By Betty Richardson
One of the city's best loved sports bars, The Camel has always had a loyal following that shows up week in, week out to catch the footie/rugby, compete in the pub quiz and eat platefuls of butter chicken curry. But let's be honest, the place was starting to look a teeny bit, well, tired.
Not so anymore! Fresh from renovation, Camel has a brand new look that's a lot less Sid-and-Dot and a lot more cool gastropub.
And while the interiors have gone a bit hipstery, sports screening remains at the heart, with four new massive TV walls, and 11 new LCD screens dotted about the place.
Layout-wise, the Camel's central bar survives, but it is now an island serving the full 360 degrees. It does not stop there; the sound dynamics are now optimized to allow two different sports games to be screened simultaneously on either side. Win-win for when both the rugby and footie are on.
The back area has also been completely opened up to create more seating, with a sliding door that segregates the space for private functions. There's also an extra pool table, along with darts and foosball. (We've been informed one of those pool tables will become a ping-pong table soon too -- extra points for hipstery-ness are forthcoming).
The other big difference is that the whole venue is now non-smoking. If you do want to light up, you'll need to toddle off the outdoor smoking area. But luckily, there's seating, heat lamps and an LCD screen due to be installed so you won't miss a second of the game. And of course, a TV in the gent's bathroom.
The bar now carries 20 draft beers, including Goose Island, Boxing Cat, Little Creatures, Mornington and a very tasty 'Aurora Hoppyalis' IPA from Karl Strauss. Happily, the RMB30 weekday happy hour from 2-8pm is still very much a thing.
The food's also been given a revamp, with new chef Michael Beckwith, formerly of M1NT, helming the hearth. Pub grub classics like the Camel nachos, beef, lamb or chicken burgers, and steak sandwiches sit alongside pumpkin and sage arancini, gorgonzola gnocchi (below), and oxtail ballotine.
Though already open to the public, The Camel crew tell us the grand opening bash is slated for next Friday 16 and everyone's invited.
They'll be slinging free drinks throughout the night: 7-8pm for free mulled wine; 9-10pm for free Carlsberg, and 12am for free shots of liquor. Chef Mark will also be passing about free menu samplers throughout the night.
See a flyer below:
The Camel (Puxi), 1 Yueyang Lu, by Dongping Lu.
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