Gosford - Second Helping (December 7)

After dining with my local mental health support group yesterday (Dec 7) at the Central Coast League Club, I felt the need to update it. Twenty of us rocked up to our annual Xmas lunch/meeting to dine at the recently revamped dining/bar area in the club, and to be honest, hardly any of us left satisfied.

The southern side of the CCLC from the neighboring park.

Before Covid, the leagues club had a very popular all-you-can-eat buffet, which was bringing in plenty of regular customers, including myself, who was living in East Gosford at the time and was dining there at least once a week. There was a large variety of choice, from roasts to Asian dishes, seafood to more iconic western offerings. For those who didn't want to gorge themselves there was always the bistro, which had a smaller menu but overall, the quality of food was better. Covid practically killed off the AYCE buffets, so the club renovated the Baker Street (eastern) side to make the bistro more appealing. Renovations were carried out in other areas of the club, namely the poker machine rooms as well as the sports bar and a lounge area on the western (stadium) side.
Then, for some reason, this year they decided to renovate again and shift the restaurant to the western side, create a separate cafe and a larger sports bar, which is what we have now. One can guess where all the money has come from, which has now turned the dining area (with a kid's playroom) into something akin to a 4-star restaurant. However, as I joked to friends, it doesn't help if your average client is a 2-star customer at best. 

I don't know whether to class it as a boon or a hindrance, but there are currently four menus on offer in that area. You have the restaurant, the cafe, a small pizza selection and the actual bar itself which provides snacks. Now for the uninitiated, this could well be confusing. The first time I ate there after the renovations (lunchtime on Nov 12) I opted for the cheeseburger from the bar menu, failing to notice that it didn't come with any fries, unlike its predecessor all those times before. Like a lot of burger places, it appeared to have shrunk in size, making the $14 (members) price tag appear somewhat excessive. To be honest it wasn't very filling and as for the taste, well I had honestly eaten better offerings at a certain world-wide fast-food restaurant who used to offer free burgers on Mondays if the locals won their home match that weekend. At the time it settled my stomach, but during and after the double-header I needed something else to eat, settling for quick and easy fries on both occasions. I had also brought in friends for a bite to eat after the game, who were turned off by the prices of the steaks and other meals, settling for cheaper burger and pasta options instead.

The calm before the storm. Brisbane Water on the evening of Dec 8. 

Now wind the clock forward to yesterday with a large group in attendance, occupying two large tables with easy access to the bar. Naturally, we ordered a variety of meals, with the popular choice being the chicken schnitzel, which is what I had. Other dishes included steaks, salmon, the wagyu beef burger, a rather large stuffed eggplant (Pacman would've had trouble eating it on the run) and salads.
The problem began there. I would be willing to forgive a restaurant for stuffing up so many orders if they had been busy, but they weren't. The dining area was roughly half full. Take us away and staff would've been bored. Having eaten and drunk there on numerous occasions, I recognized quite a few members of the regular staff which had dealt, with ease I should add, with large crowds before, such as the home semi-final night with Adelaide back in May. Why then, were some people's meals forgotten completely, even deleted off the list, with others getting something completely different? If you order a steak, you expect a steak, not a brisket with a suggestion that you should take it or wait another twenty minutes for your original order. By the time one member of the group had received her salmon, I had already finished off my entire meal. She had purloined the slice of lemon from my plate (seeing I never use it) and just as well – it didn't come with lemon. The salmon, BTW, in her words wasn't any better than what she usually had at home.
For the schnitzel, well, when someone asked about it, I said I was slightly disappointed. The last schnitzel I had had there (on the other side of the building) was better and larger than this burger patty sized offering and the chip serving would've been lucky to half cover a tea saucer. The salad was nothing special, almost their standard side dish with shaved carrot, some chopped up lettuce and a single cherry tomato covered in dressing. I had finished the meal off completely and was contemplating desert, but politely holding back until other people had finished. In the end I had two small scoops of ice-cream and left it at that.
Plates were not cleared in a timely fashion either, with the people who had made the booking been compelled to lodge a complaint with the duty supervisor who offered to remonstrate with staff afterwards. Kind of hard to enjoy your coffee with dirty plates stacked around you.
So, in conclusion, the service got a thumbs down with the meals ranging from good to average. I compared the fare with my hosts on the return trip, with us both agreeing that the food at the smaller Everglades Club in Woy Woy was better than the revamped leagues club. In all honesty, for pretty much the same price, if you're going to a game across the road, you'd be better off buying a meal there when you go in. There's not as much choice, but the meals, on the whole, are prepared quicker. Those with a member's discount though are better off having a drink or two at the club before attending, which is what I'll be limiting myself to from now on.
Perhaps I should have something different at the stadium (other than chips) and review that as well, eh?

Links correct at time of posting.

Picture provided by Geoff G Turner (c) 2023.

Gosford (Sept 20)

Like other sites in this blog, Gosford will no doubt get multiple entries considering the large number of venues within a three-block radius of the waterfront. Not including restaurants, there are over 20 places where you can get a coffee in the CBD, including two at the train station if you so desire.
The venue for this post, the Central Coast League Club, of which I've been a member of for over fifteen years, currently has three internal areas where you can get a meal. Prior to Covid, it was home to a rather decent all-you-can-eat buffet, which has long since moved out and has been partially replaced by a pizzeria. Upstairs you can find a Chinese restaurant, neither of which I've ever dined at, but Archies Bistro on the ground level (the main focus of the post) has been an irregular haunt of mine, especially on Central Coast Mariners' match days seeing their home ground is next door. Their menu has improved significantly since I first joined the club, and even my MH support group prefers to dine there on occasions seeing it's just a nice place to eat and we've always been able to get a reservation.
The club is currently undergoing renovations which is temporarily confined to the southwestern corner, so you won't be disturbed. There are plenty of options, from kids' meals to larger meals designed for two people. Lunch and dinner are well catered for, and if you just feel like a snack or a coffee, then you can sample the wares of the adjoining coffeeshop. You do need to order at the counter, but they'll bring your order to you, even if you're not seated in the immediate area of the bistro.
I couldn't help myself and opted for the chicken schnitzel as I have so many times before. (BTW, if you intend to go to a match across the road and decide on a pre-match meal but want something quick, I recommend the Archie burger which will see you through until fulltime.) As for the schnitzel, it was rather thick and perhaps a tad dry, but with the large amount of salad (probably just a bit too much) and the fries I found myself once again having been defeated by the meal and couldn't finish off what I had been desiring all week. The crust of the schnitzel by the way was better than anywhere else I had eaten this year, though overall it wasn't quite as good as the fare at the Kincumber Hotel. Be advised, you don't have to be a member of the club to dine there, but membership does give you discounts on drinks and food. My meal, with a large scotch and dry on tap to wash it down, cost around $35 all up. Without the discount it's over $40.

If you feel like a short stroll after the meal, may I suggest a crossing the road on the Dane Drive side and skirt around the stadium to the waterfront. The Brisbane Water provides a pleasant view and if you're feeling energetic enough you can wander up to Drifters Wharf (formerly Iguana Joes) or cross the road into the park. Gosford, being a major transport hub, has services running east to Erina Fair and beyond, north to Wyong and The Entrance, west to Kariong and the freeways and south to dear old Woy Woy and home for me.

P.S: I made an additional visit to the club the night of the AFC cup match against Stallion Laguna on Oct 4, just to refresh my memory of the Archie Burger. I stand by the original assessment that if you just want a quick bite and something simple yet substantial to eat, this is just the thing. However, the menu advertises 'thick cut' chips, which I can definitely say they are not. Perhaps that's just an oversight and it hasn't been updated. Whatever the case, the burger was quite filling and saw me through a rather miserable wet and windy night in the stands, with the scoreline registered by the home side being extremely satisfying. 

Links correct at time of posting.

Photograph taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2023.