We've actually returned here twice since the first review. The food is still pretty good, although not quite as amazing as the first time (perhaps this is due to our expectations, or to a menu which changes regularly). The beer is still quality, and the overall atmosphere is as enjoyable as it ever was. Obviously, since we keep coming back, we haven't seen any reason to alter the probability-of-return rating.
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I've walked by this place every day on the way to and from work for the past few months. I always thought it looked interesting. So, Dave and I felt like having a beer, and here we ended up.
St. Arnou Beer Bistro is actually owned by Irish Murphy's, but according to the staff we spoke with, it is not affiliated with any major corporate brewery. The St. Arnou brewery itself is independent, and strangely located in Sydney whilst the bistro is here in Melbourne. However, they assured us that more St. Arnou bistros are planned, and Sydney is to get the next one.
If our experience is anything to judge by, Sydney is lucky. We expected to find good beer and decent food. What we got was excellent beer and very good food. Prices are about average for the location and market ($20 mains, $7.50 dessert). Beer (and wine) prices vary according to the drink itself, of course, but were also in line with expectations.
Dave ordered the One-pot Chicken in Thai Green Sauce, and it arrived generously sized and fragrantly steaming, the chicken moist and tender and the sauce full of fresh green vegetables. The flavours were slightly more subtle than expected, but it was quite good. I had a taste; my only complaint was that being Thai in flavour, it could have used more Thai spiciness. My Lamb Osso Bucco was very rich, tender, thick, sticky, chunky, syrupy, meaty, and gone, because I ate it all (okay, I left the bones). I'm not an expert on osso bucco but I sure enjoyed this one. We were both a bit full to try the Kahlua cheesecake so we opted for fruity desserts - Dave had the Mint Sugared Pineapple with Pinot Noir Poached Pear (or something like that) and I had a Pear and Hazelnut Frangipani Tart. Dave's was pretty special for what was essentially two pieces of fruit. My tart was just the right weight and sweetness, at least for how I felt after having the osso bucco and two beers.
Yes but how is the beer? In a word, plentiful. The beer menu is more extensive than the food menu (as is the wine list, which we didn't spend much time looking at). The St. Arnou brewery produces five different types, and the rest of the menu is full of beers from around Australia and the world, both common and exotic. I'm always one to support the independents so I tried two of the St. Arnou varieties, the Dark Ale and the Wit Bier. Dave had a Carlsberg and a St. Arnou Pilsner. I won't bother with the fancy-schmancy spiel about citrus notes, spiciness, or drawn-out hoppiness. Put simply, the St. Arnou beers were damn good (don't know about the Carlsberg, because I didn't try it and Dave didn't comment). Each beer we tried was true to its advertised style, and a couple have won awards. Now I'm not a big drinker, and normally my stomach and my head both start telling me to stop after two drinks. But the St. Arnou beers left me feeling refreshed and not at all weighed down like I usually end up. And the Dark Ale was definitely not a light brew.
If you're going to have a beer, it's always nicer if you can have it in a pleasant environment. The decor was quite suitable here - kind of like a tavern, but it's a new place so it looks like it needs a few decades of regular patrons coming through to get that happy, worn-in, homely atmosphere. That said, it is very clean (yes, including the restrooms). The service was efficient and passed the auto-water-refill test before I even noticed. I did have to flag down a waitress to order my second beer, however, but to her credit she had already asked before I was sure I wanted another one.
This place is good. I really hope that the expansion into multiple locations doesn't dilute the quality. The verdict? Our highest probability rating to date (excluding Dave's House, but he's biased). Basically, you should go to St. Arnou for the beer. The bonus is the food. They even do a good long black coffee with your dessert.
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Dave's summary: "New but old."
Probability that we will return: 40 / 42
Note that the probability rating is affected by the fact that there are hundreds of places to eat around here.