CHOPPER & HAMMER AT RUNAWAY BAY TAVERN

Mark "Hammer Dixon & Mark "Chopper" Read

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting and enjoying the company of Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read when he came to the Runaway Bay Tavern with his bodyguard and best mate Mark "Hammer" Dixon for their show Chopper & Hammer.
Having met Hammer a few weeks earlier I knew I had absolutely nothing to be worried about but I'm not ashamed to admit that the thought of meeting the notorious criminal had left me with a few butterflies in my stomach.
I'd seen the movie, i'd read his books, everyone in the country knows MARK BRANDON CHOPPER READ, there's even a comedian who makes a living pretending to be him....
But when I walked into the back room and was introduced to him, I was pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by a total gentleman who stood to his feet gave me a kiss on the cheek and hug. Whilst waiting for the Coast Confidential for an interview we chatted about their upcoming documentary they are about to commence filming.
When the Bulletin reporter arrived, I headed off to the Bistro to have myself some dinner. Having never been to the Runaway Bay Tavern, I was surprised at how busy and how family oriented the place was even on a Friday night, especially given the "guests" they had that evening.
The Tavern has a gaming room with 40 of the latest gaming machines.

We're in the money...

As for the dining, the menu was quite extensive with mains ranging from $17.95 to $34.95 I decided on the French Chicken Schnitzel - Lightly crumbed chicken breast with bacon, avocado, camembert cheese topped with hollandaise served with steak fries and garden salad...

It looked so good, I started eating before I took the photo - my bad

The meal was a decent size and great value and for a change I couldn't eat it all (shock horror).
Check out the deals they have during the week by going to their website http://runawaybaytavern.com.au/ but I think their best deal by far is on Sunday

mmmm steak

With a full belly and the main bar almost at the capacity, "Bad to the Bone" starts playing and escorted by his bodyguard, Chopper comes walking at and wanders out on to the stage and perches himself on a bar stool surrounded by signed paraphernalia of various photos from yesteryear - some with ears, some with out.... The show starts and he tells tales of various incidents, some the crowd have heard, some not, all with Chopper's infamous humour and unforgettable sayings. 
All in all, a great night - a lot of talk of violence but masked with jokes. I had a wonderful night.

Chopper and I