Apologies
for such a long gap in-between posts, but I've limited my dining
options recently in order to save a few dollars. I've been getting
quick bites to eat from fast food chains, which I won't do reviews of
anyway, but I am still tempted to do a quick review at some point of
two Chinese takeaways that I've eaten at recently in Woy Woy. My
stock standard choice at these places is a Singapore Noodle.
Honestly, if you can't get that right... I could compare them to a
takeaway in Gosford where I've felt I've had the best SN, or even to
a place in Sutherland where I go to when I'm down there for gaming
excursions. I'll save all that for a future post.
However, I did get an opportunity recently to eat at a well-established venue in Gosford that has had an extensive refurbishment in recent years, taking advantage of the fact that a mate of mine (and his girlfriend) was calling in on his way through to Taree. Trackwork just happened to be scheduled for this weekend from Hornsby all the way up to Brisbane it seems, and the weather being rather wintry, the best option for my visitors was the Hotel Gosford just across the road, where it was considerably easy for them to get back to the station for their connecting coach. For me, I had other plans, which was an A-League double-header at the Central Coast Stadium with the local women's side kicking off their season at 2.15pm that afternoon. It was from there I took my scenic shot of the Brisbane Water. Naturally, it's a much nicer view when it's not raining and the sun is out but beggars can't be choosers eh?
However, I did get an opportunity recently to eat at a well-established venue in Gosford that has had an extensive refurbishment in recent years, taking advantage of the fact that a mate of mine (and his girlfriend) was calling in on his way through to Taree. Trackwork just happened to be scheduled for this weekend from Hornsby all the way up to Brisbane it seems, and the weather being rather wintry, the best option for my visitors was the Hotel Gosford just across the road, where it was considerably easy for them to get back to the station for their connecting coach. For me, I had other plans, which was an A-League double-header at the Central Coast Stadium with the local women's side kicking off their season at 2.15pm that afternoon. It was from there I took my scenic shot of the Brisbane Water. Naturally, it's a much nicer view when it's not raining and the sun is out but beggars can't be choosers eh?
3pm on a Saturday afternoon in November... |
Now it's a much different and quite pleasing to the eye. The dining and drinking areas are kept separate and one doesn't have to set foot in the latter to get to the restaurant. There is plenty of room, even offering a view of the kitchen, with a bar nearby as well. Even on a rainy Saturday with half the tables appearing to have been reserved, the three of us was still able to find a table, though I got a little toasted with the heater at my back.
So, true to form, I opted for a simple chicken schnitzel whilst my mate, whom I've known since high-school, chose a beef burger. Both of them came with a small order of fries, whilst the schnitzel had an optional salad as well. The cheeseburger was $16, the schnitty $25. There was plenty on the drinks menu as well, though I stuck with a Canadian Club and dry on tap. His GF wasn't feeling too well after the trip up from Bendigo (early flight to Sydney then bus to Gosford) and just had a glass of red wine.
We didn't have to wait long for our meals, probably around 10-15 minutes seeing it was a little busy, but it allowed us to have a chat and get side-tracked with the background touristy video footage of random places around the globe. Both meals were appreciated and definitely hit the spot. The schnitty wasn't the best that I have had – though juicy it was a little on the small side, but it was on par with ones I've had at the Central Coast Leagues Club and the Everglades. The price was about the same too, though one does get a slight discount being a member of the other two establishments. Staff was pleasant, service was pretty good as well and the finished plates were recovered in a timely matter.
Personally, I still wouldn't eat there by myself, but I'd be quite happy to take a date there (if I ever have one – lol) or meet up with friends. I should, for a comparison, go up the road to the Railway Hotel just to see what their fare is like. Gosford has been getting an upgrade (if it can be called that) and has got a variety of food options to offer.
But it's still Gosford. It's not the best of places to dine in. You can construct as many towers as you like to try and get a better class of resident, but it is what it is, still a dive with a lot of vacant shops, derelict buildings and empty lots and a transport hub with people wanting to get somewhere else. For the most part, I'm just there for the soccer during spring and summer.
P.S: At our last Anxiety support group meeting on Nov 5, myself and the other co-facilitator decided that we'll try and host a social event for the following Tuesday (Nov 12) and contact those who don't regularly turn up and see if we can entice them out with a pub trivia evening at the Hotel Gosford. Only four of us turned up, but we had a good night anyway. So perhaps gathering a group, have a bite to eat and a few drinks and see how good you go with the quiz wouldn't be a bad night out. Must've been at least forty people when we were there.
Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2024.