This is the second time I got to try Home & Away. First time was Sunday funday drinks with girlfriends (and free arcade games) and the second time for a Yelp Elite event.
First off props to Dale for organising such a great Yelp event and to the amazing staff at Home & Away who made the evening even better than I could have hoped for.
We had open access to skee ball and basketball hoops as well as the giant connect 4 that Home & Away always have. Then there were the additional board games that were brought in. Battleship, Operation, Pirate in a barrel, Guess Who, Jenga, Hungry hippos? Yes please to all of these! Loved that everyone rotated through the games as much as possible.
Then there was the food. Plates of different items were brought out through the night and got to try some delicious items. Everything we tasted is on the regular menu and of course only makes me want to go back and try everything else they have.
1. Crispy cauliflower with chipoltle aiolo, queso fresco, and pico de gallo. Finally get why everyone is so intro cauliflower now. Very thin batter and crispy on the outside. Topping added great flavour.
2. Pork ribs that were fall off the bone soft and had a great glaze that enhanced the flavour of the meat instead of overpowering it. Also saw this as a main dish go out to a customer in the restaurant and was impressed with the size of the rib portion and the 2 sides it came with.
3. Hot dogs - and if you know me you know I love hot dogs, this was a great one. This will be the first thing I order when I go back. This is no ordinary hot dog though, it is a wagyu beef dog with pepper jelly, dijon aioli and some pickled onion. They had cut ours into mini dogs so not sure how large the full portion is but guess at pretty decent
4. And then there was the beef tartare. Oh man so good! They do the tartare with a deviled egg aioli, and honestly I am not sure how they do it but they do it right. Served on little crisp toast bits of heaven. I liked these even more than the hot dog and I loved the hot dog.
As mentioned I had been here once before for Sunday drinks with girlfriends and only got to try the chorizo corn fritters (which were great) and now I wish I had gone more hungry cause I realise all the great food I missed out on! Couple of other items I saw people order off the menu and looked really good were the nachos, wings, mac & cheese, and pulled pork sandwich. All looked really tasty and great size portions. They have done some great thing s with traditional pub fare and even their salads look interesting - nice spins on the originals.
In regards to service, the team that served us was on it, knowledgeable and very friendly. This was a very unusual event for them to have with so many of us milling around and playing games but they handled it like pros. You could see how busy they were but if there was a question they took the time to answer it for you and had a good knowledge of the beers on tap too which is always a bonus. This is a big space and on a regular night if it gets busy the team will be working hard to make sure everything runs right.
Home & Away does brunch on the weekend, has great daily features on food and wine (you can see them on their menu online), weekday happy hour from 3-6pm, and has a kids menu for the little people. Really covering all the bases and doing a fine job.
Am I coming back? Absolutely!