08 January 2011

District Dining: Jump On It Menu, Surry Hills (7 Dec 2010)

17 Randle Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010


Jumping on the sharewagon

Sydney chefs sure love the idea of sharing plates at the moment like Berta and Duke Bistro — it's like the new tapas — and Chef Warren Turnbull of Assiette now brings it to his cosy bistro which quickly became one of the most visited and blogged restaurants when it opened at the end of 2010. Surprisingly they advertised a deal on Jump On It which subsequently sold an incredible 2000 vouchers in 19 hours. After 4 weeks of opening it was hard to get a booking for the Jump On It deal because they only provided a limited number of spots per day and it also didn't help that SMH Good Living just published their review — people sure love flocking to anywhere that gets a good review, especially in Surry Hills. With finally a booking (maximum 2 vouchers per table) it was time to use the Jump On It $69 deal for a 3-course dinner for two including a bottle of French wine saving apparently $86.

Upon arrival we were seated by efficient and friendly service and soon discovered the Jump On It deal was restricted to a limited menu which was a little unexpected and disappointing so we didn't get the chance to choose from the full menu as I was hoping. Adding to this the entree is already pre-selected by the chef so no choices there either. Similar to Berta and Duke Bistro the dishes only list the ingredients and there's no description of how something is cooked. The entree platter consisted of Smoked eel paté cucumber green onion ($16), White asparagus barigoule king salmon orange olive oil ($18), Crispy quail eggs white anchovy tarragon mayonnaise ($14) and Veal tongue pickled turnip salsa verde almonds ($16). It was a nice selection to start but I was more keen to try their menu special of Crispy school prawns with lime aioli ($15) which was very tasty and crunchy as hoped.

For mains there's a selection of only 3 dishes for Jump On It customers. The Castricum lamb shoulder cumin honey baby carrots ($24) was tender and very flavoursome although unfortunately had too much fatty bits throughout making much of it quite unappealing. Good flavours were also in the Spiced pumpkin marinated feta honey walnuts ($16) and Hiramasa Kingfish miso radish salad eggplant ($20). As an additional dish I ordered the much loved Fried chicken coleslaw lime mayonaisse ($24). Quite pricey but I enjoyed the tender pieces of chicken with a refreshing coleslaw although I would have loved a bit more of a flavoursome dressing on the coleslaw.

For dessert there was only 2 choices of an Eton Mess style Strawberries raspberries meringue vanilla cream ($12) which was well liked and Efi's rice pudding cinnamon ice cream ($12) although I don't really like ice cream being served on a wooden board and think it would be better placed in a small side dish — and it seems so inner city and quirky to serve dishes and drinks in rustic style jars these days. As an extra I ordered the Coconut pannacotta mango lime coriander ($12) served in a small jar making it a little awkward to eat but thankfully it had some nice flavours with highlight notes of kaffir lime I believe. We were also tempted to try the Cheese platter ($22 for 3) complete with a nice selection of Brillat Savarin Triple Cream France, Fourme Dambert Blue France and Pyengana Cheddar Aus. The included bottles of French red and white wines of 2009 Bondeville Rouge Syrah and 2009 Bondeville Blanc Grenache Blanc were very quaffable and I'd would happily have again. Overall it was a good experience that leaves me wanting to try other dishes on the menu some day in the future.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Tasty and interesting dishes, Nice decor, Friendly service, Good wine
CONS: Lamb shoulder was very fatty, Under pressure service got a little forgetful about filling up our wine, Limited table space, Noisy when busy, Limited menu for Jump On It deal, Some dishes aren't as easy to share as others
MUST TRY: Crispy school prawns, Fried chicken coleslaw, Strawberries raspberries meringue vanilla cream, Other tempting dishes from the menu

Table setting — a little tight for space

Jump On It menu

Normal menu

Murray's Whale Ale ($8)

2009 Bondeville Rouge Syrah, 2009 Bondeville Blanc Grenache Blanc, France

Chefs selection platter: Smoked eel paté cucumber green onion flatbread ($16), White asparagus barigoule king salmon orange olive oil ($18), Crispy quail eggs white anchovy tarragon mayonnaise ($14), Veal tongue pickled turnip salsa verde almonds ($16)


Crispy school prawns with lime aioli ($15)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Veal tongue pickled turnip salsa verde almonds ($16)

Crispy quail eggs white anchovy tarragon mayonnaise ($14)

White asparagus barigoule king salmon orange olive oil ($18)

Smoked eel paté cucumber green onion flatbread ($16)

Castricum lamb shoulder cumin honey baby carrots ($24) — a bit too fatty

Spiced pumpkin marinated feta honey walnuts ($16)

Hiramasa Kingfish miso radish salad eggplant ($20)


Fried chicken coleslaw lime mayonaisse ($24)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Strawberries raspberries meringue vanilla cream ($12)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Efi's rice pudding cinnamon ice cream ($12)

Cheese menu

Cheese platter ($22 for 3) Brillat Savarin tripe cream cows France, Fourme Dambert blue cow France, Pyengana cheddar cow Aus

Coconut pannacotta mango lime coriander ($12)

Bill for 4 people $227 (2 x $69 for a 3-course meal for two including entree, main and dessert plus $89 for extras)

Cosy dining

Balcony area

View from balcony of Central Station

Toilet vanity — clean and simple




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9 comments:

sugarpuffi said...

What!!! Limited selection for jump on it coupons :( I'm disappointed already. I bought a coupon myself. Hope I can book for a seat

Phuoc'n Delicious said...

I snapped up a coupon as well for this restaurant so thanks for the heads up about the limited menu options.

I, too, was surprised that they would offer coupons so early after they've open but I guess it's a way to provide customers a teaser to what the restaurant is about and to wheel people in.

Ben said...

The lamb shoulder was interesting. Normally shoulders don't have as much fat and I found it a bit confronting. But it was damn good lamb and that fat was packed with flavour.

Also, that doesn't look like the Brillat Savarin. How odd.

joey@forkingaroundsydney said...

What a huge feast!

Wendy @ Obesebaby said...

oh wow I missed out on this coupon damn it. looks like another dark restaurant but that Strawberries raspberries meringue looks so good man. the bill was cheap too!

Corinne @ Gourmantic said...

What a coincidence we both posted our District Dining reviews on the same weekend! :)

I was looking forward to the lamb but they ran out of it on the night. I agree you can't share all the dishes but it makes you want to return for more!

Simon Leong said...

hi sugarpuffi, i'm afraid so but it's still pretty good value and a chance to try them out.

hi phuoc, you might be given a new menu by the time you go. looking forward to seeing what you try.

hi jobe, it certainly did have quite a bit of flavour but when i'm paying for lamb i'm hoping i get some meat as well :-) — better for the health too.

hi joey, i would have loved to try the other dishes on the menu but now there's plenty of choices for next time.

hi wendy, in terms of the bill you have to factor in the 2 vouchers pre-purchased as well. but it was a very enjoyable night of eating.

hi corinne, that's a shame they run out of the lamb for you. share plates seems to be the flavour of the month/year at the moment. but unless they actually serve individual portions for diners i don't really consider the dishes as real share plates.

MissDissent said...

Looks pretty tasty, you've added one to my to-do list!

Simon Leong said...

hi MissDissent, i'm sure you'll be trying shortly. you seem to go to all the new places in town :-)

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