Mr Thode, who left his large catering business in Western Australia to return to Sydney, is in the throes of a menu overhaul that should be available by early next month.

Pre-packaged frozen food that gets dumped straight into a deep fryer is out; fresh produce sourced locally is in. So in other words, the kitchen will crumb its calamari and batter its own fish.

With a revamped look to the bistro itself that aims for a more personal feel, the result should be a pub grub experience to rival most in Sydney - without being too fancy.

``I'm getting to know the customers, seeing what they like and dislike, and getting a good idea of what will work and what won't,'' said Mr Thode.

``People like their old favourites and purchase what they know and trust. Everyone loves a steak sandwich, and there's nothing wrong with that as long as you do something that stands out from the rest. If you're going to make a burger, make it the best burger you've ever made.

``Our steak sandwiches have a good quality meat, and we make our own garlic mayo. They're selling like hotcakes.''

A Sydney resident, Mr Thode said second-in-command Marwan Chamma helped fill in some of the gaps in his knowledge about the Macarthur area.

And his colleagues might count themselves lucky, because unlike many chefs, pot-throwing and saucer-clanging is not his style when things heat up in the kitchen.

``I don't get stressed,'' Mr Thode said. ``People accuse me of being a bit casual. The problem will only be as big as you make it and if you start throwing things, you're making it big.

``I think quicker than most people around me. I have trouble slowing down.''

Look out for Campbelltown RSL's new menu from late this month.