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Uluru

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Liam Hetherington
Liam Hetherington
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2 out of 5
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37) Uluru - Going Walkabout in Chorlton

37) Uluru - Going Walkabout in Chorlton

Australia – 26/06/09

A gloriously beautiful late June was the excuse for a post-work Friday pub-crawl. The venue of choice was the buzzing and bar-jammed Chorlton. The scene in this trendy suburb is so popular that while we were able to get seats in all but one of the seven bars we called in at in all cases they were often the only seats or table remaining upon our arrival.

I met up with Paul and Simon at The Bar on Wilbraham Road; Gary caught up with us next door at The Nook. Then it was on to the next neighbouring bar, Abode. We had bangers and mash at Elektrik, then continued down to the wonderful folkie bar Dulcimer (well, I thought it was wonderful – the others pretty much hated it!). Turning left onto Barlow Moor Road the next bar we came upon – surprise surprise – just happened to be an Australian joint. Right – time to tick off No. 37!

Uluru is styled like some outback shack, all painted planks, woodwork, and tin signs. On my one previous visit the big screen were showing Australian-rules football, and posters advertised that they would be broadcasting the Ashes. On this Friday night however they seemed to have simply tuned into BBC2 – we were treated to the end of Top Gear and coverage from Glastonbury (apparently Neil Young is still rockin’ in the free world…). This was a bit of a shame as it had said they would be hosting a live music night ("Ayer’s Rock"). Still, it meant that we were able to sit and continue chatting – we found a bench in a lamp-lit annex just out the back. It was my turn to get the beers in – though I must say it also helped that they had two cute barmaids, one with an appropriately Antipodean accent. They handed me a pair of dice for a game of ‘Beat the Bar’. Apparently, if you roll an 11 you get your drink on the house. I have to say ‘apparently’ – I didn’t roll an 11..

They have a selection of Australian beers, though seemingly they only had Fosters on draught. While Gary and Paul were happy on the Fosters I went for an ice-cold ‘stubby’ of VB (Victoria Bitter). This is not at all a bitter, just a lager. It has the highest market share of all beer sold in Oz. However it seemingly has a bit of a poor reputation amongst British ex-pats out there. Within a day of Paul posting a photo of me drinking VB on Facebook I had received a comment from two school friends who now work in Australia. Ian (living in Perth and last seen at the now legendary St Petersburg evening) described VB as "the antipodean Skol" and "Bogantastic" (a ‘bogan’ is apparently "the aussie equivalent of white trash"). Chris (resident in Melbourne) went further, stating "VB tastes like cat p**s. However I hope they didn’t sell you any Carlton draught – literally the worst beer I have ever tasted in my life…" Still, I managed to finish it off, the coldness of it being the real selling-point as far as I was concerned on a humid evening. And while I’ve never been a lager drinker (apart from for the purposes of the 80 Meals quest) it made a decent change from all the real bitter I had drunk previously that evening, and which I would continue to do at our final drinking hole, Argyle’s.

By that time we were hungry and had to head on elsewhere for a burger. Uluru does not serve food, which lets it down slightly in my eyes. Obviously I would have preferred to have found somewhere serving food to count as my ‘Australian’ pick. However, there does not seem to be anywhere that fits that bill, which is somewhat surprising considering the number of Australians in Manchester. Even more remarkable is the number that stay – I can see people wanting to visit Manchester, but hanging around when they have the whole world to explore…? Maybe it’s the novelty of the cold and drizzly climate… In fact, just last week Chris sent me a photo of the window of his local Flight Centre travel agents in Melbourne, advertising flights to London (with picture of Tower Bridge), Paris (with picture of Eiffel Tower)… and to Manchester (with a picture of our usual pub)! Food is served at Walkabout on Quay Street, a favourite hang out for young travelling Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans with raucous weekend party nights, but I think it is just your usual bar fodder – chips, nachos, burgers, etc. Other than that, I’m not sure I know any other Aussie establishments following the closure of Down Under bar near Bootle Street with its psychedelic dream time décor. Though apparently there is another Australian bar / live music venue in Altrincham by the name of The Flamin’ Gallah. Worth checking out just for the name quite frankly!

From journal Around the World in 80 Meals! (part 4)

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