By: Vivienne Pearson
Everything old is new again. Your kids may be playing ‘old school rules’ in handball or marbles. Your teenagers might be rediscovering ‘old school’ video games, after growing tired of flashy graphics without substance. If you like your food ‘old school’ there is (ironically) a new place to try.
Old School is the new restaurant at the Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club. You might have seen the logo featuring cursive script and a wood-fuelled stove. One month in, owner Terry Dryden is happy to be offering ‘old school prices, tastes and service’.
‘My old man wouldn’t order anything if he didn’t know what it was,’ says Terry. ‘So there’s no jus this or pomme gratin that.’ It seems that Terry’s father is not alone. The new menu is chock-a-block full of old-school beauties such as Steak Dianne and Chicken Kiev, the Feather & Fin dish is, in particular, gaining a real following. Says Terry: ‘People love chicken, people love prawns and bacon, so when it’s all wrapped into one, with a creamy mushroom sauce, they’re pretty happy!’
Terry is a fan of his own food, saying, of the Steak with Onion and Bacon gravy: ‘I’d eat this every day’. Terry’s love for syrup dumplings has come from his grandma’s cooking. ‘I’m one of 17 kids,’ he says, ‘so my Grandma was at our place a lot.’
Terry is father to six, including two teenagers still living at home. They have certainly earned their keep recently – after Terry described his ideas for the restaurant to them, it was they who suggested the name, proving once again that everything old is new again.
Old School Restaurant, open for lunch seven days (including $8 specials) and dinner six days (closed Mondays). Catering for the club’s function room (seating 160) is also available.
Photo by Jeff Dawson. Terry and Stephen: Old School.
