mirgraphy

After talking about doing a planned tour of Sydney’s Community Club, we finally went to our second community club as one of the Midweek Supper Group outings (the Japanese Club, being the first and I still need to blog it!).  Yewenyi suggested the Portuguese Community Club in Marrickville and that fit the bill of being relatively close to the city and obscure enough that none of us have ever visited it.

The address seemed straight forward enough, and had the signage been lit the Club would have been easy to spot…After a number of semi frantic phone calls from Pirochan “head under the bridge and keep going until you think you should stop, then keep going some more”. I finally found the dimly lit restaurant next to the soccer field.

Once I entered the restaurant, it felt like I was warped back into the 80’s. The combination of the retro chairs, the tablecloth and the decor reminded me of places my parents used to take me to for Sunday dinner back in the old days.

First thing first and we ordered some drinks to start. Yewenyi and Evil Hayama ordered the “local” beer, housed in yellow bottles. Not quite sure what normal Bock taste like, but Super Bock was rather mild. Both reminded a little of Coronas actually.

For starters we ordered the Cogumelos com alho  (garlic mushroom) and the Chouriço Assado (grilled chorizo). The portion was generous and we realised that hearty sized portions are the order of the day. The chorizo was surprisingly lovely. It was the right combination of salt, fat and meat. Our youngest ever MSG guest (2 years old, but who’s counting!) loved the mushrooms and olives, which goes to show the younger palate is not all about chips and burgers…

You can’t go to a Portugese restaurant without ordering cod, so one Bacalhau a Lagareiro (cod cooked lagareiro style) was promptly ordered. The cod was dressed generously in olive oil and pan fried. I wish I asked which olive oil they use, there’s a distinct nutty taste to it.

I ordered the snapper, but unfortunately the waiter heard it as salmon. Though got to say the grilled salmon was delicious, floating in a plate of olive oil somehow managed to add to the taste.

Other dishes of note were the Espetada (beef skewer with side plate or salad and chips), the Bife a Portugese (Steak with chips, egg, rice and salad), Alentejana (pork cubes served with clams, square chips and pickles) and last but not least Polvo Grehaldo (grilled octopus served with salad and boiled potatoes).

There seemed to be two themes throughout the night, the first being olive oil and the second being meat, and so much of it!

Sydney Portugal Community Club Restaurant Marrickville

100 Marrickville Road
Marrickville NSW 2204

(02) 9550 6344