Chefs Ronnie Stricke and Raf Tonon don't mind a challenge.
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They met while working at MEET in Newcastle and took over the kitchen at The Greenroof in Hamilton last year not long after COVID-19 first reared its ugly head.
And now, in the midst of another COVID storm, they have branched out to The Regal Inn at Tenambit.
"It has been a long year with lots of hurdles to overcome," the pair told Food & Wine.
"Challenging people's pre-conceived ideas of general pub food was difficult but we feel we have now earned their trust, which has allowed us to continue being creative and keep pushing our limits when it comes to menu creations."
How often do you see chicken liver pate with port gel, sour onions and foie gras on a pub menu, let alone a pub menu in Newcastle? Or lightly cured kingfish with pickled eschallots, pink peppercorn and dehydrated rose petals, or duck ragu with fresh rigatoni, duck skin and fresh seasonal black truffles?
"One of our favourites is a short rib steak - we sous vide it for 48 hours and serve it medium rare with burnt sugarloaf cabbage and pickled cucumbers," Ron and Raf said.
"Even our version of garlic bread and bruschetta, where we use a fresh focaccia dough charred to order, gives us a point of difference."
"Maitland is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce ourselves and our product to the community.
"They were running a reduced menu over at the Regal Inn due to COVID - it was a simple, quite traditional pub-style menu - and we have now expanded it with our style of food and a focus on freshness and great produce.
"We have added quite a few snacks and shared dishes, fresh pastas, and ever-changing cuts of steaks and garnishes.
"We are also playing with a few different desserts and specials. We have some exciting projects coming in the near future with some new food offerings apart from the bistro."
Learning what works and what doesn't has been a process of trial and error, as it was at the Greenroof. It's a matter of striking the right balance between understanding what people want and expect on the menu, while staying true to their own style and standards.
"We love what we do - we love cooking and hospitality, and always try to have fun in the process. We would say our food is fun and creative, always trying to evolve, using what's available that season and keeping it interesting.
"Working in pubs, we will always have the 'classic' dishes on the menu, but will always be putting our stamp on our menus with new creations and twists.
"Yes, you're right, we are trying to conquer the world one pub at a time.
"But jokes aside, we are always looking out for new opportunities, and to expand. Pursuing off-site catering is probably the next step."