Xmas lunch with the support group in Woy Woy (Dec 4)

This year, the mental health support group that I've been attending since 2011, decided to go somewhere different for the annual Xmas lunch. There are two pubs in Woy Woy, both within a stone's throw of each other near the waterfront. Both have also changed owners in recent years and have also undergone extensive renovations.
The pub we chose was the Woy Woy Hotel (established 1897), which is right next door to the Gnostic Mana Café (see 4 April 2024 post). I hadn't been there since, well, it had to be well before COVID. The last time I dined there I received some poor service from staff and decided not to go back.

Until now. The venue is a vast improvement from what it once was. The entire pub had been completely renovated - the dining area had been expanded, a covered beer garden with a children's play area installed and it now had a rather pleasant front bar area as well.

There is plenty of choice in the menus. One could choose from the main menu (which offered pizzas, burgers, kids meals and deserts), the $20 lunch time menu and pensioners could order from a discounted $18 menu if they so desired. I opted for the stock-standard chicken schnitzel from the lunch menu, then had Belgian waffles for desert. Whilst I had no problems with the schnitty, with a rather crunchy crust and a juicy breast fillet, I could not finish off the waffles. Whilst I have eaten far better schnitzels, at $20 it is good value and with an alcoholic beverage to wash it down you're only looking at a $30 lunch instead of $40. Honestly, I'd go there just for the waffles.

I also had a mate coming up from Bendigo (Victoria) that evening. Rather than waste time looking for somewhere else to dine, I just took him straight back to the pub. Still a little full from lunch, I ordered a Woy Woy burger whilst he settled for a steak sandwich. We were both happy with our dinner selections and had a couple of drinks before leaving as well.
I dare say I'll be heading back there again. One can sit in air conditioned comfort rather than broiling outside in the summer heat. It's a short walk from Woy Woy station and there's a large public car park almost directly behind the pub.

Links correct at the time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

The impromptu mini pub crawl in Gosford (Oct 19)

I never get tired of the view. :)

So the first Mariners home match for the new season is over for the afternoon and they've won in an extraordinary fashion against their local rivals the Jets. A few celebratory drinks are in order. Why not a mini pub crawl? We'll start at the leagues club and work our way down to the station where we can catch the #37 bus home.
Of course, at some point, we're going to need something to eat. Leagues Club? Nope, currently too busy. Gosford Hotel? We'll be there Tuesday for trivia. Railway Hotel? We haven't eaten there yet, so why not?
I have been there a couple of times before, the more recent visit was the night of the home grand final against Melbourne Victory in May 2024. It was absolutely packed. This time it's around 7pm on a Sunday so it's considerably quieter. When I first went there I felt I was walking into the set of a noir film, right when a deal was being made between rival cartels and just before a badge gets flashed and all hell breaks loose. Gees my imagination gets the best of me sometimes... lol It's right in the centre of the Gosford CBD at the bottom of one of the more recent tower additions, right where Dutton's Tavern used to be.
But it's rather nice. Cosy even. Though it is primarily a steakhouse, there are plenty of other options on the menu. One goes for the steak and guiness pie, another for the classic chicken schnitzel, and seeing I'm in the mood for a burger, I take the crispy chicken option. All are served with chips with an option for salad, gravy and sauce. All items are over $25, which is pretty much par for the course in pubs and clubs these days around here.

It's worth it though. We didn't have too long to wait and during that time we chat and watch one of the many screens displaying a live sport fixture. The food is very good. I'm not too keen on chili sauce on a burger and due to my finicky nature I don't like cucumber either. However, after having consumed a few alcoholic beverages I don't care and finish the lot. In fact, all three of us pretty much lick our plates clean. We're all very satisfied and stay for another drink before moving on for our last port of call.
It was a short but good evening out. Most importantly, we started the new season with a win. Cheers!

All pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

All links correct at the time of posting.

Shopping at Lisarow (July 23)

Tuesday night a group of us paid a visit to the Hotel Gosford for our monthly pub trivia night. Rather than travelling back home to Woy Woy, I opted to stay over at my mate's place in Ourimbah seeing I was gaming at the Central Coast Leagues' Club Wednesday evening.
We had time to kill before the game, so before we settled in for a movie, my host decided to go for a grocery and lunch run to the nearby Lisarow Plaza, which was opened in 2007. It's a decent sized shopping centre, with two supermarkets, bottleshops, chemist, butcher, bakery, etc. with a variety of food options such as Thai, Italian, Domino's Pizza, Subway, a patisserie and a chicken takeaway. Having already sampled the fare at the patisserie (their sausage rolls were quite delicious I should add), this time I opted for the takeaway.

Formerly known as the Lisarow Takeaway, Ori's Charcoal Chicken & Kebab can be found in the bottom left-hand corner next to Subway, facing an outdoor dining area and the carpark. It has an extensive menu, offering breakfast options, salads, sides, wraps, rolls, kebabs, burgers and of course, a variety of chicken meals. There is a small dining area inside the store as well as the outdoor option. Their chicken schnitzel burger is quite adequate – lettuce, mayonnaise and a schnitzel which is cut in half and served on a large round sesame seed bun. I dined around 1.30pm and didn't need to have anything else until I got back home at 10pm. Looking at the menu though you may be better off buying the grilled chicken burger for the same price ($15.90) which has extra ingredients. I suppose it depends on your needs at the time. By the way, Menulog, Uber Eats and Door Dash all deliver Ori's.

As for nearby watery vista, well, there is the nearby Lisarow Wetlands at the corner of the Pacific Highway and The Ridgeway opposite Lisarow train station. The pictures that I have of it are around 12 years old, well before the adjoining apartment buildings were constructed.

Links correct at time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2013 & 2025.

Catching up with rels at Wyong Leagues Club (June 22)

So, whilst gaming last Saturday I received a text message from my sister asking me if she was at the right place. (She was close to my house but not quite there.) I must admit, it was quite a surprise. When she said she'd visit me within a couple of months I didn't expect it would be a couple of days after she had said that. Anyway, I provided an address as to where I was gaming and around 4pm there she was. 
After a night at a local hotel, we paid a visit to a cousin from mum's side of the family on Sunday morning, which then turned into lunch at Wyong Leagues at Kanwal. I hadn't been to this club since my sister lived in Lake Haven about a decade ago and I can safely say that the place hasn't changed since then.
For food choices, you have a choice of the Bistro or Sentosa, which provides a variety of Asian meals. I gave in an opted for some Chicken Pad Thai, which I hadn't had in quite some time. I must say it was absolutely delicious.

The one thing I'm finding common now when dining out, is the cost of meals. If you're not a member, a meal and a Brookvale Whisky and Dry on tap could well cost you about $40. Trust me, there wasn't much change left over. Still, I wasn't there so much for the meal and drink, but to catch with relatives. It was a nice spot to do it.

As for watery vistas to visit, the club isn't that far away from the Tuggerah Lakes. However, my sister and I stopped off at a little spot, roughly a five minute drive away, just off the Pacific Highway at San Remo, where my sister used to take her son fishing. Wallarah Creek branches off Budgewoi Lake, which when full, covers an area of 1400 hectares (3500 acres). It's the middle of the three Tuggerah lakes, which all connect, at The Entrance, to the Tasman Sea. If you're feeling energetic, you could walk from San Remo around the northern shore of the lake all the way around to Budgewoi. Last Sunday was a good day to do it seeing it hit 20°. Not bad for winter. 

Links correct at time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

Hotel Gosford Revisited (April 15)

I had to bump this back to the front again on account of a recent meal that I had there. If you've been reading these posts, then you know I've been visiting the Hotel Gosford at least once a month to participate in the pub trivia. February has been our best month, with an equal second place that netted us a $30 drink voucher, which was duly consumed at the next event that we attended in March. Last Tuesday, well it was an acronym heavy night which affected our score, though I did win a $10 drink voucher in one of the in-between round games, correctly identifying Shaun Micallef in a picture question.
I arrived at to the venue around 5.30pm, having taken the #55 bus from my stop on Ocean Beach Road on the peninsula and getting off across the street from the pub, which is very convenient. Seeing I was in a rather good mood, I opted for the Chicken Parmigiana that night (a $4 upgrade from the schnitzel) and grabbed a drink from the bar. I had no sooner finished checking my e-mail when my meal arrived.

Unfortunately the picture from my mobile phone doesn't do it justice, so I'll be upgrading that first chance I get. (A wonderful error with the device that only allows me to take pictures as screenshots...) It was far better than the schnitzel I had at the same venue back in Nov 2 last year and I'd go as far as saying that it's the best schnitzel related dish I've had since I started doing this blog, bumping the meal that I had at the Kincumber Pub way back on May 12 2023 to second place. I may revisit that place and another at Erina Fair that I haven't been to in years, just to see if their parma's have improved. After all they do have the right of reply. Lol
One of my trivia team-mates decided to have a parma as well, opting not to include a salad with the meal. Personally, I'll take the option to get some veges into my system seeing I don't generally buy much for home due to the price and that I really don't eat them quick enough, so they usually go to waste. Dining out, well that's a different matter. On this occasion, the schnitzel was resting on the chips and covered with smoked ham and melted cheese which was absolutely scrumptious. $42 all up (including the drink) may seem a bit expensive, but it's a quality meal and I may well have another one next time I'm there.
Hopefully we'll do a bit better in our May trivia appearance. Cheers!

Links correct at time of posting.

Picture taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

Appointment day in Woy Woy (April 10)

It was overcast, warm and very much like every other day in Woy Woy – busy. As a pedestrian, you really have to have your wits about you getting from one place to the next, especially the carparks around Deepwater Plaza.

Anyway, it was a double appointment day in the little shopping district, starting with the doctor around 11am and the Optometrist at 2.30pm. In-between the two I had to make a quick trip down to Umina to pick up the mail from my PO Box, then find somewhere to eat.

It wasn't too hard. I could've taken the easy way out and grab Chinese takeaway at one of two places in DWP, or walked to one of the two global chain restaurants, but I decided to pay another visit to a café that I dined at a few years ago after moving back to the peninsula.

The BBF Café (Bringing Best Friends Together) is a family owned café in a prime location in The Pavilion, which dominates the carpark. It's a short stroll from the rear entrance of DWP, three bus stops, the train station and the optometrists where I had my appointment. One can dine inside or out, with plenty of choices on the menu.

It was a good idea. Schnitzel burger, no problem, with a can of a popular soft drink and a small bowl of chips $22 all up. It wasn't too busy, so I had my meal within ten minutes and I took my time eating it. Toasted bun, good sized schnitty, crispy, juicy and I really must've been hungry because I devoured the lot.

Personally, I have a preference to eating there rather than Lush 1659. I prefer to have a bit of space when dining with a view, where Lush is in a busy spot indoors and quite cramped. Weather also plays a factor in this. On a fair day BBF is a good option. If I need to grab a bite before heading anywhere in the future (during the day) then I'll go there, weather permitting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

Links correct at time of posting.

A Night at the Footy (February 11)

There hasn't been that much in the way of opportunities for me to go out and have a bite to eat around here recently. I had felt that I could start comparing Chinese takeaways for their Singapore Noodles (seeing I had sampled several places recently for that particular dish) but last night I finally managed to do one that I should've done a long time ago, considering how many times I've been there.
Yesterday I once again found myself at the Central Coast Stadium right on the edge of the Brisbane Water. It's well over 250 visits to the stadium for three football codes since 2000 and I've never gotten tired of the view. Unlike the previous post, which was a rather wet day for the opening matches of the 2024-25 A-League season (womens then mens), here I was at what was going to be the last home match of the Mariners' Champions League Elite 2024-25 campaign against the ten time Malaysian Super League champions Johor Drul Ta'zim. It was a reasonable night weatherwise, a little balmy but otherwise fine.

One cheeseburger a la mode in Bay 27.
Carefully balanced on my knee for the shot.

On the menu tonight, well, the only thing I really could rate was the cheeseburger meal. Honestly, there's not much to a cheeseburger meal so you'd have to do something really bad to stuff it up. With a 600ml drink and a large bucket of chips, you're looking at $26 all up. To be honest, the burger wasn't that great. It was a simple, slightly thick meat pattie, combined with a small dollop of sauce, a slice of cheese and a couple of slivers of gherkin inside a plain white bun. Oddly enough, it was very similar in taste and content to the cheeseburger you could get across the road at the Central Coast Leagues Club. The drink's producer was covered by a sticky white label (no doubt for sponsorship purposes) with the chips being quite tasty with a hint of being beer battered. By themselves you're looking at $8 for the (slightly) bigger bucket. There are other options on the menu, like fish and chips, hot dogs, sausage rolls and pies. I've pretty much tried everything else and to be honest you're better off bringing your own food in (which a mate of mine does whenever he visits), maybe your own non-alcoholic drinks as well. Still, it's okay once in a while, which I'll have to adhere to. Last Friday (8 Feb) I ventured into the city to see Kate Miller-Heidke at the Recital Hall in Wynard and forked out $16 for a can of cider and a packet of potato crisps. No sandwiches on offer, at best a selection of cheese and crackers, though I bought cheaper ones at the kiosk at Central Station on the way back home. It really is hardly worth buying food or drink at the venue these days.
Anyway, I can take or leave the stadium burger and chips. I'd suggest eating at the club first before attending a match but seeing it gets quite busy over there before the game you'll have to get there at least an hour before the gates open, or take your chances elsewhere, depending what day the match is on and what time the game starts and finish. Friday and Saturday nights aren't too bad, with several dining places of various sorts open in the main street, including the Hotel Gosford, which I reviewed on 2 November 2024, where I've been going once a month for the Tuesday night trivia.
By the way, in what was a busy night for officials with a send off, yellow cards, players being stretchered off and plenty of referrals to the VAR, the visitors won 2-1. The Mariners' final match in this campaign will be overseas on Feb 18. My next game there could well be the women's fixture against the Wanderers on Feb 22, though there will be a couple of rugby league trials there this month as well.
Cheers!

Like I said, never get tired of the view. :)

Updated 12 April, 2025.

All links correct at time of posting.

Photographs taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.