We had dinner here before bringing his folks to one of the SSO chamber concerts at the (then) newly reopened VCH, which is really swanky now btw! It was a Bach evening, with Peter Hanson and the double violin concerto, which I think was just popular enough for them to appreciate.
The Barbershop is a sort of gastropub with a large music slant. Well it is operated by Timbre. Here’s a shot of the interior with the LP wall.
Since this was quite an early dinner (the concert started at 7:30pm), we had four of their bar bites to share.
The beef cheek and marmalade sliders were perfect. The beef cheek was fork tender and went surprisingly well with the marmalade on the scone-like biscuits.
Z’s mum had the mushroom toast, which I think she thought was too salty (it might be, a tad, but this is bar food after all) but the mushrooms in some unidentifiable cream sauce were really delicious on the focaccia.
Z ordered the blackened barramundi, since we all like fish more than most other meats, and it had a light, spicy crust and was pan fried just enough to keep the fish tender and juicy.
Z’s dad had the short ribs in BBQ sauce, which I thought were a little tough and not as well done as the rest. But everything else we had really hit the spot. It was really empty at 6 (it opens at 6) and is a great place for pre-concert dining. Don’t think there’ll be a whole lot of concerts at VCH now that there’s the esplanade but surely school concerts and other small ensemble concerts will still be held there. The only other options near VCH are at the Arts House, and I think the food here is better.
Pickled Peas 