Duke Bistro, Darlinghurst
I sometimes think that my mentality is a little switched around, I love to go home early on Friday nights and sleep, but even more than that I love to go out to dinner with friends in the middle of the week! I tend to use these dinners as an excuse to check out new restaurants and it’s with glee that we find ourselves outside of Duke Bistro on a lovely Thursday night.
There’s quite a pedigree behind Duke Bistro, we’ve got Thomas Lim (of Tetsuya fame) and Mitch Orr (2010 Young Chef of the Year and also ex-Sepia) working their magic in the kitchen. The restaurant itself is a sexy fusion of Asian Vintage design and the service is among the friendliest I’ve encountered for a while, but really it’s one thing in particular that’s pulling me here tonight.
Buratta. Oh yeh.
Duke Bistro
The parking in Darlinghurst is as shocking as ever and after 15 minutes of circling we manage to find a parking space, despite all this we’ve arrived a little early for service, the restaurant is open from 7pm for dinner. As Bistro Duke is situated on the 2nd floor of the Flinders Hotel we simply pass the time at Happy Hour (5-7pm) downstairs in the pub with a few drinks before heading up.
Walking in we’re greeted with a darkly intimate restaurant, Asian lanterns and lamp shadows sending spotlights onto the tables while bird cages and even a boar’s head grace the walls. We’re seated quickly and following the advice of our cheerful waitress decide to order 5 of the dishes off the menu to share between 2 people.
Baby Radish in Butter $9
The word butter is enough to sway me into ordering the Baby Radish dish from the daily specials. Braised gently in butter the radishes are cooked to a slightly raw texture, still leaving a little give to the bite with everything infused in the beautiful scent of butter. It’s the brilliantly vibrant sauce however that wins us over, deliciously buttery and creamy it’s only a matter of moments before we’ve torn apart the warm sourdough provided to drench in the sauce.
Tomato, strawberry, buratta and shiso $15
Oh baby. Wait, that was a little dirty. But this dish really does deserve it. After reading about the Buratta I’m fixated on the thought of ordering it, and luckily it delivers on all counts.
The first slice sees the Buratta slowly begin to ooze on my plate, the essential perfect bite. The Buratta, Strawberry and a slice of tomato creates a beautiful contrast between the tartness of the tomato and creamy cheese. I find the strawberry is a little lost with the tomato, but in all it’s a brilliant starter. I’m eating with P tonight, who finds the green tomato too tart for her liking but it’s just up my alley.
Kingfish gin and tonic $18
The whimsical presentation of the Kingfish Gin and Tonic actually conceals a salsa of cucumber, Kingfish and jellied gin and tonic. Our waitress tells us to just get in there and make sure we’ve got a bit of everything on our spoons, the clear jelly sends a kick through the system with a carbonated hit to end the mouthful. It’s delightfully refreshing and I find myself coming back to the cup again and again, only calling defeat as the jelly finally melts away leaving a carbonated concoction too strong for my preferences.
Fried chicken wings, coleslaw milk, hot sauce $10
I’m utterly incapable of walking away from twice brined Fried Chicken, and the siren of coleslaw milk proves impossible to ignore. The first bite of the chicken is the salty goodness I’ve been craving, the chicken itself is still tender enough to pull easily away from the bones, while the accompanying coleslaw milk is a creamy counterpart. The hot sauce is actually the infamous Thai Chilli Sriracha sauce, vibrantly spicy and sweet at the same time and a great match.
Lamb belly, cumin, eggplant, pearl onions $16
I’ve never had the opportunity to try Lamb Belly before, many people I know have an aversion to eating Lamb but luckily P has no such problems. As for myself, after visiting New Zealand and seeing that felt like thousands of sheep, I have zero problems with eating mutton or cute baby mutton.
The belly has been cooked delicately and is presented medium rare, it’s tender enough to be cut easily with a butter knife and while a few portions are a little overly fatty, when eaten with the sweetly soft onions and eggplant sauce it’s a combination to be savored. As an added bonus, the Hot Sauce goes brilliantly well with the lamb as well!
Knickerbocker glory $12
While there’s no denying how full we are, the call of the dessert stomach cannot be ignored!
I’m intrigued by the name of the Knickerbocker Glory and it turns out to a trifle of strawberries, beetroot meringue, cream and pannacotta ice-cream. Intriguingly the bottom of the glass also hides one last component, a mango puree giving the entire dessert a sweetly tart finish. The strawberry slices are my favourite part of the dessert, they give a little texture to the dish as well as providing a taste contrast to the creamy sweetness of all the cream.
Madeline & custard $4 each
When our waitress tells that the Madelines need a 15 minute lead time as they are baked to order I order one each immediately. It turns out to be almost perfect timing, just as we’ve contented ourselves with the majority of the Knickerbocker our individual Madelines & Custard arrive at the table. I’m overcome by the brilliance of the lemon vanilla scent coming from the plate, and the warm mouthfuls are perfect with a cup of Earl Grey Tea. My only wish is that there was a little more custard!
Duke Bistro Private Room
Despite being a Thursday night the restaurant is full by the time we manage to roll ourselves down the stairs and out of the restaurant. Both P and myself end up being temporary road blockages as we chat with the waitresses on our favourite dishes (toss up between the Radish and Buratta!), it’s a wonderfully friendly service that has been helpful and discreet all throughout the night.
Duke Bistro Chandelier
Good food, great service and sexy interior design? I think I might have just added a new restaurant to my list of favourites!
Also, just how cool is this Chandelier?
Duke Bistro
65 Flinders St.
Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010
Ph: (02) 9332 3180
Web: http://www.dukebistro.com.au/
Author
By Minh
Minh is a food, photography, tv loving girl who on occasion likes to think that she can cook. I can't hold my drink for what its worth and have an unhealthy obsession with green tea products.
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This article was written on 18 Nov 2010, and is filed under Dinner, Modern Australian, Sydney, CBD.
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looks great. on my wish list. hoping to visit soon
Ooooh burrata… ooh baby indeed…
Karen | C&C´s last [type] ..Sour Cherry- Coconut and Chocolate Brownies
Looks fantastic and great value. Loving the chandelier!
john@heneedsfood´s last [type] ..Matee – Newtown
Madelines baked to order!!! Yes please!
Interior looks pretty awesome too – thanks for the review
Tina@foodboozeshoes´s last [type] ..Hot and sticky at Newtown Festival
burrata! i want burrataaaaaaaa!
chocolatesuze´s last [type] ..Simons bday lunch
There’s some pretty exciting new restaurants popping up in Sydney and Duke Bistro is one of the top on my list of places to try! that burrata looks incredible!
Lisa´s last [type] ..Pimms Cocktail
that “asian vintage” movement is so in right now. yeah.
It’s look so good. Hope I will visit next week.
I want some of that Burrata!
Susan´s last [type] ..Chinese Chicken Hotpot
omg that burrata looks to die for! interesting combination with the strawberries and tomato but give me that oozy cheese anyday!
Jacq´s last [type] ..Spain Meets Japan @ Japaz- Neutral Bay
/join in the burrata chanting
The dishes looks tasty but smmalll, were they enoughs?
FFichiban´s last [type] ..Melbourne part 3
Pretty decent sizing I thought, but we were sharing between 2 girls. Our waitress told us 5-6 dishes between 2 people, we managed to get away with 5 + dessert but I think you could easily get through 7-8 lol.
love the photos! everything looks delicious
Burattaaa…and a wine bottle chandelier! Or, hang on, are they beer bottles?
mademoiselle délicieuse´s last [type] ..Gourmet Traveller Wine & Magshop
I think they’re wine bottles! Not 100% sure, never got close enough to tell for sure
Definitely on my wish list given the chefs’ pedigree, but it’ll be a while before I can get anywhere near there ….
I’ve heard only glowing reviews from this place – all your choices look great and astonishing value too! I would happily eat everything you ordered – very curious to see their menu for myself now.
Forager @ The Gourmet Forager´s last [type] ..Diary of an amateur mushroom forager
Lamb belly and cumin? Done. Im there. and im happy to see their use of whole radish…..i never really see that. and there is no better way than to eat radish with butter….they are like sisters. Thanks for the review…..on my way there!!!