IN OZ
--------------------
THE RELLIES
THE GAMES
ROY, H.G. & FATSO
THE PUBS
OTHER STUFF
HOME, JAMES
The most disappointing meal had to be at Doyle's. This is a classy looking place in Sydney Harbour
near the Harbour Bridge. Even though Rob seemed to like his the best, take a look at the expression on his
face. Is that a happy camper? Your faithful narrator thinks not. 
Even Sherry had to resort to doing Carol
Burnett imitations to get her mind off the food. Okay, in all fairness it wasn't that bad but it was no
match for Norm's mint jelly lamb chops - no lie! Mint jelly lamb chops.
The great thing about the pubs and bars in Sydney is that they don't really seem to have strict operating hours. Unlike the infamous 1:30 last call in L.A., some places stayed open all night if the crowds were still out.
Like the photo says, the absolute FINEST Shepard's Pie can be found at the Trinity Bar in Surry Hills. We walked past this place on our way to Sydney Football Stadium one day and decided to stop for some beer and a quick meal. We're glad we did. It was so good we came back for seconds a few days later.
There was a problem though. The bartender said the kitchen was closed til 6pm but it was only about 3:30 and we had a 5pm game to get to at SFS. We whined about coming there especially for the Shepard's Pie but she said sorry, no deal. Luckily, the cook was sitting nearby and overheard us. He said in a fine Irish accent, "Ya want the Shepard's Pie? How many? Three? I'll make ya the Shepard's Pie." We were saved! Throw in a few Hahn Premiums and some VB and we were happy as a cockroach in a garbage bin at Macca's.
Later that night, Kelp (a.k.a. Cas after one too many) made an appearance. Our beer consumption probably peaked that night at the U.S. vs. Norway soccer final. And Kelp/Cas was no exception. On the way back to our apartment, Sherry had to track her down in the subway tunnel. Kelp came back walking and talking with a guy from Cypress, which is about 10 minutes from Long Beach. You know it's going to be a long night when Kelp shows up. It's kinda like the Incredible Hulk - "Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry."
Other than Kelp, the strangest person we met, and one of the most interesting was a young Brit known only as Adam. Who was this strange little man and what made him tick? Read "Adam's Story".
We also became semi-regulars at the Shelbourne Hotel. It was not really a hotel, at least not anymore.
It was a four level pub, pokie palace, dance club. We met a number of characters at the Shelbourne.
These
included Dave the Sydney-sider who briefly had a basketball scholarship in the U.S. Dave insisted that he was
6'5 and that your narrator, being shorter than him, was only about 6'2. This guy was easily 6'7.
I told him to stick to metric - although we should use metric in the U.S. But this is not the place for
a rant on the absurdities of American society.
Admittedly, by the end of the trip we discovered there was one thing we really missed - Mexican food. The night we got back, we dropped off the bags and headed straight to Taco Surf. The beer obviously disappointed a bit. But to get some tacos, chips and salsa, Mexican rice - that was truly satisfying... now can we go back to Sydney?
At the Trinity Bar - home of fine brews and the absolute FINEST Shepard's Pie around.
- Disassociated Press, 2000
The Unholy (at the) Trinity.
- Disassociated Press, 2000
Kelp, the dreaded terror of Maui, invades the Sydney subway system.
- Disassociated Press, 2000
Outside the Shelbourne, our World Pary Headquarters, taken from the Darling Harbour foot bridge.
- Disassociated Press, 2000
Inside the Shelbourne the night of the closing ceremonies.
- Disassociated Press, 2000