Murray’s at Manly

A revisit and BAM, a sock to the jaw — there’s a new menu. Unexpected. Delicious. More flair, more gourmet, more thought into a food selection what will make this joint more than just a beer bar.
What are we talking? Pulled pork on a brioche roll with a side of zesty apple slaw, and a range of beer-​infused sorbets that had my dying, literally dying: the chilli beer sorbet was redonk, I’d come back for that alone.

Exciting times lie ahead for Murray’s Brewery, Bar and Restaurant at marvellous Manly. The ambience to begin with is just fantastic. This aint no ordinary bar. Craft beer is taking off in Sydney, and now you can taste some quality brews here. If you’re not much of a beer drinker, you will still be catered for. Wine (and other drinks) are also available on the menu.
You’re in really great hands. Ryan Smith is their new chef, and Murray and Ashleigh Howe are passionate about food and beer. They have all found a clever way (just like ex-​MasterChef Chris Badenoch) of including beer and an ingredient that goes well with food, especially in their desserts.
On the beer side of things, the lightest brew you can grab your hands on is the Pale Ale. Light, fruity and does not have a bitter taste in your mouth.
Food wise, the salmon salad is just divine. Expect generous chunks of cooked salmon steak pieces. Cooked and seasoned spot on with some unique salad that comes with some refreshing grapefruit pieces.
The spatchcock encompasses some beautiful, flavoursome chicken with the same type of salad expected in the above mentioned dish. Heaven.
Fish lovers, you’re also in heaven here. The pan fried snapper with lemon buerre blanc and parsley salad was tastefully presented. Completely unexpected. Come here with an open mind and you will have an awesome time out in resort like settings. Fish was well cooked, and the salad just blended in beautifully. No ordinary lemon wedges here… just juicy lemon pieces with a tangy sauce to boot.
Love comes in many different packages, and the signature dish: the porter pie with homemade gravy and kale is heaven on a plate. Why? For starters, the meat takes about eight hours to cook, and the pastry is also well executed for different areas of the pie. The kale is bringing green food back in fashion too. The best meat I have tasted in Sydney in a long, long time. Comes with carrots, mushrooms and a subtle hint of celery.
Wow. The dessert. Get your sensory skills expanded more than ever. The lemon and lime sorbet went amazingly well with a bit of beer, and the Punch and Judy’s chilli sorbet was a knockout. Wow… did not realise that chilli could go so well with ice cream/​sorbet. The passionfruit was awesome, full of intense tropical passionfruit flavour. Their crème brûlée was also made with skill, care and love. And with beer too.
Murray’s Brewery Bar Manly Beach is the first Sydney venue of leading Australian brewer, Murray’s Craft Brewing Co. The Port Stephens-​based brewer has eight beers recognised in this year’s Critic’s Choice Top 100 Beers list and was recently recognised as Australia’s ‘Brewer of the Year’.
This is no easy feat and their food is amazing. Craft beer fans (many on Unilocal) — get really excited… you can soon buy some craft beer here to take away and enjoy in Manly or elsewhere where you can. Awesome.

A very nice microbrewery with lots of beer for your drinking or sampling pleasure, & their wine list ain’t bad, either. But really, who goes to a brewery for wine?
The menu doesn’t list prices, so if you’re concerned, ask your friendly server — they really are friendly. Another thing they don’t list is a tasting flight, but ask & ye shall receive!
It’s $ 19.50 for your choice of 4 beers (or cider) from the 20 or so on the menu. They serve the 200ml glasses on a signature paddle — a rather nice touch, if you ask me. $ 20 for 800ml of beer isn’t cheap, but for a microbrewery on the Manly shore, I think it’s decent.
The pizza is good — $ 21 for basically a pepperoni pizza. Simple & enjoyable; a nice accompaniment to the beer.

According to my family, the beer are good! I had the angry man pizza, not bad at all.

So after drinking your hearts content at 4 Pines, you will probably want to stuble around Manly and see the beach. So go there and sober up. But when you are thirsty and hungry, walk up the beach to Muray’s at Manly. It is another brew-​pub in Manly. Yup, you can drink good beer in a few places in Manly. And this one comes with an ocean view too.
So come with some friends and order a few schooners (baby pints) and enjoy a lazy afternoon or evening. I am a fan of the IPA and it definately takes the edge off.
I think I just convinced myself I need to do a Manly Pub Crawl… later