West Village

Don’t panic: there’s still a damn fine schnitzel on the menu at the pub formerly known as the White Cockatoo.

Tears were shed for the White Cockatoo. Not because it was a particularly outstanding establishment, but because it did cheap drinks and schnitzels that were so big they came on a platter. But you can still get the exact same schnitties at the Goni’s Schnitzelria in Marrickville, and the new-look pub just by Petersham Station is, by almost every measure, better than its predecessor.

The White Cockatoo is now the West Village, and the name change was a shame – why take something so staunchly Australian and give it a Yankwash? – but the food, vibes and drinks are ensuring that on a Saturday night the place is packed with a mix of clean-cut families and crews of young locals dressed in their best party jeans.

We didn’t realise before how big this corner pub was, but they’ve opened the whole place out so that it flows from the corner, decorated with vintage sporting goods, to the long tables by the bar, before hooking around to the dining room decked out like a fancy potting shed and out onto the deck without interruption. The good news is there's a schnitzel on the menu. It’s a Vienna schnitzel, not chicken, and it’s big. Not platter big, but still a sizeable, tender fillet of veal hammered flat, thinly crumbed and fried until golden brown and properly crunchy. The burnt butter with capers, parsley and lemon ladled over the top is a punchy, zesty foil to what is essentially a deep-fried steak.

It might sound mad, but take Canada’s famous snack, poutine, add mozzarella and crème fraîche for an European accent and

We didn’t realise how big this pub was

some kimchi and you have some sort of international hot chip nachos that is pitch-perfect drunk food. It’s crunchy, rich, salty, spicy, creamy and pungent, and you need to eat it while it’s still hot enough for the cheese to pull apart easily.

Wants something light? It wouldn’t be a pub menu without squid, but here they grill it hot and fast so that you get a proper char on the meat but it stays tender. It comes with green onion, coriander, cubes of charred fennel and a squeeze of charred lime to make a fragrant seafood barbecue salad.

Other things to love about this place include: the fact they only charge three dollars for a jug of soda water; $10 Negronis on tap; and a very satisfactory wine list where nothing costs more than ten bucks a glass. Refresh yourself for less with a Boags Draught or Tooheys Old on tap, or if you like a craftier brew, they’ve got crowd pleasers like Stone and Wood and 4 Pines and two rotating taps for local beers.

West Village 30 Terminus St, Petersham 2049. 02 9569 4675. www.westvillage sydney.com.au. Mon-Sat 11am

midnight; Sun noon-10pm.