The Royal Hotel, Paddington

An iconic local Sydney pub takes dining to a new level

Located 237 Glenmore Rd, Paddington NSW 2021

The Royal Hotel Bar and Grill is an iconic landmark in the affluent suburb of Paddington. As you enter, there’s your standard Australia pub set-up complete with bar stools and pokies. However, as you walk up the flight of stairs, you enter a whole new world (haha yep, I watched Aladdin the musical last night and all the songs are still running through my mind — truly spectacular!). There’s an inviting, airy feel as you walk through the upstairs dining area — freshly picked flowers, white marbled tables and plenty of natural light streaming through the tall windows.

Today, we were here with some of our favourite foodies, Asian Food Ninja, Willxia1, TsyMelissa and The Hungry Gentleman. It was time for some serious food photography today!

Our lunch kicked off with some small plates to share. The tomato bruschetta was a highlight; the flavour of the vine ripened tomatoes was accentuated by the basil, Parmesan and drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The salt and pepper squid is a local favourite so we simply had to try this. This was battered ever so lightly with the pickled fennel as a refreshing side. The smear of lime aioli and squeeze of charred lemon juice added a delicious zest to this dish. These Parmesan and truffle fries are irresistibly addictive, more so than Pringles. Once you pop one a handful of fries in your mouth, you honestly can’t stop. There’s just something about truffle that keeps you coming back for more. Next, we had the gloriously cheesy Baked Camembert consisting of fig jam and crushed pistashios on top really help to enhance the flavour of the Camembert.

“The tomato bruschetta was a highlight; the flavour of the vine ripened tomatoes was accentuated by the basil, Parmesan and drizzle of balsamic vinegar.”

Why are cured meats just so tasty? This Charcuterie Board was filled with all the delicious cured meats you could ever wish for, duck proscuitto, bresaola, proscuitto ham, italian salami. And of course, let’s not forget the marinated olives, cheddar cheese, pickles, perfectly crispy sourdough bread and handful of raspberries, blueberries figs.

Time to get some pork on our forks. The main we chose was the pork belly with Belgian cabbage and apple soubise which is essentially a fancy way of saying apple sauce. Not only was the pork cooked to perfection with a super crispy crackling, there was another pork element which was super tasty — hard to describe what it is but it’s almost like a corn fritter but made of pork.

Finally, we satiated our sweet tooth with a beautiful chocolate lava cake. Oozing chocolatety warm goodness, a light raspberry sorbet and pretty flower petals — need I say more? This is definitely a must try.

“The Royal Hotel Paddington is a beautiful, historic landmark in the heart of Paddington and there’s a reason why it has stood the test of time.”