Bungalow 8, King St Wharf
11 January 2009
13 Comments
At least the view was nice
My team at work often frequents Bungalow 8 due to the fact that it is only a 5 minute walk from our office. Conveniently situated on the corner of King St Wharf, it sits on our beautiful harbour with stunning views of the water. It’s a perfect spot to kick back with a few drinks and momentarily forget about the trials and tribulations of what lies ahead when returning to the office after lunch.
Now, I’ve eaten at Bungalow 8 enough times to make an informed decision on the food. Aesthetically, they never fail to impress. The food is always presented well and the quality is ok at best. The portions are usually small, perhaps we are paying for the stunning views. They have an open kitchen with chef’s who look like they know what they are doing and there are only a handful of tables occupied on this cool Thursday afternoon. Perhaps things will be different during this visit ? It’s a new year after all. Oh, and apologies for the lack of explicit pricing of each dish as I totally forgot to write it down.
Rainbow trout fillets : Grilled with roast vegetables with a balmasic glaze ($25 ish)
You don’t often see rainbow trout fillets available, so my colleague decided to have a go at this dish. When it arrived, we were impressed with the ‘rainbow’ of colours sitting beneath the crispy skinned rainbow trout. Unfortunately, my colleage probably finished the meal quicker than it took for me to write this paragraph. Four measly pieces of fish sat on tiny chopped portions of roast vegetables. I was amazed they could charge $25 ish for what looks more like an entree, than a main. Atleast my colleague saw the bright side of her meal, she could go back to the office and finish all the fruit she has in the fridge.
Fish and chips : Tempura fish with chunky fries and house tartar ($21)
With such a heavily themed seafood based menu, I figured I couldn’t go wrong with the tempura fish and chips. To their credit, the portion was huge and my appetite was thoroughly satisfied at the end. However, I think they need to re-visit their understanding of tempura. The coating was too thick, spoiling the natural flavour of the fish. The fries were fantastic though, crunchy and fresh with generous portions of salt. What also dissapointed me was the missing ‘house tartar’. Instead, they gave me a bowl of sweet chilli sauce. It wasn’t until I got around to writing this post that I realised that it was actually on their menu, I should pay more attention next time! . It also serves me right for ordering fish and chips while there are better things on the menu I guess.
Crispy hole skinned barramundi : Stir fried asian vegetables with teriyaki sauce ($23 ish)
I’ve had this before and I must admit it’s probably one of the best dishes on the menu. The barramundi is huge and crispy. It is eaten with a squeeze of grilled lime, nice and simple. However on this occasion, my colleague couldn’t quite figure out what flavour the sauce in the vegetables was. If it was teriyaki, it was very dilluted.
Lamb rump : Potato cake with sweet and sour cabbage with a rosemary jus ($23 ish)
My other colleague was very impressed with his meal. The lamb was tender and juicy and the potato cake did a good job of soaking up the richness of the rosemary jus.
Look, Bungalow 8 is excellent for an office lunch as it allows us to get away from the grinds of the CBD. I’ve been told that it’s also a nice spot for a few drinks at night as well. Unfortunately, the food hasn’t impressed me as much as the view does.
Bungalow 8
King Street Wharf
8 The Promenade
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9299 4660
Fax (02) 9299 4440
Web : http://www.bungalow8sydney.com
Tagged with: King St Wharf, Seafood, Sydney
Hmm, I guess I’m not surprised by the lacklustre food review. My only eating experience here was the all you can eat mussels nights, which can only be described as chaos… Drinks at night is probably it’s forte.
Miss Honey’s last blog post..Ocha-Cha, Cairns
Aww what a pity it wasn’t as good as it looked!
Bad food makes me grumpy!
Lorraine E’s last blog post..Simon’s 38th Birthday BBQ
The barramundi looks scary looking at you like that! Sounds like the food is pretty disappointing.
Arwen from Hoglet K’s last blog post..Gelatomassi
Seems like the food does not do your photos justice. It is a nice location, though.
belle’s last blog post..After-work dining returns, thanks to accommodating cat
ooh the barramundi looks amazing. i love the presentation.
i tend to find that most of the restaurants along king st wharf are quite pricey – as you say, much of your money is going toward the rent, and not the food!
Helen’s last blog post..Temasek, Parramatta
Miss Honey : My colleague also mentioned about the shocking mussels nights, apparently they ‘run out’ quite often!
Lorraine : Looks can be deceiving :/ But hey, I then look at the harbour and think that things could be worse!
Arwen : I liked how they presented the Barramundi, looked like a piranha heh
belle : Yes very nice location, we pay for the real estate it seems.
Helen : Yeah I tend to agree about the prices, but that is to be expected. I don’t mind paying a little more, but they have to justify it. I’ve been to Meat & Wine Co which is ok, and the view isn’t half as good there!
Beautiful photos! I haven’t eaten here, but have always imagined that it’s more of a drinks venue, than an eatery.
Y’s last blog post..And sous it is..
I would have ordered the Barramundi – lack of seafood in London is abit of a pain, as is the lack of sunshine.
Gosh this winter is killing me here, I’m so glad I’ll be headed east next month, can’t wait to get back into the sun
great review by the way, I wish I had a nice place to drop in for lunch near my work!
kang’s last blog post..Eat&Read (11Jan09): We have relaunch.
Have you guys been there on the all you can eat mussels Tuesdays? I think it is pretty good value haha
Oh we must have been lucky cos we didn’t run out and we had a few big eaters in our group hmm
FFichiban’s last blog post..Ajisen Ramen – Haymarket, Sydney
Fantastic photos as always Howard! I love the presentation of the barramundi and the potato cake with the lamb. Clever.
Y : After numerous visits, it is definitely more of a drinks venue!
Kang : I must admit, we are pretty lucky here in Sydney in regards to our food variety
FFichiban : I haven’t been yet, I should give it a go but my lunch time is never long enough!
Christie : Thank you! Yes the preso of the barramundi was definately a highlight.
Sorry to hear about the food, but I do know they hired a new chef late last week. Did you see my Australia Day posters? haha
Lisa’s last blog post..Super Foods
Lisa : New Chef ? I will have to go back and check it out again. I think I did see your posters, did they a vintage/60′s feel to it ? I recall seeing something like that!