My lasting memory of this Woollahra pub comes from my acting days. I was doing an advert for Barons Beer (they are based in the offices above the bar) that involved me driving up to the Phoenix in a ute, climbing out and walking through the front door and up to the bar wearing a fine selection of women's clothing (high heels, stockings, pink hot pants and white halter neck top) in front of 2 cricket teams that were having their end-of-season drinks at the time. They turned out to be a good set of extras, and the convincing look of shock on their faces wasn't because they were good actors!
Aside from playing host to struggling actors who will cross-dress just to try and make it, not much else really happens there. They used to have poker on Thursdays that a friend of mine ran, but that finished when he moved away. It's definitely a locals pub so don't expect too much else happening, but I do like the fact that it is a rough-round-the-edges pub in one of the most expensive areas in Sydney, and it's a perfectly friendly place to have a drink, and can be a pleasant alternative to some of the overly uptight drinking holes this city has to offer.
Oh, and that ad never made it to air. Thank god! read more