Gasterea (Barcelona) 27/04/13

"Pinchos B.E.E.R.S"

Attendees: Ben, Sarah N, Najim
Price: Pinchos calientes €1.90, Estrella €2.25 / pot (Cańa)
Location: Calle Verdi 39, Gracia City, Barcelona
Ambiance: Compact and talkative with a hip but not specifically local crowd enjoying a bite before continuing the night at the next bar.
Character: Simple and effective use of an older building, the exposed brick and low ceilings give it a slight basement feeling which is comfortably offset with warm lighting and wooden finishes.
Decor: A few tastefully placed bouquets help to lighten up this narrow space. The bar and back bench run the full length of the room, accommodating plenty of customers and allowing for fast service for everyone. Everything is kept to a classic and simple style, food is the real focus here. A vintage clock on the wall adds some charm.
Comfort: Rather than claustrophobic, you'll feel quite settled in once you've picked a spot to lean on. Seating is slightly more limited but there are stools alongside the bar.
Patrons: A mixed international group mostly 25-35, friendly and fun with plenty of chatting and meeting new people.
Staff: Highly efficient and constantly busy. The food and drinks are delivered with a good degree of shouting to keep things interesting.
Selection: Estrella on tap and an excellent wine list. Perfect for washing down a couple of olive-oil drenched delicacies.
L.S.R.: Bright lights enhance the food eating experience and help to open up the space. Great mix of jazzy grooves and spanish/pop influenced music playing.
Amenities: Very good by typical euro standards, neat and clean.
Top Suggestion: Knock a few cents off the prices and the place would be full every night!
Field Notes: An outgoing crowd atmosphere - we spontaneously met an Italian guy living in BCN the last 6 years who promptly introduced us to his friends. Lacks the annoying spruikers seen elsewhere in the area.

Arbitrary Score: 77.5
A straight-up and simple delivery of a classic combination - drinking and eating. Despite a lack of any unique or exceptional qualities, Gasterea provides the perfect spot for a pre-bar, pre-club warmup session and the food and atmosphere will have you wanting to stay longer!

Bar Fred 10/04/13

"Shut in B.E.E.R.S."

Attendees: Cam, Sarah, Richo, Joey, Pig
Price: $5-$16 for bottled beers, majority around $6.50. Good price for nice bottled beers.
Location: 797 Nicholson St. Near the corner of Park St.
Ambiance: Definitely an über-local, lounge room type vibe. Faint aroma of Mary Jane floating through the place, care-free and relaxed atmosphere.
Character: Done in an American bar/pizza joint style. Long and narrow venue makes it feel cosy regardless of how many people are in there.
Decor: Functional chic. Decorations are utilitarian- part storage, part decoration- large jars of pickled onions, or big containers of oil line the walls. Lots of pretty beer bottles let you know why you're there. There's a lot going on, but still feels minimalist, it isn't overdone. Beautiful feature-mural of giant birds done in a tribal, Native American sort of style. Highlights the room.
Comfort: Not enough communal tables, but plenty of seats at the bar. If you don't get the one communal table, could make group situations quite isolating. There's an area at the front for pizza dining, or a couple of couches out the back for some cozy-ing. They can (and do) change the seating arrangements around so they are flexible and I'm sure accommodating if there were multiple large groups.
Patrons: Feels like your neighbours are having a beer with you. No suburb imports, highly contrasting with last week's endeavour.
Staff: Old mate is legendary. Not averse to a shut-in for dedicated punters, he hates to see the party stop. Closing times are pretty arbitrary. Staff are very knowledgeable of their beers and are more than happy to help you with your decisions.
Selection: No tap beers, but a fantastic selection of local and international craft beers. The bottled selection makes tap beers obsolete, and having taps would change the whole dynamic and crowd of the venue.
Beer Garden: On street tables, but not much.
Weekly Specials: Front half of the bar is a pizza joint that is quite cheap and apparently pretty yummy.
L.S.R.: Self-dimmer equals a self determined LSR depending on your mood! Although overall there are a few too many lights. Music was chill and ambient, although old mate isn't partial to letting you change up the music.
Amenities: Beautiful flower artwork in the women's, the men's have palm trees growing out of the troughs to satisfy your jungle desires.
Top Suggestion: Increase the amount of group seating. If you are with a group of more than three people, there may not be adequate seating for you.
Field Notes: At the time of finishing the review, we're here twenty minutes past official closing time and there has been no mention of last drinks, or any pressure whatsoever to wrap things up.
Memorable Quotes: "I've had a few shit haircuts in my day. I've had multiple types of mohawks." -CLG
"This is a place I could come every day after work if I was an alcoholic." -RW
"Its like choose-your-own-adventure lighting." -RW
"Feels like I'm drinking leaves." -SK
"Can we have one more drink, or do you want to close?" -AT. "Eh, who am I to say no?" -The owner.

Arbitrary Score: 95!

When you stay back an hour and a half past closing time on a Wednesday night sinking beers with the owner, sharing stories, knowledge and joints, you know you have found the ultimate local hangout.

The Great Northern 01/04/13

"The Come-Back B.E.E.R.S."

Attendees: Cam, Sarah, Jamie, Willsy and Richo (Michael and Ned left early).
Price: $9.20 for a pint of Carlton Draught. Rest of the beers range from $10-$13.5, a little expensive, but expected for the boutique beers.
Location: 644 Rathdowne St, North Carlton
Distance: 10 min ride from Wello.
Ambiance: No longer a 'local' vibe. Should be a great pub to come to anytime, but has been 'too discovered'. The Northern has gone for a 'bigger is better' attitude and has sacrificed some of its charms along the way.
Character: The building is a beautiful old traditional drinking establishment, with nice bare brick walls. Great character.
Decor: Needs a bit more thought. Sloppy placement of pot-plants, overly cluttered and claustrophobic, even when empty. Too many T.V.s that distract you from conversation.
Comfort: Way too many seating options. They have tried to cram in as many tables and chairs as possible which makes it a bit uncomfortable. They only place you feel like there is any breathing space is at the bar. There are a couple of booths outside that provide a welcome sanctuary from the hustle bustle of the rest of the place.
Patrons: Hard to effectively judge on Easter Monday, but from previous experiences it seems to be normally fulled with 'suburb imports,' an older, outer suburb crowd, that have migrated for an inner-north experience. It should be a local, but people travel to come here.
Staff: A little bit jaded, perhaps from dealing with too many dickheads. But they were happy to have a bit of banter and a chat, perhaps they just seemed a little disinterested as it was so quiet and a public holiday.
Selection: The highlight of the place, 17 beers on tap with only Carlton Draught as the only 'masses beer'. Nice concentration on Australian craft beers, with a couple of great international choices to complete a fantastic beer menu.
Beer Garden: Very large beer garden, but way too packed with tables and chairs. Can barely walk through it, even when there is no-one there. The have a large separate outdoor bar which would be very helpful when it's busy.
Jamie had an issue with the stairs that led to nowhere, but as one of the staff pointed out to him, "It's about the journey!"
It would be a good place to watch sporting events, with projector screens and multiple T.V.s.
Specials: They have weekly steak nights and parma nights but the quality of the food drops dramatically on these nights. Also have a weekly trivia event.
Have an extensive menu and a large dining area, but the food is too expensive and not that great.
L.S.R.: Pretty close to spot-on. Music is loud enough to enjoy, but does not impede on conversation in any way. Well-lit to see your buddies, but not overly bright.
Amenities: Quite modern and clean, in contrast to the old building, but in a good way.
Top Suggestion: Declutter, take out some tables and chairs (and maybe some patrons with it), let the people enjoy a bit of space.
Field Notes: Fantastic huge bike racks out the front, catering to the bike-centric clientele of the area.
Memorable Quotes: "This beer's gutless" C.W.
"Sinkholes: Nature's greatest predator" J.H.
"I like hoppy beers...Oh! What's that taste?" S.K. (ummm that would be the hops Sarah!)
"General theme: Overkill" J.H.
"Northern equivalent to the Precinct" R.W.
"How'd he get on the telly? Hideous looking being" C.W.

Arbitrary Score: 76
The beer selection really bumped up the points for The Great Northern, which otherwise would be just another run-of-the-mill, soulless pub that caters to sports crowds and large groups.

Csendes (Budapest) 25/02/13

"Our Bar"

Attendees: Ben, Di, Lauren
Price: 500ft pint,  750ft palinka (local firewater)

Location: Ferenczy István Street 5, Near Kálvin tér

Distance: 3min stroll from our international guardians.
Ambience:  Intimate space to take a date with enough privacy to share a chat (or a pash as many locals will do without hesitation). The side-street location gives it a certain obscure/local charm.
Character: Typical Budapest neo-classical style with high ceilings and large windows facing into the street. The same rugged quality seen in other 'ruin bars' but with a greater sense of optimism rather than pure grime.
Decor: A haphazard mixture of deformed children's toys strung up, scribbled graffiti on the walls and a menagerie of charmingly mis-matched chandeliers gives the place a casual yet edgy cool.
Comfort: The main area is densely filled with tables and wooden chairs which could be a little more comfy but also add a nice amount of chaos to the surroundings. With table service you won't need to get up much so it's not too much of an issue. Seats at the bar for the budding Hungarian conversationalist.
Patrons: Very 'couply' the night we visited with generally smaller groups matching the small table type configuration. A welcome deterrent for the drinking & tourist crowd.
Staff: Attentive table service goes against the local standard of 'service with a scowl'. Floor staff speak English and can help you choose a suitable flavour of palinka, a fruity local liquor that legally at least 37.5% alcohol and often much stronger. Cute guys at the bar mostly speak Hungarian.
Selection: Extensive drink and cocktail menu with some nibbles. Standard selection of local and regional tap beers. Exceptional local type lemonade served in a jar with ice - highly recommended. Daytime cafe menu
L.S.R: DJs on the weekend, however tonight we're struggling through some Hungarian pop-rock styles - a missed chance to match the atmosphere with something a bit cooler. The chandeliers definitely do a better job of setting the tone.
Amenities: A bit small and cramped. However, a duck toilet seat features in the ladies. Ken and Barbie doll arrangements to show m/f.
Top Suggestion: A couple of meal options on the food menu would make this the perfect place to begin a night out!
Field Notes: An early closing hour is slightly disappointing but helps steer the atmosphere away from the more boozy tourist bars that can be found around town. As well as being a bar and cafe, Csendes also includes 2nd hand clothes shopping during the day.

Memorable Quotes: "It's got a great flavour!" (LMS, tasting palinka) which one did you get? "I have no idea!"
"An orgy of headless barbies!" DL

Arbitrary Score: 87
With a lively social atmosphere and a great choice of drinks (sadly the Hungarians aren't a beer-loving nation so you'll have to excuse that), Csendes manages to create a whole greater than the sum of it's parts. A great returnability factor will make you want to remember the address for your next foray into Eastern-Central Europe

Hirsch (Berlin) 07/01/13

"Schnitz B.E.E.R.S"

Attendees: Ben, George, Bronte, Jane
Price: €3.30 500ml tap beer, €7.50 Schnitzel
Location: Kopernikusstr. 3, just off Warschauer Str. in Friedrichshain, Berlin
Distance: A short stroll from our somewhat un-glamorous hostel digs.
Ambience:  Easy chats 
Character: Shows some age and history with some well worn timber around the place and rendered brick walls.
Decor: Classic beer posters and a vintage wooden cigarette machine add a classic touch with some interesting details like the "power plug & socket" men's & ladies toilet symbols.
Comfort: A smaller closed in area for smokers keeps the dining experience pleasant. Tables or booths let you spread out or take a stool at the bar.
Patrons: None of the grimy Berlin crowd we've become accustomed to, a more presentable mixture of mid-20s and older here. Less of the general "unemployed & proud" scene here. Still relaxed and unassuming though!
Staff: Helpful & cute local gents, they'll charm into an impulse pancake purchase with ease. Prompt table service goes a long way.
Selection: Basic range of good tap beers with plenty of bottled options to round out the mix. The glühwein (mulled wine) on the specials board proved too tempting to resist.
Outdoor Area: Seperate smoking area
Specials: Some food and drink specials available. Full food menu with some great German style options.
L.S.R: A very "jack be nimble" style candlestick holder on each table and some interesting overhanging lampshades made out of tin cans create a warm atmosphere, somewhat offset by the disappointingly obvious pop rock playing on the stereo. Some more careful music selections could compliment the mood better.
Amenities: Standard, clean enough. Ladies' room mirror is not optimally placed for short people.
Top Suggestion: Changing the music to something a little less poppy - maybe some twangy blues - could continue being different enough from the Berlin standard while still complimenting the mood.
Field Notes: Quality schnitz! Slightly pricey as compared with the local kebab shop but well worth a look for the döner-weary traveller in want of some more traditional German-fare.

Memorable Quotes: "They MASH the potatoes" BK
"What's German for schnitzel?" GK

"I couldn't say no!" BK, after ordering pancakes from cute waiter guy

Arbitrary Score: 69
Great service and food, but lacks a certain "ich weiß was nicht" - some kind of memorable quality that makes you want to come back.