The Forresters, Surry Hills

Lunching at The Forresters is like dying and going to deep-fried heaven. My favourite item by far on the deep-fried menu is the cauliflower with smoked cheese sauce ($8). That cheese sauce is the clear winner for me – incredibly moreish and the perfect accompaniment with cauliflower it turns out!

Another great dish from the snacks menu is the Hawaiian corn ($8) with tabasco mayo, pineapple, bacon, chives and parmesan. Equally good is the popcorn squid ($14) with green peppercorn mayo. I particularly enjoy the peppercorn mayo, which has a nice kick to it.

The other snacks are unfortunately not quite as satisfying. The poppers ($12) aren’t really very memorable. They’re stuffed peppers with chicken, pork and sriracha mayo (yep, another version of mayo! They sure like their mayo at The Forresters). And the chicken nuggets ($10) are actually a bit soggy and oily.

The fries deluxe ($12) with pulled pork, cheddar & chilli are not so deluxe. The chilli isn’t saucy enough, making the dish a bit dry and boring. It gets worse when the cheese hardens, and you can’t even pull apart the fries. The pulled pork sliders ($5.50 each) are way too dry. They’re made with korean slaw and peanut mayo, but it’s like they forgot the mayo altogether.

On the upside, the USA BBQ ($15) is really good value – you get brisket, chicken wings, coleslaw, chips, rolls, salsa and pesto. Again, the brisket is on the dry side, but the chicken wings and coleslaw are delicious!

We also go for the Choke Hold pizza ($24), which is topped with artichoke, chilli mince, artichoke and peppers. The thin base is very nice, but I’ve ordered their classic ham & mushroom pizza in the past and it was much better.

The picnic chicken ($22) with peri peri sauce, parmesan fries and southern salad is another great main that we recommend. Overall, the bigger, heartier main meals are worth a try, while some of the snacks fall short.

Artery-clogging Americana food is popping up everywhere in Sydney – don’t get me wrong, I’m glad for it! Inducing food comas and afternoon naps, their tasty, tasty food is here to stay (I hope).

PS. Apologies about the poor quality of the pictures! We only had our iPhones with us.

-Sarah