Mr B’s Hotel

This place is always packed when I go past and I’ve seen and heard good things about this Thai place. Apparently very frequented by Thai people so it must be a good sign. The food here is a little different from other Thai places however just as tasty. They have your normal Pad Thai, Tom Yum, seafood and rice variety. We loved the seafood platter although the prawns were really hard to deshell! Interesting as this place also is a night club/​bar as well although the dining area is separate. Best to get in early otherwise you might find yourself eating amongst loud music! Very reasonably priced as well as large servings. Go with others so you get to try lots of dishes. Loved the sticky mango rice pudding. One of the Thai desserts done really well.

Now this is one really cool bar. Actually, it is located on one of those intersections where three out of the four corners have pubs on them (the the entrance to World Square taking up the forth) and of those three pubs this would happen to the my favourite. The vibe is really unpretentious, the bouncers really friendly, and the service pretty prompt. Okay, it does get quite crowded but I have to say that I have never had a problem finding a place to sit here. The lower level is actually a restaurant, and the upper level (when it is open) is a lounge bar (it’s only been open on weekends from what I can remember), and they also have DJs playing at night. This is one of those bars that I find it very difficult to just walk past, it seems to have that habit of drawing me inside.

Maybe we caught them on an off night. We’d just finished the official part of our work party and a few of us wanted to kick on. Mr Bs was just across the road so we walked in. And walked straight out again. Maybe it was the broken glass we had to walk through to get in. Maybe it was that they had most of their tables covered with boxes and stuff that looked like storage overflow from the kitchen. Maybe it was the huge wall of TVs that were all playing some documentary thing showing graphic pictures of abdominal surgery. Not exactly what a bunch of somewhat tipsy people want to look at while getting somewhat more tipsy.
We sought more congenial surrounds elsewhere.

As if Sydney needs another crackin Thai joint to add to melbourne’s wound, here comes Mr. B
So this side of the city has been blessed with cheap and flavoursome thai food, they are always packed, bustling and close to various watering holes.
Well this one just add to that list, occupying ex mandarin club and now offering younger and relaxed scene.
The food doesn’t take a back stage though and they come well spiced, just how they should be.
Ask for their oysters, served with house chilli dressing, guaranteed to impress and burn holes in that throat (in a good way)
Now did somebody say Coronas and Free oyster Friday?

I ended up eating there again for a late dinner the next day. Handled a group of 10 at 9.30pm on a Friday with ease.

Across the street from two other bustling pubs and across another street from World Square lies this quirky den of Thai/​Japanese food, live music, bar, etc. It’s a bit confused for identity purposes but the interior is cohesively decorated (the bathrooms are actually one of my favorite design parts. I can’t speak for the men’s room but the ladies’ toilets are possibly the nicest I’ve ever seen: opulent wall tiles and a fabric/​vinyl treatment that looks like expensive tufted leather couches in a casino bar.). But I digress…
Really great food here. I highly recommend coming in for dinner, especially before the happy hours and evening bar-​side events pick up. Have eaten here two or three times and been really pleased with my Thai food, and peeked at other customers’ Japanese dishes ordered from the other half of the menu. I love Thai food so I’ll probably be slow to order from the Japanese portion but everything has looked and tasted delicious. Even dessert is covered (see photo of crepes, again, for a confused identity as to cuisine type, but who cares, it’s crepes!).
Have also come in for drinks once or twice, their happy hour specials are reasonable for the location, $ 5 Coronas or Champagne cocktail one night, other nights have similar promotions. Thursday nights they offer free manicures if you purchase a cocktail from 5pm onward. I got the cocktail but skipped the manicure due to the line, but it is an unusual and tempting deal.
Basically no matter whether you come in here for Thai food, Japanese food, dessert, drinks, or the toilets, I suspect you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Friends of mine have raved about this place for a good year but I’d never actually been until recently — and now I’m a bit of a convert. I actually went again for Melbourne Cup Day, and boy did they spoil us. (Champagne on arrival, free manis, etc etc.)
It’s a great space with high ceilings, three levels, three bars and an outdoor area. Mr B’s was a finalist for a bunch of awards last year, like the ‘Best New Redeveloped Hotel’ in the Bartender Mag Awards and ‘Best Venue Reno’ in the Australian Liquor Industry Awards.
It’s perfect for a Friday lunch and boasts a Japanese and a Thai menu. But it’s nothing like the watered-​down, insipid Thai meals you’ve come to expect from watering holes — here the dishes are fresh, packed with flavours and generous. My huge chicken pad siew was excellent value for $ 10, while the BBQ duck curry with lychees and pineapple smelled amazing and tasted even better. Rice portions are also generous, so you definitely won’t go hungry here.
It’s not a bar I’d personally come to the city for on a weekend, but it’s definitely a great place for a work lunch or a few drinks/​dinner during the week.