Yan Restaurant, Wolli Creek
Yan Restaurant’s co-owners Narada Kudinar and chef Raymond Lim (ex–Attica and Les Amis) have created a menu featuring smoked meats with Asian flavours.
Yan, which means “smoke” in Chinese, is the latest brainchild by the team that brought you Sydney’s fave sandwich joint John Montagu and the recently closed Ms Murray. Yan Restaurant co-owners Narada Kudinar and chef Raymond Lim (ex–Attica and Les Amis) have created a menu featuring smoked meats with Asian flavours.
We start with deep fried curls of Squid ($15), with a super light batter and a dusting of Szechuan pepper salt and a squeeze of lime. I always feel like a bit of a masochist whenever I eat Szechuan pepper haha I love that weirdly tingly numbing feeling!
We were sent out a complimentary taster of the Mussels (full size normally $21) which comes with fluffy house made steamed baos. The house made chilli sauce is crazy irresistible, I want to smother that sauce on everything! It’s spicy without being oh-help-where’s-the-milk-at and sweet and tangy enough to set the tastebuds in a frenzy. The mussels are pretty damn perfect too, incredibly tender and just begging to be all sauced up.
I’m always a sucker for Lamb Ribs ($24) because of the fat to meat ratio and these were finger licking, lip smackingly tasty. The lamb has a cumin dry rub and had a deliciously smoky flavour. The chimichurri laden on top had a good chilli kick that was tempered by the fresh minced coriander and parsley.
Yan smokes their Pork Belly ($26) with applewood and while the pork isn’t as smoky as I’d initially envisioned, the meat is tender and juicy with a good amount of char.
We hesitated ordering the Beef ($46) because I generally always over-order and experience regret but Noods was like eh just doooo it. [lol Shia reference] The 200g Wagyu striploin MBS7+ is perfectly grilled with a rosy pink centre and is meltingly tender. The touch of salt was all it needed, I didn’t even really touch the saucer of chimichurri- this has got to be one of my fave steaks of the year!
With the amount of meat we’d ordered we knew we had to get the Asian Greens ($8) for our vitamin needs or else risk the meat sweats. The choy sum is lightly sauteed and smothered in a creamy sesame dressing. I probs could’ve done without the dressing but that’s because I’m a purist when it’s comes to Asian veggies haha
The Pear and Cucumber Slaw ($8) with a sweet chilli pickle dressing is zingy and refreshing for the palate.
And then onto desserts! The Deconstructed Lime Pavlova ($15) is the perfect summer dessert with jiggly ginger and pandan jelly and the best damn lychee ice cream I’ve ever tasted! Ahhhh the flavour is so intensely lychee it’s just so good!
The Coconut 2 Ways ($15) is a must for the coconut lovers with coconut ice cream, coconut jelly and shredded toasted coconut. And of course once you’ve devoured the contents don’t forget to scrape the insides for the sweet coconut flesh!
Yan Restaurant has a range of sodas available but just fyi they’re not licensed and BYO is a sweet $2 pp. I’m a little jealous of all the people who live in the area because Yan Restaurant looks set to be a great local gem but it’s definitely a place I’m willing to travel for!
Yan Restaurant
G03/19 Arncliffe St,
Wolli Creek
Trading Hours:
Wed — Sun: 5.30pm — 9.30pm
Mentmore & Morley, Rosebery
Mentmore & Morley is located just opposite the Sapporium building with plenty of outdoor seating and rotating specials on the blackboard. Tasty coffee, down to earth service and plenty of dog spotting opportunities means this will be a new fave local!
My problem if I wake up late on the weekends is that I can never decide if I want a sweet breakfast or a savoury lunch. But this is easily solved with a visit to Mentmore & Morley where I spied the Ricotta Pancakes ($18) with banana, bacon, and maple syrup. The menu said it had peanut praline butter but well, either I ate it so fast without noticing or it wasn’t there? Either way, it was deeelicious, the (three) pancakes were fat, super fluffy and just perfect pancake specimens. There was a good amount of bacon too, enough that I got my bacon happiness for the day.
Noods goes for the French Style Mushrooms on Toast ($18) with a generous schmear of ricotta, gooey poached eggs, and a river of lemon hollandaise on Iggy’s bread. Aaand a side of free range bacon ($5) because, bacon.
The following weekend we’re in the area again and I decided I needed some nutrients after a week long diet of burgers and so choose the Chilled Soba with Salmon (small $15). Considering this was a small size this salad was hella filling and packed full of so many ingredients! There’s Tasmanian flaked salmon, chilled soba noodles, slices of cucumber, spring onion, sesame seeds, chia seeds, wakame salad edamame, dashi broth with ginger and greet shallot dressing. Suchhealth!
One for the smashed avocado mortgage crowd 😛 The Mexican Smashed Avo on Iggy’s ($15) is on the affordable side of town with avocado guacamole and coriander on Iggy’s sourdough, juicy roasted vine ripened tomatoes, poached eggs AND CRISPEH BACON! My goodness how amazing is streaky bacon??
Mentmore & Morley is located just opposite the Sapporium building with plenty of outdoor seating and rotating specials on the blackboard. Tasty coffee, down to earth service and plenty of dog spotting opportunities means this will be a new fave local!
Mentmore & Morley
55 Mentmore Street
(Corner Of Mentmore And Morley Street),
Rosebery
Trading Hours:
7 days: 7am – 4pm
Cirrus Dining at Barangaroo, Sydney
Prepare for a seafood bonanza at Cirrus Dining in Barangaroo.
It was the mothership’s birthday at the end of the year and we celebrated at newly opened Cirrus Dining on the end of the Barangaroo development for a seafood feast!
We start with the Smoked Ocean Trout Parfait ($24). The fish fin shaped wedge of silky smooth parfait is creamy and perfect against the pops of briny roe and easily slathered onto rounds of crisp baguette.
Roasted Tiger Prawns with Fenugreek Milk ($28) are split in half and lightly roasted leaving the flesh still juicy and tender with a hint of smokiness. Noods mournfully watches as we happily suck out every last bit from the shells.
I freaking love marron so absolutely had to get the Grilled W.A. Marron with Lemonade Fruit and Sea Lettuce ($42). The meat is sweet and delicate and Noods is happy with his more expensive prawn substitute 😛
The Moreton Bay Bugs ($30) have an irresistible house made XO sauce that we scrape every last drop of and smother onto the bug meat that’s carefully pried out of its shell.
The Whole Flathead + Chips ($38) is impressive, the flathead has been completely deboned while still retaining the shape. The flesh flakes easily and we fight over the crispy panko crumbed edges and dunk the golden fries into the creamy aioli.
And last but not least, the Queensland Mud Crab with Green Garlic and Tarragon! (Market price $140/kg, crab came to $140). This baby is finger licking delicious! I appreciated that the crab was cut up and the claws smashed for ease of access to the juicy crab meat but Papa Choc was devastated to flip over the hat and find the carapace completely scrubbed clean!
Sadly we’re much too full for dessert but I am keen to return for the 500g whopper Grilled Rangers Valley Rib Eye with Kombu Butter!
Cirrus Dining
10/23 Barangaroo Avenue,
Barangaroo
Sydney
Trading Hours:
7 days: 12pm – 10pm
Mezzanino Ristorante, Waterloo
The Danks Street Produce Merchants opened up in Waterloo on the old Fratelli Fresh site and features Mezzanino, an Italian restaurant which serves up piattini small-style dishes on a marble-topped trolley.
EDIT: CLOSED
The Danks Street Produce Merchants opened up in Waterloo on the old Fratelli Fresh site and I’ve been peachy keen to visit. It’s pretty damn impressive walking through all the fresh produce which is sourced from Flemington Markets daily. There’s also the Free Range Butcher, The One That Got Away fishmonger, Sami’s Souk Middle Eastern groceries and Dank Street Cheese Affineurs for the rest of your grocery shopping needs.
Feeling mighty peckish, we head upstairs to Mezzanino, an Italian restaurant which showcases piattini small-style dishes on a marble-topped trolley. Our waiter explained that the piattini were priced $8-$14 each. Simply point at what you’d like to order and the kitchen will cook you a fresh one to eat!
It was just a lil too easy pointing at all the dishes that looked good and before I knew it our table was filled! I couldn’t resist the antipasto plate with ribbons of prosciutto, thickly sliced salami, honey drenched sun dried tomato, olives, artichoke and a wedge of focaccia.
I loooove gravlax! The raw salmon is cured in a salt, sugar and dill mixture and the flavour of the salmon is delicate and just perfect for this warm weather. I initially had misgivings about getting this because it looked so dull but it’s just the blue plate lol
See? Much nicer lookin’ on a white plate 😛
The Pizzette is delightfully cheesy, with a nice crisp base and a puffy crust. I chortle at the size- it’s the perfect portion for me cos I always get full after 2 normal slices of pizza haha
We marvel at the meatballs which are freakishly soft and juicy and use the focaccia to mop up the rich tomato sauce.
We also ordered the Blue swimmer crab risotto ($27) off the ala carte menu. Noods loved this which was a surprise because he’s not really a risotto fan but each grain had a good bite to it and there were generous amounts of crab meat buried within.
Aaaand some refreshing lemon sorbet to end the meal because holy crap Sydney, this summer has been a scorcher!
The piattini will rotate throughout the year depending on the seasonal produce available. I can’t wait to return to Mezzanino and try the rest of their pastas!
Mezzanino Ristorante
Level 1 Danks St Produce Merchants,
3 Danks St,
Waterloo
Trading Hours:
7 days: 11am – 4pm