18 September 2008

Review of The Parlour, New Acton

| rosebud
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Ok, ok, I can see Riotacters are a gourmet lot, what, between raving reviews of super-sized fry ups at the Central Cafe, partaking in drunken Defence personnel antics at Mooseheads, and chomping on chicken schnitzel at the Queanbo Bowling Club, I can see that you like to eat, drink and be merry.

So what about the other end of town?

Last week, I went with a friend to The Parlour, a new wine bar at New Acton. Sounds posh I know, and it was (well, sort of).

We were met at the door by a handsome young waiter who at first didn’t think he could find us space inside, and strangely, we didn’t fancy sitting outside in slightly above freezing temperatures. Maybe he was ashamed of us, or indeed on our behalf, as we did seem to be quite old compared to everyone else. Eventually, he managed to squeeze us in at the back of the room. This was at 10pm or so on a Friday night.

I’d call the inside decor Menzies meets Laura Ashley. Lots of dark wood and leather with highlights of patterns on lamp shades, posters etc. If gentlemen could smokie Stogies anywhere anymore, this would be the place. So it did seem a bit incongruous that most of the clientelle looked like they needed their parent’s permission to stay out so late.

We tried not to stare at the couple opposite us who were getting up close and personal over bottles of expensive wine, while eating tapas type meal-ettes that looked great, but that you just knew were over-priced – you know what I am talking about, a prawn served on an oversized Chinese style spoon, martini glasses with oysters in them and other show-offy type of presentation.

The ladies wore Paris Hilton inspired ‘dresses’ and the blokes in neat casual (whatever that means, I suppose not shorts and thongs). It didn’t take too long for the would-be socialites to feel the effects of the alcohol, with at least one lady falling over her ultra high heels soon after we arrived. I knew she was classy though because as she fell, she still managed to hang on to her boob tube top.

Young people are funny. Here they all were, dressed up to the nines, drinking overpriced wines and cocktails, boys and girls, in large and small groups, but half the time they seemed to be on their mobile phones chatting to people who weren’t there, ignoring the gorgeous person with the low cut top and glassy eyes sitting in front of them.

Despite this, or maybe because of it, we had a really great time. The crowd were not violent or scarily noisy. Just young people having lots and lots (and did I say lots) to drink, but staying sociable and having a fun time. And because of that, so did we.

We could imagine that when the renovations are complete, the outdoor area will be a tremendous place for a G&T on a hot summers day by the lake.

And there still remains alot to explore. New restaurant, flash hotel, ladies’ day spa etc etc.

The Parlour even offered a degustation menu featuring foods made in some way with local truffles with matching wines, but that was for a Tuesday evening and I am not sure how many working Canberrans can set aside time on a week night for a six course meal and wine. Good luck to those who can.

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carrotstix said :

Must be hard living where you live and not liking yuppies….I know what you mean tho.

LOL – no course it isn’t hard living where I live – I walk to work! (And that’s the main reason I live where I live) 🙂

I just frequent venues where I know try hard kiddies wont be whilst I’m there (like Uni pub on certain weekdays is alright for a beer and a game of pool plus $5 feeds on Monday – Wednesday nights are always easy ways to convince your mates that you don’t have to sell your first born to eat in town).

Parlour is one of those places though I’m afraid that is too much like a honeypot for them for me to go near the place – at least in the next 12 months. When the hype has died down I might head over.

I’m an East Sider!

ant said :

Another good article by Rosebud, I really enjoy the writing style! having said that, I might eye the place early on a weeknight, but it sounds positively dreadful by 10pm. Then again, G&Ts on the verandah always appeals to me.

You must be a northsider. Southsiders hate me.

Another good article by Rosebud, I really enjoy the writing style! having said that, I might eye the place early on a weeknight, but it sounds positively dreadful by 10pm. Then again, G&Ts on the verandah always appeals to me.

gargamel said :

Ya know where the Lakeside Hotel is Petunia? The old Acton Hotel was across the road – that is now NewActon complex where this joint is.

(Look it up on Google Maps)

Dunno bout this place – I live nearby but refuse to go to this joint on principle – can’t stand yuppies.

Must be hard living where you live and not liking yuppies….I know what you mean tho.

I’m the friend in Rosebud’s review. What I liked about the place was that they bring drinks to your table and keep a tab so you don’t have to join the bar scrum (admittedly they didn’t come back that often). I also love the building. All comfort, big thick walls, high ceilings and a decent piece of furniture to park on. I am so over harsh, shiny and precarious.

Would be great if there were maybe fewer of the ‘self absorbed’ young and beautiful (curse them!)and more of the jaded and slightly faded (or is that boomer? – I don’t get this generation lable stuff). Anyway, maybe there’s a different kind of crowd on a Thursday.

Ya know where the Lakeside Hotel is Petunia? The old Acton Hotel was across the road – that is now NewActon complex where this joint is.

(Look it up on Google Maps)

Dunno bout this place – I live nearby but refuse to go to this joint on principle – can’t stand yuppies.

Since the esteemed writer of this review, Rosebud, is an old friend of mine, I would like to ask just one question: What the hell are you doing out at ten pm on a Friday night, when you have RESPONSIBILITIES?

Oh, I have other questions as well. Where the hell is Acton? Who wants to ‘do drinks’ with anyone from Gen Y? And why can’t I go instead of being stuck here in this godforsaken village, with all the cows, the tea and no booze?

Your correspondent in Turkey.

Mr_Shab said :

The bar crew aren’t the well-oiled machine you need in a place like this

Tru dat. I was there on a Sunday afternoon and it took an eon for two glasses of wine to arrive at our table. When the lovely maître d’ was politely told of this, the two glasses arrived gratis. A good result for all!

I’ve dragged my ill-dressed arse along a couple of time. Nice place if the over made-up, self-absorbed Gen-Y crowd doesn’t induce too much teeth grinding. Decor’s very nice and the chairs are comfy.

The tapas is mighty good; really power-packed flavour-wise and not as expensive as you might think. Get a bunch of mates together and order a big selection.

Drinks are average cocktail-bar prices (i.e. an expensive way to get drunk) and reasonably good. Service is a bit slow, though. The bar crew aren’t the well-oiled machine you need in a place like this and it shows in the scrum at the bar.

captainwhorebags said :

Rosebud: excellent review, you should certainly do more of them. Your description of the decor, crowd and food certainly conjured up vivid imagery of what the place is like.

So, yeah, what Sands said. More please.

But I could NEVER top your username captainwhorebags!

captainwhorebags10:42 am 18 Sep 08

Rosebud: excellent review, you should certainly do more of them. Your description of the decor, crowd and food certainly conjured up vivid imagery of what the place is like.

So, yeah, what Sands said. More please.

Awesome review Rosebud – do more! I’ve been meaning to go there for a while and have such a clear image of it now – both aesthetically and clientelle wise…!

(except ‘a lot’ is two words – sorry, sorry, sorry – I had to say it)

🙂

While it is a bit out of the way for most, Parlour is worth visiting if for no other reason than to see the type of place that Canberra’s (mostly aspiring) urban elite deem worthy of receiving their not-so-hard-earned dosh.

I asked the waitress what beer was on offer and she rattled off a list of beers so foreign that I can’t remember their names now. Tapas was good too.

The vibe the owners/developers have gone for seems to be an attempt to recreate Canberra’s art-deco style (Sydney Bldg, Hyatt etc). So yeah, Menzies meets Laura Ashley.

Ah, the “new Acton Pavilion”. I thought for a moment a new suburb had snuck up on me.

miz said :

“New Acton”?

Yep, New

http://www.parlour.net.au/

“New Acton”?

amarooresident9:42 am 18 Sep 08

Young People Have Fun in Bars – More news at 11.

gargamel said :

OK… thanks for telling me where to go if I want to have a gawk young hot drunk chicks on a Friday night.

Did you yourself eat or drink anything whilst there???

Nothing to eat. I didn’t know beforehand that they served food. This was an expedition of sorts, so I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even really know where New Acton was! Infact, we had to circle the place a couple of times before we found the entrance.

But we did have a couple of somewhat overpriced glasses of wine. But only overpriced in comparison to buying a bottle from Woollies and drinking it at home. It was an ‘expected’ price for the type of venue. Given the prices, it was surprising to see so many tipsy to drunk people. Obviously loads of people still have loads of cash at their disposal.

Hmm, I had a bunch of friends there on Friday night for birthday drinks and they certainly weren’t dressed the way you describe the rest of the patrons being. They were all in formal, mostly Victorian style, dress. They found the place quite noisy and drinks very pricy, but still enjoyable overall.

OK… thanks for telling me where to go if I want to have a gawk young hot drunk chicks on a Friday night.

Did you yourself eat or drink anything whilst there???

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