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The Garden Tap

Rachel Olding

Watering hole: The Cook's Garden has expanded with a new bar that offers great burgers.
Watering hole: The Cook's Garden has expanded with a new bar that offers great burgers.Supplied

Pub dining

Winter calls for fireplaces, red wine and juicy burgers. And not trekking too far from the warmth of home.

For the north shore, that means the Garden Tap.

If you're not quite up for a nice restaurant, nor a crowded pub, and can't quite face the ugg-boot extravaganza at legendary Chinese takeout Happyland, then this is a good middle ground.

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It's a country-style mini-pub where the food is decent and the vibe is casual. Most of all, it's easy and it's warm.

Rick Nelmes, owner of the Cook's Garden restaurant, has taken over the next-door dental surgery and transformed it into a cosy bar to piggyback on the success of his restaurant. During restaurant hours you can order from the Cook's Garden menu. Otherwise it's burgers, sambos, bar snacks and excellent desserts.

The latter is the surprise highlight of the night. A small dessert menu is almost hidden at the end of the bar menu but it has some indulgent winter warmers such as citrus-poached Corella pears with warm chocolate fudge brownie, ginger biscuit crumble and coconut ice-cream ($14) or baked banana custard with peanut brittle and dark chocolate sorbet ($14).

Consider popping in after dinner and ordering a pillowy soft souffle of the day and luscious 2011 Chocalan Syrah from the Maipo Valley in Chile ($42 a bottle) to enjoy beside the fireplace and dart board.

Brave diners are still crowding a handful of tables on the streetfront beneath large heaters. The rest of the room is a mix of bar stools and big tables under hanging exposed light bulbs.

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Chewy Bobbin Head Bakery pane di casa ($4), made a few doors down and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic, is a nice start if you're doing dinner, but the bar snacks and salads are underwhelming.

Cut to the chase and head straight for the burgers.

The eight options are all going to be dribble-down-the-hands culprits. Wagyu beef with cheese, spanish onion, tomato relish, bacon, lettuce, mayo and beetroot ($22) was never going to be pretty.

Add another wagyu patty to make it a monstrous Double Tap ($24) or replace the bacon, relish and beetroot with messy ketchup and American mustard for a Tap Cheeseburger ($18).

There is a haloumi/red pepper pesto burger for the vegos, pulled pork with house-made barbecue sauce or fried chicken lightly crumbed with Pico De Gallo, chipotle sauce, coleslaw and mayo. Once again, it's a dribbly, saucy, party for one.

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Cocktails are a no-go zone. A handful of classics are made cluelessly and should be avoided.

Instead, the comprehensive wine list traverses local and international drops with some lovely unoaked and aromatic whites and intriguing blends.

Kronenbourg pale lager and Coopers pale ale on tap ($5.50) are easy crowd-pleasers and there is an international bent to the tight beer selection that includes an organic, gluten-free Wilde Pale Ale from local Burragumbilli brewers ($9) and a German Paulaner Hefe Weizen Wheat ($8).

Keep it simple and keep it warm.

THE LOW-DOWN
YOU'LL LOVE IT IF … you're after an easy, cosy night out on the northside.
YOU'LL HATE IT IF … you're expecting fancy share plates and cocktails.
GO FOR … baked banana custard, wagyu burger, Chocalan Syrah.

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