Garrison Public House

Overview

Man dates. We don't do it enough. The opportunity to review Garrison Public House, situated at Mt Wellington's Sylvia Park, therefore offered the perfect opportunity to renew my vows with my brother from another mother.

Garrison Public House welcomes you with a massive space, including a wide open, yet warmly intimate garden bar area. As we walked through the garden bar area which leads you to the entrance into the main bar area, we were met by the accommodating Garrison waitresses who efficiently led us to our seat nestled in the corner of the spacious indoor area.

Noted was the number of staff, which I later found out consisted of up to 40 at one time. This place is huge. It's almost like it is the only pub catering for the entire Mt Wellington catchment. Obviously being central to Sylvia Park, it benefited from the thousands of shoppers and in our instance, movie attendees. From a glance, I imagine it would be the perfect place to catch up with friends for a vino or beer or even lock in a game of code to watch on the series of widescreens dotted around the venue. I must say, the music missed the mark a little, but I guess the venue does cater for a wide audience, which could maybe explain Maroon 5 dropping into Empire of the Sun. Maybe.

Once we were seated, first things noted was the extensive wine list, with over 40 wines to choose from. My man date, who was of Lion Nathan decent, opted for a cider due to the venue being partly owned by DB Breweries, taking out the option of a beer for him. In a sign of respect, I chose to sample one of the many Pinot Noirs on offer. The cider however was the ultimate discovery, being the Swedish made cider brand Rekorderlig, which I had tasted in Sydney a few months back and loved. The drinks selection was a big tick for Garrisons.

As for the food, while being the high end of the pricing scale, there was enough selection on the menu to cater for all wallet sizes and occasions. We opted for some garlic bread for a start, big time spot hitter. For my main, I dived straight into the 400g Rump Steak, while my friend opted for the imposing Kiwiburger. The Rump steak retailed at over $30 but did not disappoint and left me completely satisfied. The Kiwiburger was also a hit, though the chips could have been a tad hotter. There was of course the option of dessert, which I have no doubt would have satisfied, however, our movie awaited us.

Overall, the experience was a good one, and put us in the right frame of mind for the movie (which was The Avengers by the way which we also highly recommend). While the location is a world away from most inner city dwellers, the mission is well rewarded with its professional staff, spacious layout and wide selection of beers, cider, wine and of course, food.