The Oaks, Military Road, Neutral Bay

The Oaks, Military Road, Neutral Bay
Friday 17 November, 2006

One of the best things about The Oaks is that it is stumbling distance from my place. Friday night's are a great time to visit as the atmosphere is super charged - there's a buzz across the outdoor beer garden, the clientelle is diverse, there's plenty of food & drink available and on Friday nights The Oaks is open until 1.30am.

The Oaks opened on the North Shore in 1885 and it's history is documented as,

"The magnificent Oaks Tree (Quercus Robur) was planted in August 1938 By Kathleen McGill (nee Furlong). The original seedling, 30cm high came from the old Anthony Horden's department store in George Street Sydney. It was a custom of the store in those days to give an Oak Tree to any patron spending more than Ten pounds in one purchase. Members of the Furlong family held the license for The Oaks from 1918 -1975. It is a tradition that luck comes to those who are struck by an acorn when they fall in Autumn."

Tonight I was catching up with new dinner buddies so there were lots of laughs and chatter. We secured a prime table outside underneath the fabulous Oak tree in the beer garden. The variety of food available at The Oaks is great - cook your own steaks, pots of mussels, pizzas etc. We opted for a couple of pizzas from the Oaks Gourmet Pizza stand. You order and pay for your food at the counter and are provided with a table number, plates & cutlery. We ordered:

- Oaks Deluxe pizza - spicy sausage, caramelised onion, roasted capsicum and tomato
- Thai Chicken pizza - chicken, peanuts, carrot & bean sprouts with a spicy sauce

I think it is a pre-requisiste for staff at The Oaks to be good looking and very helpful - we needed to secure another table when more friends arrived & the staff were most obliging - they made things happen quickly and with smiles on their faces.

The Oaks is also the place where you will be guaranteed to run into people you know - I bumped into my brother & his girlfriend, friends who moved here from the UK and a work buddy. A great night was enjoyed by all.

The Oaks - 118 Military Road, Neutral Bay - (02)9953-5515

http://www.oakshotel.com.au/