Parting is always so bittersweet, but where there's a hello, there's always a goodbye. We can only make fond memories while we still could. I was here at Riley St Garage last week and had a lovely lunch rendezvous with a friend who's leaving Sydney soon... :(
What better way to end the week than with a stylish lunch with a girl friend in a garage-transformed-into-pretty restaurant? Riley St Garage's story is about Australia's first full service garage renovated into an art deco inspired grand bar & restaurant (Great Gatsby era). Once you enter the venue, there's no way one could miss the massive brass island bar, a statement centerpiece indeed. Furthermore, the crowd that came here for lunch on Friday were mostly office execs, and a handful stylish patrons. So while they do not enforce strict dresscode, coming here looking nice and chic would do you more good than harm. This place is staying true to its heritage that they even call their crews not as 'waiters' but 'mechanics'.
I find the menu concept here rather interesting because they're all meant for sharing. But of course, if you could finish the entire dish yourself, that's perfectly fine (except your dining companion would probably stare at you disapprovingly haha). For oysters lovers (not me), Riley St Garage offers 4 types of oysters: natural and 3 others with different sauces.
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| Friday afternoon lunch crowd at Riley St Garage |
I find the menu concept here rather interesting because they're all meant for sharing. But of course, if you could finish the entire dish yourself, that's perfectly fine (except your dining companion would probably stare at you disapprovingly haha). For oysters lovers (not me), Riley St Garage offers 4 types of oysters: natural and 3 others with different sauces.
So when I went for lunch with my friend, here's what the $60 Banquet Set, that we shared for lunch looked like:
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| Smoked Kingfish Sashimi, pickled daikon, pistachio textures (a la carte AUD 18) |
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| Fiore di Burrata, pickled beetroot, Pedro Ximenez honey (a la carte AUD 22) |
The next dish was very interesting, fragrantly charred eggplant gratin, doused in creamy miso & whipped tofu & sesame tenkasu. If you notice the different colours on each sides, that's because you're supposed to mix it up before eating. My friend's not a fan of this dish, but I was kinda addicted.
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| Eggplant Miso Gratin, whipped tofu, sesame tenkasu (a la carte AUD 16) |
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| Crispy Pork knuckle, soy seeded mustard, pickled apple (a la carte AUD42) Three Cabbage salad, mustard vinaigrette & Truffled Mash (a la carte AUD 9/each) |
I know that making the perfect pork knuckle is not easy. The meat & bone is so thick and if it's not properly handled, it would turn out smelling gamey. I was so pleased to find the pork knuckle so juicy & tender inside, and the crackling perfectly crispy. I had to skip the crispy crackling sadly, but my friend couldn't resist second helpings of it.
Lastly, this lovely dessert which was refreshing & addictive. The lemon granita and mousse balanced well with the smooth creamy cheese. Perfectly paired with a cup of digestif coffee!
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| Liquid lemon cheesecake (a la carte AUD 16) |
We had a delectable & filling lunch in a lovely setting amongst chic crowd. For a $60 price tag, I'd say this lunch banquet is very much worth it! It was a girl's date that we'll remember & look back to fondly. :)
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| See you when I see you again, Puput! :) |
Disclaimer: lunch banquet was provided with compliments of Riley St Garage.
Riley St Garage
55 Riley Street
Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011
Australia
Ph: +61 2 9326 9055
Facebook: Riley St Garage
Instagram: @rileystgarage
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