FoodMeUpScotty: Casual Dining

https://www.facebook.com/theflyingcock

I've been a little surprised that the UK phenomenon, the Gastro Pub, has not really taken off in Brisbane. For a while there, I thought that we were on the verge of a new thing, but it didn't quite eventuate the way that American style foodie establishments have hit town. If you've been to England, gastro pubs seem to be everywhere - it is after all where the phrase was coined in 1991 when mates David Eyre and Mike Belben took over The Eagle pub in London and turned into a pub slash restaurant. It was a concept that helped reinvigorate the pub culture and British dining.

There have been a couple of Gastro Pubs open in Brisbane over the last couple of years to mixed success. The Alliance in Spring Hill (see post here) and Statler and Waldorf on Caxton Street (see post here) are a couple that spring to mind, but I'm sure there are a few others out there. One of the things that I like about the concept of a Gastro Pub, apart from the food, is the great names used - I especially love the name Statler and Waldorf (named after a couple of famous muppets). I was really interested when I got invited along to check out the new lunchtime menu from Brisbane's latest Gastro Pub - the Flying Cock (what a great name!).

The Flying Cock is located on Brunswick Street and is part of the complex, that for many years housed the Valley's favourite Irish Bar, Dooleys until it closed a few years back. It was a place I'd frequented 'back-in-the-day' when we wanted a rowdy place to play some eight ball, so I was quite familiar with the spot. While the location was inhabited by Dooleys for what seemed like forever, when the old Irish gal closed down, a string of forgettable places seem to take it's place, so I was keen to see what the lads had done to the place.

Within easy walking distance of the CBD, we decided that we'd walk into the Valley for a bit of furniture shopping (we bought some really cool replica furniture from Matt Blatt) and then stop into the Flying Cock on the way home. It was a pretty damn warm day on the Saturday of our visit and by the time we'd finished our shopping and arrived, we were a bit hot and sweaty. Stepping into the shade of the pub was like stepping out of the Sub-Saharan sun into an oasis of blissful cool - we hoped that it was a good sign of things to come.

It was still a little early, but well within our target zone for lunch, and we were able to grab any old seat - the one we chose gave us a good view of the funky looking dining area as well as the completely renovated bar. The space was pretty funky and quite eclectic. Polished cement floors were the backdrop for a hodgepodge of tables and chairs that were mismatched and a little retro. Looking a little closer at some of the tables, I could see the pubs distinctive cock logo making up the tabletops design. Each of the tables were set with all the utensils you'd need for your meal and copies of the menu.

We sat down and pondered over lunch from a menu that comprised mostly of gourmet sandwiches and 'cockhouse sangas' along with a 'lunch time special' - on this occasion a steak and chips. While we pontificated over our choices, we ordered up a couple of drinks, SC ordered a Little Creatures IPA and I went for one of the crazy looking smoothies. SC's beer really hit the spot after such a hot and gruelling morning of shopping and was reminded of her time in Perth visiting the Little Creatures brewery on an equally hot and sunny day (see post here). Meanwhile, I was struggling to decide whether I loved or hated my banana smoothie that had spiced maple syrup, whole banana and smoked Maleny Dairy's milk. In the end I decided that the unique smokiness was lovely, but it took about half of the smoothie for it to grow on me.

We decided on gourmet sandwiches for lunch, with SC checking out the 'Tina Arena fan club'. The sandwich came presented on aluminium pizza dish that was covered in thin french fries along with the massive looking sandwich. Consisting of huge chunks of pastrami salami, mozzarella, mustard, lettuce and onion served of rye bread, the sandwich did remind us a little of the monster dishes we had in Katz Deli in NYC (see post here). There were some really interesting flavours in the sanga, especially the zingy mustard, which was quite sensational but initially SC struggled to eat much. The generous amount of pastrami salami was the culprit, there was just too much of it and once she removed a layer, the sandwich immediately became more balanced and really hit the spot.

I was only ever going to order the Flying Cock's version of a cheesesteak and ordered the 'Arthur Phillip cheesesteak' which came loaded with beef, peppers (which I'd asked to be removed), mushrooms, caramelised onion and provolone cheese - all served in a massive baguette. The cheesesteak also came on a pizza tin loaded up with french fries and a lovely little garlic aioli. My sanga was massive, so I needed to cut the thing in half so I wouldn't make a pig of myself (mission failed by the way). I thought the cheese steak was OK. I think my problem was that I was expecting something a little more like PJ's in West End (see post here), which is one of my all time favourite fast food joints. The steak was cooked well, the cheese was nice and melty, the mushrooms provided a great earthy flavour - sure, it was OK, but it wasn't a PJ's.

We both agreed that the chips and aioli were sensational and completely more(ish), especially the garlic aioli. Even though we loved the chips, the servings were pretty huge and we couldn't get through the lot.

One of the things that stood out about the Flying Cock was the friendly team serving on the day. There seemed to be a bit of energy in the cool little Gastro Pub, even though it was still pretty early and therefore fairly quiet. You could imagine how crazy the place would be on a busy Saturday night (in fact, we've walked past on a Saturday night and seen first hand how crazy the place is). I also really loved the eclectic feel of the place, especially the photos of old time famous and infamous Australians plastered on most spare walls.

Being a pub, you'd expect to have some pretty awesome beers on tap and for the aficionado there was indeed plenty on offer. Interestingly for a pub, there were some quirky non alcoholic drinks on offer - my crazy banana smoothie was not even the wildest smoothie on offer. That title went to the espressocado smoothie, which was half an avocado, espresso, organic honey and almond mild. I wasn't quite brave enough to check that one out but after the banana smoothie grew on me, maybe I need to get in and check it out - I might find I have a taste for the obscure!

@FoodMeUpScotty

**We were guests of the Flying Cock for this meal