The Swanson Hotel

Neighbourhood pubs are thickly carpeted across inner Sydney but this little gem caught Barhop's eye one quiet Tuesday evening.

The Kurrajong Hotel has always been a fairly run-of-the-mill pub on a quiet corner spot in Erskineville. The crowds are modest, the food is standard and the sounds of the TAB blare in the back corner.

But give it some new owners, a new name and more than just a lick of new paint and suddenly it's giving others in the neighbourhood a run for their money.

The Balmain Pub Group, owners of the Riverview Hotel in Birchgrove and the Balmain Hotel, have given it an upmarket British West Indies makeover.

Downstairs, there is a shiny new tiled bar and a smattering of cow-hide stools and wicker chairs in front of a fireplace.

Upstairs, former hotel rooms have been transformed into a marble-topped cocktail bar and an elegant 80-seater restaurant that, frankly, knocked our socks off.

Floral wallpaper and a navy paint job channel a proper English vibe, mirrored in the hearty British food such as Black Angus scotch fillet on an unusual but delicious bed of mushrooms, beetroot, cavalo nero and polenta ($28) and lively beef tartare with cornichons, aioli and sourdough ($16).

The roasted pork belly must be good because it was sold out. The next best is a generous serve of spaghetti with king prawns, chorizo, tomato and saffron ($26) and the winning dessert is the sticky toffee pudding ($13). Downstairs, it's a more casual menu of tapas, pizza and a good White Rabbit beer battered fish with mushy peas ($16).

"Pub cocktails" is usually an oxymoron that translates into something terrible containing Midori and grenadine. But here, bar man Edy Bourke plays around with classic ideas in some impressive drinks.

A spiced old fashioned (bourbon, whisky or rum with spice mix, $18) is well-balanced. An inner west maiden (Markers Mark bourbon, lime, mint, cucumber, $18) is a lighter and brighter take on a mint julep.

There is a standard selection of craft beer on tap and wines include rieslings from South Australia, New Zealand sauv blancs, and a well-priced Caparzo sangiovese from Tuscany ($8).

Finding the gems in Sydney's crowded inner-city pub market can be an artform and there's good reason to add this one to your arsenal.

THE LOW-DOWN
YOU'LL LOVE IT IF … you're after a quiet new local in the inner west.
YOU'LL HATE IT IF … you want a rowdy pub with stacks of character.
GO FOR … sticky toffee pudding, Spiced Old Fashioned, scotch fillet.