The Camfield
The threat of rain, and a heavily pregnant friend, dictated that we find a place closer to the stadium this week; so on the expectation of a smallish crowd, we bit the bullet and gave the Camfield a burl.
Full disclosure: I have a strong prejudice against anything that self-describes as a Super Pub, so that might have swayed my scores a little. I also have some pre-existing biases against venues owned by this particular group (like The Reveley and The Stables), so perhaps just assume you’ll like the Camfield more than I do.
Walking time to stadium: 90 seconds - 18/20
So, it’s obviously the closest you can get to the stadium - Paul Hasleby could probably jog it. I’ve taken a token couple of points off because if Hasleby could jog it it’s probably too close, and so you wouldn’t get as much time for that slightly boozy walk with the stadium emerging in front of you. It’s a good looking stadium, especially at night, so I think you miss out a bit. But it’s certainly convenient. For the record, I think somewhere between a 5-10 minute walk to the ground is ideal.
Ease to get there: 8/10
It’s right outside the stadium, so it could easily get a 10/10. I’m giving it an 8 though, because my wife and toddler – who don’t come to the game – often come for lunch beforehand to catch up with friends; and this venue doesn’t work for that because you can’t park anywhere near it. Some would call this a win, but I quite like my family, and even if I didn’t I know enough not to put this in writing. But if that’s not an issue for you then this should be a 10.
Availability of seating: 6/10
There are literally thousands of seats, but even more thousands of punters, so this one is hard to assess. If you get there three hours before the game you could have the run of the place, but from about 2 hours before a game this Super Pub (urgh), gets Super Busy. There have been lines for every game this year, which means if one of your less reliable mates is running late, they’ll be stuck in the line. In other words, I wouldn’t recommend this place if you are friends with Brad Hill. There’s also no option to book. All that said, if you have reliable friends and nothing but time, you can choose lots of different places to sit, which is cool.
Beer selection: 6/10
There are about 10 or so beers on tap, but no clear winners for mine. The Prize Ale was ok, but I ended up defaulting to the James Squire 150 Lashes, which is the beer you pick when there aren’t really any other better beers. It’s the T-Bone Sheridan of beers.
Beer price: 6/10
A pint of the T-Bone was $12. I’d pay $12 for a Cowboy Neale, but it seems a bit rich for a T-Bone.
Quality / value of food: 7/10
I’ll be honest, I was too excited about the $2 pies to waste too much space filling up on slightly overpriced pub fare. We got a bit of a selection from the sharing plates menu: sliders, chips and arancini. All were fine.
Wait time for beer and food: 8/10
The wait time for beers and food was much better than I expected, so they’ve clearly set things up pretty well. Food took about 20 mins and less than a 5 minute wait for beers.
Good for kids: 6/10
There’s nothing specifically here for the kids, and you could easily temporarily lose one in a place this size if you weren’t paying attention.
General Vibe: 5/10
We got there 2 hours before the game, so all the best spots were taken, and we therefore sat in the back room which very much resembles a cafeteria. It’s fine, but you probably wouldn’t go there by choice. If you had a nice day some of the outside areas are pretty cool (and look out to the stadium). The place has Foxtel and some good screens, so it’s an option if you are wanted to catch some of an earlier game. In this instance the Eagles were winning, and there were actual Eagles fans watching the game, so I could have easily scored the vibe -90 out of 10, but that might be a smidge too churlish.
Overall: 70/100
I think this is a place you need to try for yourself, and given its location most people will at some point. I think they’ve done a good job of building a Super Pub, and against all odds they seem to be doing a great job of running a venue that large; but, it’s just not for me. Although it’s very convenient in some ways, it won’t be a regular for us for reasons that are particular to our crew – like people coming who aren’t going to the game, and a few young kids. Also, my mates are too flakey (re hungover) to be able to turn up early enough to get a good spot.
