Small Bar, Crows Nest

Since the small bar legislation passed the NSW state government, local councils are approving an increasing number of bars to compete obliquely with pubs and clubs. The latter have massive sway with the state government, no matter which political party is in power.

What is the difference? They all sell alcohol.

Small bars do not have draught beer, they do not have poker machines, and they do not have large television screens. They are more intimate.

Yesterday, my son and I went to a small bar, called Small Bar, in Crows Nest. It was quiet, being Thursday lunchtime, but Alastair says it hums nicely during the evenings. The food was delicious, and my Shiraz was mellow-as. For me, a pub is only an option on a Monday or Tuesday night, and only when there is not a major game on any where in the world in any code! There is just one pub close to me which is an exception, The Three Weeds, on Oxford Street. Five Ways, Paddington got its first small bar about a month ago, called Hideout.

I will post on these two establishments over the next week. In the meantime, let's celebrate diversity, small-is-good and the absence of the dreaded poker-machine.