21 August 2008

Gus' open again

| johnboy
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Fret not people of Civic. Despite some concern about what was happening to the iconic Gus’ Cafe on Bunda Street I can report it is back open after a renovation and looking much the same as before.

For those who aren’t across the history (p 3771) it was the original owner Gus Petersilka who for years fought the petty grey bureaucrats who ruled Canberra for the right to put tables outside. He’s even got a plaque out the front in his memory.

So probably worth buying a coffee there at least once.

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Holden an older sibling went to school with the 15-y-o and had been inside Gus’s house in Braddon. And I witnessed the hand-in-dog’s-mouth many times myself when I worked briefly at Gus’s as a schoolgirl. Gus was notorious – the police HATED him but for some reason couldn’t touch him.

It makes me feel a bit like I felt when I discovered I’d accidentally eaten dog meat in Russia.

Holden Caulfield10:28 pm 21 Aug 08

@I-filed: So how do you know all this juicy gossip?

Gus was evil. Where to begin?
He was a paedophile – he had a 15-year-old girlfriend at the age of 60 and stacks of child porn at his home in Braddon.
His “braised steak” was 20-year-old Yugoslavian army rations out of tins – he had a shedful he had bought on the cheap – and used to stick his hands in his dogs’ mouths and then stick them in the food.
He sacked staff who would not work 23 days straight over the December/January holiday period (with no overtime even after midnight on Christmas Day).
He paid off the health inspectors – Gus’s was crawling with cockroaches.

I love Gus’s coffee. Nice and strong! It can vary depending who’s making it but I’ll always go there when in the city.

The wierdest thing was when Gus took out a full page ad/rant in the Canberra Times. part of it said that women were closely related to apes – I can’t remember what the rest of it was all about.

I like the renos and the coffee and staff are always good

You can always go next door to Essen and grab a Cinnamon Frangelico Cappuccino aka a ‘cin fran cap’.

; )

I decided to go check it out after the renovations. (you may remember my criticisms on the original post when it shut down).

Service was much better…but the coffee was still dishwater.

I like the big breakfast. Two thumbs up.

I love Gus’.

We have been back there since the renos, and they are quite nice although I will also miss the old dinginess.

The big table in the middle is gone, although that is probably a good thing. It’s always a bit uncomfortable to have to share a table with people you don’t know.

I think the rough concrete floor kind of went with the old dingy decor, but I think a wooden floor would go better with the new interior – or pretty much anything else really – although I am no expert on interior design.

I really enjoyed my Atlantic salmon, which just melted in my mouth and then we shared some sticky date puddin’ … mmmmmmmmmmmm!

Yes the man did some things for Alfresco type things in the ACT but without wanting to speak ill of the dead all I remember of him is being a right royal pain in the ass.

Wide Boy Jake3:03 pm 21 Aug 08

Petersilka blotted his copybook considerably by being a member of Fred Nile’s Festival of Light and writing several letters to The Canberra Times in the late 1980s and early ’90s calling for x-rated videos to be banned. For that reason I wasn’t too upset when he joined the great majority.

Love their steak s/wich – despite everyone elses incidents – I have never had bad food chai or coffee there.

Holden Caulfield11:28 am 21 Aug 08

Yes, but the Legislative Assembly was not even a twinkle in the Feds’ eyes when Gus was having his issues.

I remember seeing a photo of Gus’ from the 60s and it was hard to recgonise it. Mature trees and that ugly, but necessary, canopy have certainly changed its exterior look over the years.

For all their many faults the legislative assembly is rarely grey.

What’s that about “the petty grey bureaucrats who ruled Canberra”?

When did they stop running the dump – and making sure that it stayed one?

Depends on who is behind the steamer, but a really good coffee on most days.

Gus’ is my favourite city coffee hang-out so I’ll look forward to seeing the new fit-out this weekend.

Do they still make their hot chocolates with hot water instead of milk?
If so, no thanks, even with new furniture.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy10:08 am 21 Aug 08

Last time I went to Gus’ was with a small group for lunch. When my lunch came it had a big long hair in it. I told the waitress, who apologised, offered to replace the meal and offered me a free softdrink. I thought “no worries, that seems fair”. Shame, then, that neither the replacement meal nor drink ever arrived, despite asking a couple of times.

Based on that kind of service, I won’t be back.

stereo henry10:01 am 21 Aug 08

I’m wondering how much they spent on the refurb? There seems to be the same amount of tables/space inside, why spend the money to make no improvement on the bottom line? I think I liked the place more when it was dark and dingy inside!

Holden Caulfield9:54 am 21 Aug 08

I really like Gus’. It may not be the flashest place in town or the place to pose, but I’ve never had a dud meal or bad service there. Okay, it’s not perfect, but it is what it is and I’ll continue going there.

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