pub culture

Yesterday, Malc & I went to the Beach Palace Hotel in Coogee (169 Dolphin St, Coogee ph (02) 9664 2900) to join in the celebration of Susan's birthday. Susan is my officemate and was my buddy, showing me the ropes, during my first few weeks at work.

We arrived fashionably late, and already there were Susan's friends as well as our work colleagues. I was pleasantly surprised with the venue, it was roomy, well-furnished and none of the stale-beer-and-cigarette-smoke smell. The menu was modest but offered a good variety ranging from the staples (steak, fish & chips, scnitzel) to pasta, pizza and rissoto. And all dishes were very affordably priced.

I ordered seafood hotpot (mixed seafood in a napolitana sauce, served on a bed of rice) and Malc had seafood basket (prawns, scallops, calamari & fish pieces), both for less than $35! The portions were huge and the seafood was deliciously fresh. According to Malc, it was great value for money.

The food aside, it was great to hang-out with my workmates outside the office. We did talk a bit about work, but the conversation covered a variety of topics including some interesting overseas experiences. Malc was not his usual "entertaining" self as he was concentrating on the 2 TV screens in the pub, one showing a rugby league match and the other showing an AFL match.

After dinner, Malc & I excused ourselves as I had iaido training the next morning while the rest partied on . . .

Finally, happy birthday Susan, hope you have an exciting year!