good, honest chicken and (australianised) korean food; also, acceptable pub grub. red pepper bistro (rpb) is interestingly located in the strathfield sports club and is adjacent to a sports bar. although your usual bar-food-fare suspects are available, the plat de résistance of rpb is its korean food and, particularly, chicken. usually, the place is packed to the rafters with families or other groups and available seats are sparse.
chicken at rpb is served in as many as 12 different ways, accompanied with banchan (as is the case for other food items). we ordered a half-chicken cooked in the original fried way, a half-chicken cooked in sweet chili sauce, and a bibimbap. food arrives in good time and is delightful in various ways and to all the senses. the accompanying banchan, in particular, is surprisingly solid.
service could be better, but it also could be worse. floor staff are pleasant and obliging, but the counter staff (for the sole counter that there is or, at least, that was that evening we were present for dinner) are nice but can be a bit rude with curt directions for customers to wait, as opposed to requesting that customers wait. there are some barriers in communication, but these are minor enough and communication is a two-way street after all. we found a 'kamsahamnida' here and there helped.
in summary, rpb is a club or pub bistro. however, it is atypical bistro and fairly formidable, drawing in such a crowd at most times of day, on all days of the week. there remain a things that could be better, perhaps such as additional counters for ordering food and additional (comfy) seating, but it appears most people leave happy and with a full belly!
our major complaint with our dining experience at the rpb are actually not to do with the bistro itself but with the adjacent bar. while the bar staff are friendly and helpful (always a plus!), the range of alcohol is limited and the prices are a little steeper than we thought, further adding to the damage that a night of dining at the rpb would normally do. but, of course, you can't have chicken (or other korean food for that matter) without beer or soju!