THROWBACK THURSDAY! 

Throwback to the time I had an entire Bavarian tasting platter and 1L of mango bier all to myself. Because why go for a small size when you can have the whole package. And you know what; it was glorious. I truly felt like I had a bit of everything. I highly recommend doing this 😁

The story behind my visit to this beautiful eatery is a little bit cute if I must say so myself! Sooo… Francis did a volunteer program in Laos with UNSW's Global Village last year and it was definitely a really eye-opening and good experience for him. However I knew coming back to Australia would definitely bring him a lot of post-travel depression and culture shock so I wanted to create a nice surprise event with lots of friends to warmly welcome him home. I chose to host it at the Bavarian Bier Cafe in Parramatta (despite never have been there before) since the location is ideal for most of his friends, Francis likes beer and Bavarian serves it in 1L mugs!

He thought that we were going on a romantic date… SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!

The Bavarian Bier Cafe is located a far but walkable distance from Parramatta Station. I had read that it was inside an old restored church but I had no idea that it would be so beautiful and stylish on the inside! Coming in here as groups of people order large plates of food and drink large mugs of beer… a really spiritual experience ;)

Awkwardly enough, me and my small teeny tiny asian eyes did not spot our group of friends and Francis spotted them first HAHAHA

What a surprise.

Anyway so we start off by ordering German biers all around! A lot of them seem reluctant to order food since they came to drink and chat but NOT ME I came here to celebrate my boyfriend coming home EAT hehehe xx

Haus-made Bavarian Pretzels w/ Butter $4.50 each

- These come out nice and warm!

- It is soft on the inside yet chewy and doughy overall, which I really enjoy

- Pairs well with the salty and rich butter~

Throughout the night a few more friends showed up to join our group and it was so much fun! I believe that Bavarian provides a fun and spacious environment for a drink with all your friends. There are also booths available if you're dining in a smaller group and they are much more intimate.

"Take a picture of me with this bier"

Pretty sure that 1L was bigger than all of our heads hehe

Now just so you know…

Mango Weissbier in 1L $22

- Wow so expensive but wow there was so much bier

- It tastes like a light bier with mango juice… which is pretty much what this is

- It's fruity and yet malty hehe I like it but I also struggled to finish it despite all the food I ate

About maybe 20-30 minutes after sitting around and chatting, the waitress approaches us again and asks if anyone would like to order some mains. Only a few of us order as the rest grab more biers. The waitress was really friendly though! She was such a delight :) Also she gave us HONEST recommendations and information on tastes and portion sizes of dishes on the menu so it was really cool.

Anne-mary's: The Famous Crispy Pork Knuckle w/ creamy mash, sauerkraut, bier jus, apple compote (HALF) $27

- My favourite meat is pork so oooommmmggg this looked so delicious!

- She said it was really good but even for a half knuckle, there was so much pork meat that it got a bit too much for her. Fair enough! I would love to have a go at this some time

Francis': Bbq Pork Ribs w/ cabbage slaw

- I can't find this on the menu but I remember it was something the waitress recommended

- Francis said that the ribs were pretty good, even though they are pretty tiny!

- I loved the slaw! It was so refreshing and I took it over to my plate because I had so much meat to get through

And here it is…

Bavarian Tasting Platter: Crispy pork belly, haus-sausages, schnitzel, sauerkraut, red cabbage, creamy mash, granny smith apple compote, bier jus $32

- WOW!

- I thought this would be a little bit bigger but no worries in the end I decided its a pretty good portion for one hehe

- I started off with all the sausages because there was so many. They are all really good with their own unique flavours! My favourite is the pale looking one and that is called the "Swiss Bratwurst w/ lean veal and pork, lemon and pepper"

- The crispy pork belly was very salty but I'm gonna be honest with you I love pork belly to be salty! The crackling however was SO hard. It was inedible unless you want to break your teeth taking a bite into it

- The schnitzel was average, a bit dry even

- The mash was VERY creamy!

- Loved the red cabbage, sauerkraut and apple compote. I really wish there was more of that on the plate though

It was a good dinner, I know I definitely enjoyed myself that night. Although it cost me a lot of money hehe. We stayed until really late that even the servers had to subtly usher us out the door. But hey that's how you tell it was a good night, right~

I definitely recommend everyone check out the Bavarian Bier Cafe. While there are things I would've changed about my platter, in the end it was still some delicious, hearty, classic and filling German pub food. If that doesn't sound enticing enough, they also have a menu of modern favourites which are a twist on the classic flavours. I think there is really something for most of your tastes. There's branches scattered around the city and beaches so bring yourselves along! 

TL;DR:

Price: Expensive

Quality: Pretty good and they are generally big hearty portions

Service: Friendly and chatty!

Ambience: Beautiful interior, very fun atmosphere, good for groups