Schooners of Reschs, a pie-warmer, AC/DC blaring from the speakers and a pool table. The Unicorn’s new handlers, the guys from Mary’s and Porteño, aren’t out to modernise the classic Aussie pub so much as reboot it. Out go the poker machines, in comes a renovation sympathetic to the glories of the site’s timeless Art Deco lines. Yes, it’s unrepentantly noisy, and upstairs orders are taken over the bar (the basement bistro has table service), but the approach of the kitchen – to simply cook pub food and cook it well rather than mess with the blueprint – bumps it onto the drinking diner’s radar. Jatz and French onion dip is Jatz and French onion dip, but steak equals flavoursome cuts cooked with care, the mixed grill groans with flavour, flathead comes out juicy roasted whole on the bone with lemon and fried capers, and sides and sauces are all a cut above. Wine and dessert lists are concise, but deliver in spades, not least the pav with banana custard.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Wine: ★
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
