Date with a Steak @ The Roosevelt

The Roosevelt transports you to a place where there’s sense of cheekiness and a touch of ol’ school Hollywood glamour. The revamped 1940s bar and diner is nestled in one of the small streets of Potts Point, where the iconic nightclub was a stop-by must for the elite. Now, it’s back to The Roosevelt’s old roots with an influence of upscale American diner and love for alcohol.

Nitro Colada

Cocktails are their game, and they play it well. The cocktail menu is impressive with something to tickle everyone’s fancy; it extends from the classics, nitrogen delights to alcoholic ice bombshells.

My choice of poison for the night is the classic Nitro Colada; fresh pineapples and coconut cream whipped into a house-made Pina Colada sorbet from liquid nitrogen. The meringue is blow-torched at our table as a coconut infused rum is poured in.

Oysters w/ Margarita Granita 

We dive into some freshly shucked oysters with a margarita sorbet; the cold sorbet brings a wam bam thank you m’am hit with a sour spine tingling experience with a burst of salt and lime to complement the oysters. Personally I prefer oysters simple and fresh, but this twist definitely introduces the taste buds to what’s to come.

Jerk Chicken Wings

On the contrary, our taste buds are sent on another journey to a spice bonanza. The thought of getting our fingers dirty at a top restaurant were impolite, but how could we resist…

Our night turns into an unexpected “Date with a Steak”, choosing the mid-week special of a 450g Wagyu steak to share for two and a whopping long neck Sorachi Ace beer to wash it all down.

450g Wagyu Steak w/ Sauces & Skinny Fries

Served perfectly sliced across a wooden board, the steak is accompanied by a basket of skinny fries and a trio of sauces; Missouri BBQ, Chipotle Ranch & Red Pepper Ketchup. One little mistake is serving the steak on a wooden board as it became a little bit of a messy affair, although in all fairness, the steak was cooked a perfect medium.

The Roosevelt feels like you’re falling back into the time of prohibition but with a dash of molecular gastronomy magic.

The Roosevelt
32 Orwell St
Potts Point, Sydney
www.theroosevelt.com.au

Meat Wine & Co

A special occasion deserves for a delicious dinner in a classy room. The newly renovated Meat Wine & Co on Darling Harbour has revamped its interiors since our last visit. We dine inside the Rhino Dining Room, as we sink into our large, leather seats looking over a polished, wooden table. Instantly impressed, we rub our hands together like as we are plotting the run the world.

A set menu is on the agenda tonight with a choice of entree, main and dessert.

 Entree; Bruschetta

Entree; Chicken Wings

Starving, my instincts choose the bruschetta; two pieces of toasty woodfired ciabattas topped with all the bruschetta goodies of tomatoes, spanish onions, pesto, basil and crumbled fetta and shaved parmesan and finally topped with a balsamic glaze.

Glancing over at my neighbour’s BBQ chicken wings, I nicked a piece and they were as absolutely drool-worthy as they looked. Good ol’ chicken wings served with blue cheese sauce, which were really unnecessary with such flavoursome wings.

Main; 300g Rump – Angus 120 days grain fed

Being at Meat Wine & Co, most of us took no second doubt to order the steak. It was grilled to order in their in-house basting sauce and served with a fresh handful of crunchy fries. I was hesitant that I couldn’t order my usual teacup of mushroom sauce but surprisingly the basting was enough to flavour the meat with just the right amount. Other menu choices included chicken, salmon and pasta.

Dessert; Creme Brulee

To sweeten our palates and round off the meatiness, we dug into a vanilla bean cream brulee topped with diced strawberries. It was perfectly creamy with the right balance of sweetness, and although we were all beginning to burst at the seams, we continued to shove spoonfuls into our mouths…

Grab a few mates and dine in style in one of the private rooms (min. spend of $2k).

Meat Wine & Co
31 Wheat St
Darling Harbour, Sydney
www.themeatwineandco.com

Meat, Wine & Co

Oh boy, if I had known Meat, Wine & Co was serious business, there wouldn’t have been any chance of coming here post-hangover and half hungry. Nevertheless, we persist on through, with beers and cocktails. The interior feels woody and it’s simple and clean with exposed wooden beams, polished wooden floors and intimate corners to hide around.

Salt & Pepper Calamari

 Caesar Salad

Shared entrees is the way to go with crispy salt & pepper calamari to fire up the taste buds. A simple caesar salad is also on order with our inner nutritionists telling us we need a balance since we will be munching down tons of meat and potatoes next (we seriously did not expect the crispy glossy rash of bacon that laid right on top…)

300g Rump monte select with creamy mash & mushroom sauce

500g wagyu rump steak with creamy mash & garlic sauce

I tackle a miniscule rump steak with a generous mound of creamy potato mash and mushroom sauce, and the boys each devour a 500g Wagyu rump steak. Delicious steak but all too much to handle, I powered through with a third left, there was really no way…

The Grand Finale

But then when they say dessert goes into another part of the stomach, it really does. Seeing The Grand Finale on the menu, deep inside we knew we had to go all for it, so we unbutton our jeans, breathe and dive in. The favourite had to be the chocolate fondant with ooozing warm chocolate from within, and who can resist a vanilla creme brulee.

Meat, Wine & Co
L1, 31 Wheat Road IMAX Theatre Complex
Cockle Bay Darling Harbour, Sydney
www.themeatwineandco.com

Rockpool Bar & Grill

After a little whine to the boyfriend about never going out to dine at anywhere new, he surprised me with a “just because” dinner at Rockpool Bar & Grill. Pushing through a pair of strong glass doors, enter into a gorgeous room with a sky high ceiling, dim lights, marble and a beautiful wine glass centerpiece. The dining room is a mixed bag, filled with couples on dates, business men doing final deals and seated next to us, an old married couple on their date night.

Charcoal roast squid and pork belly

The menu is extensive, and my eyes are barely keep up as they zip through left right and centre; with offerings from the cold bar, salads, hot entrees, pasta and meats from the grill. And every day, there are slight alterations to the menu to keep up with the produce in season, so the our shared entree is sometimes on and off their menu.

Wood fired lamb cutlets and chops with mint jelly

Free range chicken with Tuscan white bean, tomato and bread salad

For some strange reason, I played it really safe and chose the chicken cooked on the wood fired rotisserie, served with a Tuscan white bean, tomato and bread salad – and unfortunately being safe didn’t pay off as I salivated over my companion’s lamb cutlets all night. The chicken had the perfect crust with on a light and tangy salad but there wasn’t anything that pushed the dish over the edge. The lamb cutlets and chops were amazing – served with a mint jelly on the side, the lamb was tender and juicy, and probably the best lamb I have ever had.

Doughnuts with poached pear jam and walnut ice cream

Vanilla panna cotta with strawberry salad & rose granita

Busting at the seams, I was told I was not allowed to go home without picking a dessert – and for once, I’m happy I didn’t argue back and nodded in agreement. Sharing some good ol’ doughnuts, which shouldn’t be dismissed off the menu straight away as they were surprisingly heavenly; warm, light and soft and wonderfully contrasted with cold ice cream. My highlight of the night alongside the lamb, is the vanilla panna cotta served with beautifully sweet fresh and dehydrated strawberries with a sweet smelling rose granita. So incredibly good.

Rockpool Bar & Grill
66 Hunter St
Sydney
www.rockpool.com/sydney/bar-and-grill

Mad Cow

Birthday time again and looking for something different yet low key and not too fancy, we (the boy & I share the same birthday!) decided on Mad Cow from the Merivale family in the Ivy complex. Mad Cow hides behind the main bar area of the Ivy, and walking into the space, it looks like a New York diner, furnished with little counters, plush white leather seats and splashes of sunshine yellow. Gorgeous.

Fresh oysters

For starters, we share a few rock oysters that are freshly shucked with red wine vinegar pearls, salmon roe and black pepper embedded in a toffee. Interesting additions to the humble oyster making it slightly sweet in flavour.

Wagyu inside skirt steak

Slow roasted pork belly

For mains, he chooses the Wagyu steak, cooked medium rare served with homemade chimichurri sauce and a side of green salad and shoestring fries. The chimichurri sauce packs a kick and a punch to the steak and is commonly served with steaks in Argentina – made with tomatoes, peppers and many herbs. Nice and tender, but I did prefer my brick slab of crispy pork belly sitting on a bed of king brown mushrooms, apple and jioama, topped with a white scallop. Tiresome to eat after halfway, but I love a good pork belly.

Chocolate decadence

For dessert, we share the chocolate decadence, which the staff nicely surprised us with a lit candle on top. Decadent as described, it included a chocolate mousse made from Valrhona chocolate (a french chocolate) that included a raspberry delice and topped with chocolate pearls, with a side of chocolate sorbet and florentine biscuit. Not so much a fan of non-fruity sorbet but the chocolate mousse and pearls were divine.

Mad Cow
330 George St
Sydney
www.merivale.com.au/madcow