What does one do if you’re Sydneysiders in Melbourne for the weekend? Eat and drink, I’d say (though we also loved the MOMA exhibit at the NGV). Bar Lourinhã was a superb choice for dining. It felt like Melbourne. Stylish and hip, kind of quirky too. It was very crowded on the Friday night, but we’d made our reservation.
It was hard to choose what to order because everything looked good. And it was. In fact, there was not a miss, and every dish that came out, we oohed and ahhed over. No, I should admit that the chicken liver and pistachio migas (a sort of deconstructed sandwich) was a bit too livery for the rest of the table, but I liked it.
We all particularly liked the croquettes to start with, perfectly light and crisp yet with an intense flavour (nettle and manchego were the ingredients). A simple fish dish of yellowtail kingfish with lemon oil had such a beautiful flavour combination. Suckling pig was as rich as hoped for. A brussels sprouts dish, with cauliflower and jamon was gorgeous. The food seemed both straightforward in that you got what you ordered, but there was always an interesting twist.
We polished off two bottles of wine, and they’re relatively expensive here (we paid $75 for the bottle, which was one of the cheaper ones). Yet the wine was delicious and not run of the mill. And while I thought that the dishes were on the small side and might be a bit expensive, food for the four of us was only $125. So, it was all in all quite reasonably priced, and we all thought it was a great night out.
I’d heard rumours over the last two years of Wok and Noodle Bar’s owner, Jun Toyoda, and Chef Kazuteru O-San’s tiny ramen restaurant at the top of Llankelly Place, but I’d never tried it (or seen an empty seat, as it’s really just a hole in the wall). What a surprise to find that it has such a generic name that doesn’t do it justice, though it seems like its reputation has been drawing in a steady flow of customers.
It’s pretty adorable, a little piece of Japan in Sydney, a tiny hole in the wall like in Tokyo and Osaka. They serve authentic Japanese drinks (as well as the food) and it really does feel like a part of Japan has been transplanted to Potts Point.
One of our friends LOVES this place, particularly for the richness of flavour, for example in the black garlic tonkotsu broth. They also offer both interesting flavours and varieties: so, the tsukemen dish, cold noodles in three sizes, that you dip into a sauce and then eat. Also an interesting soba dish on offer, and if you don’t want one of the super-rich broths, you can go for a lighter miso or soy broth.
The thing is: I’d already gone to RaRa Ramen for lunch, so I opted instead for their udon dish, which was supposed to be spicy. It wasn’t that spicy (it looked like it should be spicy), and it was missing something for me. A really good udon dish has more of a bite and spring to it; perhaps these were overdone. Perfectly fine but not great.
My pals were impressed at how big the large tsukemen dish was, and confirmed that the tonkotsu broth with the ramen they also ordered was, indeed, very, very rich. I think I should come back for the ramen another day (the black garlic one appeals to me) and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the best ramen in Potts Point.
Does Crown Street and Sydney need more Thai food? In the Mood for Thai always seemed popular, and I liked the mood and decor, so was surprised when it closed down to be replaced by another Thai restaurant.
At first glance, I couldn’t see the appeal: the prices for dinner seemed pretty high. I reckon if you’re going to spend that much, you could spend a little more and go to the various top-notch Thai eateries around the city, or wander down closer to Chinatown for the more famous ones like Chat Thai or Boon Cafe (recently reviewed in the New York Times).
Still, one shouldn’t judge without trying, so for a casual lunch with my pal, we wandered in. It’s cheery logo is on the tables, as you can see, the two o’s taken out of the name of the restaurant and divided by a small line.
The food is expensive and one of our party remembered the portions being small the previous time she went, but we had two appetizers and three mains between us, and were stuffed: some delicious dumplings (pork and garlic chive steamed buns, $26 for 6), a very generous plate of Hunan-style sticky pork ribs ($31) (yum!), a delicate fish dish, steamed flathead Jiang-Xi style with pickled mustard green and chili.
As there are cat cafés around the world (including the Catmosphere Space Cat Cafe in Surry Hills, Sydney), a dog café has been awaited. Or at least a dog-themed café, from what I gather from the name. On the corner of Foveaux and Crown Street, I hope this isn’t a cursed location. I liked the last incarnation, which seemed fresher than the café that was there before! If their food is as good as their coffee, hopefully they’ll do OK.