What I remember about Mezzaluna, The Butler’s predecessor, was that it was formal and fancy. It was there for 20 years! The vibe I got from The Butler was very different: light, airy and casual, and a beautiful outlook over Wooloomooloo and the City.
We were there for a Friday lunch, and I thought it was pretty much perfect. Each dish was delicious. There are influences from Latin America and Asia.
The plating was beautiful. Our wine was delicious, and the service was friendly and competent. We did sharing plates and a handful were enough.
The ‘Mezcal cured ora king salmon, pickled daikon, cream cheese whip, pomegranate, wakame salt’ at $24, photo at the top of the post, was my favourite I think.
But I found the sesame crackers in the ‘Ruby tuna, peanut salsa macha, edamame, black sesame, quinoa crisp’, also $24, addictive, and a great match for the slightly sweet tuna.
We couldn’t NOT order the ‘Pork Belly pastor tostada, pineapple crema, pea tendrils, cured onion, achiote, coriander purée’, a steal at $10 (though harder to divide into two).
It was a lovely, and dare I say, memorable lunch. In fact, while I’m sure dinner is good here too, it’s hard to pass up the charm of sitting outside on that balcony with that view…