavement when we left for the Quarrymans on the street and said thank you, he didn't react to. I'm afraid to say that this little community pub with so much heart has to address the Stephen problem, otherwise people like us will just go down the street where we were greeted with open arms.