Laundy Hotels’ Crossways Hotel has opened Bonnie’s, a new casual eatery within the historic Sydney hotel.
Since the 1930s, Crossways Hotel has been operating at the corner of Liverpool Road/Hume Highway and Homebush Road in South Strathfield, and was acquired by Laundy Hotels in 2016. The Laundy family have a strong connection to the hotel and its local area, having previously lived in the suburb for almost 40 years. Bonnie’s pays homage to CEO Arthur Laundy’s late mother, Veronica, known to many as Bonnie.
Crossways Hotel was refurbished late last year, including refreshing the interiors of the existing bar and beer garden. Reflecting the pub’s long history, the design was inspired by 70s sports lounges, retro bistros, and classic corner pubs. Bonnie’s features design elements of Art Deco lighting, timber clad walls, vintage furniture, and sports memorabilia.
The menu at Bonnie’s, co-curated by group executive chef Jamie Gannon and group head chef Tanoy Biswas, was partly inspired by Gannon’s recent travels through the food regions of Italy.
“The idea has developed around two main reasons. Firstly, Arthur has always wanted to rebrand Crossways with an Italian flair, inspired by his frequent visits to a local Italian in Strathfield South. Secondly, my appreciation for the simplicity of Italian food during my trip to Italy last year.
“The timing has been perfect with the rebrand of Crossways and my trip to Italy; the vision can now come to life. As a group, we are pushing the boundaries of what pub food can be, focusing on simple, quality food, much like the Italians,” Gannon said.
Bonnie’s will focus on Italian fare and revitalised pub classics, with antipasti plates such as buffalo mozzarella baked in filo, a salumi selection of Italian cold cuts, and lightly fried Bolognese arancini with house napolitana sauce. The pasta dishes include a Sicilian-style rigatoni alla norma with herby tomato sauce, eggplant and salted ricotta; and orecchiette gamberetti with prawns, sun-dried tomatoes, chilli, and rocket.
Other Italian-influenced pub classics on the menu will include veal and chicken meatballs in a tomato sauce, a Milanese-style crumbed pork schnitzel, and an eggplant lasagne. The menu also features Genovese-style focaccia ‘pittsa’, with four topping options of classic margherita, pepperoni topped with rocket and pecorino, porchetta and potato, pistachio and stracciatella, and spicy salsiccia with fennel, olives, and mozzarella.
Bonnie’s offers meal combos from $30, such as chicken schnitzel or crumbed pork with your choice of pasta. The combos can be enjoyed by oneself, or with a group.
Bonnie’s evokes classic pub culture, the local Italian community in the South Strathfield area, and the Laundy family’s own connection to Crossways Hotel.
Danielle Richardson, Laundy Hotels senior executive and Bonnie’s granddaughter, spoke about the importance of Crossways Hotel to the group and to her family.
“Crossways has been a great pub in our family’s history, with all the Laundy children having worked there at some stage of their journey, so it seemed very fitting to name our new venture after nana, who was a backbone in the creation and success of our family business,” she said.
“Nana held her family dear and cherished the moments spent together over shared meals. With the launch of Bonnie’s, we hope that we can provide a fun dining experience that pays homage to Bonnie’s legacy and would make her proud.”