Mac's Brewbar

Bar Review - October 09

Jamie Hanton checks out the reincarnation of Poplar Lanes' Redjacks. Have standards improved?

Swill o'clock

"The new bar was reborn in just a week ..." boasts the information page on the Mac's website, referring to the Poplar Lane Brewbar. 'Reborn' is a bit of a stretch. The word implies rejuvenation and hope. 

The new Mac's location was previously occupied by Red Jacks, a bar that stood out among the other Poplar Lanes drinkeries for being absolutely standard, and little has changed. But then, a bar refit that took a week would be hard-pressed to change the dreariness that was already in place.  

Visually, it's arresting - a car crash of décor, comparable to an army mess hall that has been camped up by flamboyant interior designer Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen. Concrete floors, sparse fittings, hanging globes of light, and black and tan polished furniture. The outside area is walled in by clear marquee walls and features a big-screen television that plays looped clips of motocross and jelly wrestling. Class all round.  

Stunned by the retinal onslaught, we stood in the middle of the bar facing a divided inner space. On the left was a busy drinking area with three bars and on the right was something that looked like a restaurant, albeit an empty one.  

Once the seating arrangements were sorted, attention turned to the impressive line-up of Mac's beers on tap. With no real reason to contemplate any other beverage, we took it as an opportunity to sample the range. My friend, being a methodical sort, decided to work from right to left across the eight taps, beginning with Mac's Gold. Why not, when the pints are a comparably cheap $6.80 each?  

I planned a more intuitive route, which is to say, no route at all, starting with the light spice of the pilsener, followed by the Great White cloudy wheat beer. I was pleasantly surprised when the bartender suggested a slice of lemon for it. It would cut through the sweetness, a traditional Belgian custom, she said. Well, the lemon practically bloomed, making the whole pint a very floral affair that was not altogether unpleasant.  

At this point, we were the only ones on the restaurant side of the bar, the other side full to the brim with groups of colleagues enjoying Friday drinks. This mess-hall ambience remained throughout the night, as large groups staggered in. These mass pilgrimages to the altar of oblivion were occasionally punctuated by small groups of diners.  

We perused the informative menus, which included tasting notes and suggestions for beer and food matches, and decided on the flat breads with pesto and herbs ($13) and spicy wedges ($6).  

I was on to the Sassy Red, a punchy beer with a lovely auburn hue. Mr Methodical was on to the Great White, declaring the lemon I had to be superfluous.  

Having just ordered, it seemed a good time to locate the WC. Within the inner sanctum, it felt as if there had been some serious drinking going on outside. The facilities had been very well used and were accompanied by an overwhelming smell of toilet cakes.  

When I arrived back, the magic bathroom visit had again conjured food on the table. Both plates of food were hot and fresh, the wedges served with the obligatory sour cream and sweet chilli, while the flat breads were coated with parmesan and pesto, flavours that worked well together.  

Unfortunately, there was no such harmony in the music. It sounded as if someone had put an iPod on shuffle, then sat back to observe the chaos. Cyndi Lauper, Kings of Leon, David Bowie. In fact, there was a nice parallel between the choppy music and Mr M's beer choices.  

While I was weaving tastes together, Mr M had flunked miserably. With no choice but to go from the Great White to Mac's Black, he was stumped. In his defence, he struggled through it admirably, but as we got to round number six and the very tasty cider, it was decided that perhaps it was a good time to call it a night.  

Mac's Brewbar fits the after-work drinks mould perfectly; there is nothing overly offensive about it and your more vanilla co-workers will be pleased. But while the beers are good quality and the service is warm, it is missing the Poplar Lanes X factor.

Where: Corner Poplar Lane and Ash Street.

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am to late.

Wine: All varietals covered well. 

Prices: Very reasonable for the pints and nosh. 

Service: Friendly on the whole.

Ambience: Lacking.  

Amenities: Tolerable.