Sweetwater Inn

Sweetwater Inn
1/60 Bray Street
South Yarra
Vic 3141
+61 4 02 532 578

When Pan, Sham, The Angmoh and I arranged for movie night at Jam Factory, we decided to be one of the cool kids and check out newly-opened bar Sweetwater Inn.

Sweetwater Inn offers a novelty outback-saloon feel, from a corrugated iron sheet as a bar, to hanging cow hides and dining with mess tins and recycled metal cans. There’s also melted candle wax, an organ as a condiment shelf and background country music. It conjured impressions of swinging wooden doors, glossy spurred boots and the obligatory rolling tumbleweed.

Billy Tea – West Wings Gin, Green tea, Ginger, Lemon & Honey $10

The menu consists of Australian tucker, and the special for the day involved an all-time Aussie favourite, the BBQ.  Vegetarian and vegan substitutes are also available and I heard that the vegan options taste like the real deal. We decided to go all carnivore. Pan and Sham had the pulled lamb sandwich, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Their satisfaction was not elaborately described but a simple ‘very good’ captured their feelings. The Angmoh’s fish and chips came perfectly battered and fried, and my roo steak sandwich was tasty and very tender.

BBQ Pulled Lamb with beetroot BBQ Sauce – Lamb shoulder, slowly smoked over lemon myrtle and black tea, coated in a sticky beetroot BBQ sauce. Pillled high over slaw in a damper roll. (Single $12)

Fosters Fish and Chips – Crispy Fosters battered market fish and chips, served with a wedge of lettuce and green aioli. $16

Kangaroo Steak Sandwich – Kangaroo steak, marinated in Bundy and coke, cooked to medium-rare, served in a warm roll with dressed salad leaves with Melbourne Bitter braised onions. $16

We had no complaints with our drinks either. I particularly like The Noelie: the homemade quince paste sour was sweet and tart, and made the cocktail rather delicious.

The Noelie – Rum, Montenegro and house-made quince paste sour. $12.50

Sweetwater Inn is definitely a cool place to hang out. With a clientele ranging from skater punks, eclectic hipsters, and fashionable Chapel-Street goers,  people-watching while enjoying Aussie brew and fare will be most entertaining.