Banksia Bistro a food oasis with Colin Fassnidge's Irish touch

Banksia Bistro

288 Princes Highway, Banksia
banskiahotel.com.au, 9567 6389
★★★★

The lowdown

Main attractions: Fassnidge for the 'burbs

Must try: Wagyu flank steak, carrot puree, grilled leek, chips, red wine jus

Insta-worthy dish: Chocolate brownie, hazelnut praline, stout cream

Prices: $5 to $62

Open: Mon-Thurs noon-3pm, 5.30pm-8.30pm; Fri noon-3pm, 5.30pm-10pm; Sat noon-10pm; Sun noon-9pm

Up next: The team from the Banksia are set to revamp the Macquarie Hotel in Liverpool. Watch this space.

After King Street, and then Tempe IKEA, the Princes Highway – stretching from Newtown all the way to the South Coast – is a bit of a food wasteland. The odd KFC and Macca's will pop up, sure, but apart from that there's not much in the way of good eats to be found.

Until you hit Banksia, that is. The blink-and-you'll-miss-it suburb (nestled between Rockdale and Arncliffe) has suddenly become an oasis in a food desert, thanks to star chef Colin Fassnidge and his longtime colleague, Leigh McDivitt.

Twelve months ago, the Banksia Hotel – which sits on the highway, opposite a kebab shop and an accountant's office – was an old man's pub with a token Thai restaurant, complete with tomato-red carpet and red panelled walls. The pub is still there, but the restaurant has been refurbed completely as the Banksia Bistro. It's light, airy, open and atmospheric – the kind of place where you'd be equally comfortable coming with your family on a Tuesday night, with your partner on a night away from the kids, or with a group of friends to while away a Sunday arvo.

The bistro, helmed by McDivitt and co-owned by Fassnidge, is the perfect example of building it, and watching the people come. While others might have been concerned about opening an upscale (if still casual) bistro in a suburb with basically zero other restaurants, this team saw a golden opportunity.

Happily, the risk has paid off. A focus on nose-to-tail, zero-waste eating (side note: shouldn't all restaurants aim for this?), as well as share plates (groups coming in on the weekends can opt for whole suckling pigs, and there's always a shared ham hock and braised lamb shoulder on the menu) has given the bistro an innovative edge.

The food is excellent, as pub food should be these days. There's no excuse for a steak cooked too long, or soggy chips, in a city as awash with great pub food as ours. Here, the steak is cooked perfectly and the chips are deep-fried to a golden, satisfying crunch. There are a few pub staples on the menu – chicken schnitzel, a beef burger and fish and chips – but they've been given a 2017 update. The schnitty is fresh, for one thing, drenched in buttermilk and covered in Panko crumbs – a sort of schnitzel-meets-Southern fried chicken. The steak is wagyu flank, served with an earthy, sweet carrot puree and a smoky grilled leek (and chips, of course).

But don't stop there. Sure, it's a bistro in a pub, but it's so much more than that. Go for the rainbow trout, with a deeply flavoured shellfish bisque. Go for the chicken liver parfait, or the pork terrine served with housemade pork crackle. And definitely go for the specials board, where you'll find inventive dishes like whiskey cured salmon with wasabi ice-cream, or popcorn on the cob rolled in luxe cafe de Paris butter and citrus salt.

The menu, while influenced by Fassnidge and his Irish heritage, is lighter and more playful. There's a suckling pig sausage roll and a pie of the month, there's Irish stew and, naturally, there's colcannon. But there's also a watermelon salad flecked with chorizo and sriracha mayo, and raw fish with fennel and orange. There's a ploughman's platter, and on the specials menu, an indulgent beef tartare served with sweet potato crisps.

There's room here to experiment and grow. Since there hasn't been anything like the Banksia here before, it's up to the locals to decide what they want the place to be. McDivitt can often be found chatting to diners at the end of service, asking them what they liked and didn't, and changing the menu accordingly.

Got kids? Bring them. They'll be happy in the dedicated kids' space, where there's a telly playing ABC4Kids, a box full of toys and colouring-in supplies. They'll also be down with the menu – pasta with napoli or bolognese sauce, crumbed chicken and chips, or battered fish and chips (all at a parent-pleasing price of $10 a pop). For dessert, they can choose from ice-cream and chocolate sauce, or a fruit icy pole.

As for your dessert, don't skip it. The brownie with hazelnut praline and stout cream is dense and fudgy, rich with an intense cocoa flavour. The stout cream is a little heavy – a scoop of mascarpone would be ideal – but still, I lick the plate clean. Check for the tart of the week, too, which changes seasonally.

Every suburb deserves a good pub – somewhere to grab a glass of wine or a beer, a good meal, and a space to relax and unwind. Banksia finally has theirs.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

IKEA, 634-726 Princes Highway, Tempe

From the HEMNES to the hotdogs, you know you need something here. Bonus: the 2018 catalogue has just come out. Drop the kids off in the play area and pretend your life is as organised as the displays here.

Banksia Bakery, 26 Railway Street, Banksia

A local favourite, this veteran bakery dispenses Lebanese pizzas, zaatar bread and, for sweet tooths, a Nutella pizza. Prices are insanely cheap – expect to walk away with change from 10 bucks.

Harry's Cafe de Wheels, 886-896 Princes Highway, Tempe

It's not quite as glamorous as its Woolloomooloo outpost, but Harry's still serves up classic meat pies, pie floaters and hotdogs. Not exactly a diet Michelle Bridges would approve of, but who asked her anyway?

Oregano Bakery, 56 Connells Point Road, South Hurstville

It's a 10-minute drive from Banksia to Hurstville, but for these scrolls, it's completely worth it. Welcome to carb and sugar heaven, where the cinnamon scrolls are just the right mix of sweet and spiced. Grab a few for the drive home – you won't regret it.