Kensington St. Social

Steve and I took a weekend trip to Sydney for our 12th wedding anniversary and we stayed at the Old Clare Hotel in Chippendale. As well as being a pretty nice play to stay, it is also home to two restaurants: Kensington St. Social and Automata and our first dinner was at the Social.

Booked in for 8:30pm we arrived on time and were invited to have a drink at the bar as our places at the "Chef's Table" which is essentially the bar around the kitchen area were not quite ready for us. We weren't waiting for long though and very quickly were settled into a great corner spot where we watched the action.

The cocktail list is pretty quirky and fun to try. The food menu is a little more classical with many "Modern Australian" style dishes. By "Modern Australian", I mean that unique type of cuisine that Australia offers with Italian, Asian and other world influences.

The chef in charge that night served us our first course and I immediately recognised his accent from my hometown so rapport was built and we enjoyed that friendly Northern hospitality that is close to my heart!

The courses were served individually and designed to share. Looking around the restaurant it appeared that dining couples were seated around the bar and any larger groups were at tables. Kensington St. Social is one of many "Socials" all part of the The Social Company of restaurants set up by Jason Atherton. With all the sharing style of food, it is clear that it's a "social" kind of place...

• ​Native Rock Oyster, Cucumber, Chamomile, Gin Pickle

This was served with a cucumber granita to be spooned on the oyster so there's that icy texture and temperature. Very savoury I expected a little sweetness or citrus but the overall flavour was the briny sea flavours from the oyster. Not a bad thing to remain pure to the heart of the produce but I would have liked a little contrast whether that be zing, tang, acid or sweet. Steve was on the Dill or No Dill cocktail which is Tanqueray gin, cucumber, elderflower, smoked sea salt, dill and lemon and he said it was a great combination. I suspect his liquid accompaniment provided that lemon hit I was after.

• Tongue 'n' Cheek Croquettes, Picalilli

A cube of a croquette each and a sliver of tongue that just melted in the mouth, this was meaty and crispy and pretty tasty. Not exactly ground breaking with innovation and creativity, but it tasted good which is the main thing and I know I was seeking for some sharpness in the oyster dish and I got that contrast here with the zippy picalilli.
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• Persian Feta, Smoked Shiitake Mushrooms, Pickled Pumpkin, Nut Crumble

The pickled flavours continued but we went vegetarian for the next dish. The creaminess of the Yarra Valley Persian Feta was contrasted with some smoky earthiness from the the mushrooms and the piquant pickled pumpkin then mellowed out with some crunchy toastiness from the nut crumble. I actually really enjoyed this dish and thought the smoked shiitakes were genius. The chef told us he used to run a meat business making burgers, sausages and the like and for the vegetarians he used to smoke the large Portobello mushrooms and they were always well received so he brought that touch to this dish. I love hearing the personal aspect of food.

• Tataki Hiramasa Kingfish, Dill, Kale Togarashi, Vermouth Dressing

A refreshing and cleansing sashimi dish. Like the croquettes, tasted good, but not groundbreaking. Fresh fish, tasty dressing, some spice and seasoning - all very favourable and a crowd pleaser.

• Smoked and Crumbed Hen's Yolk, Fioretto, Young Green Garlic, Green Goddess Dressing

We requested this dish as an addition as we couldn't resist the sound of it. Whilst this set sharing menu was appealing to us, we did want to try the egg yolk and our server assured us it wouldn't be excessive to have the cheeky extra course. We're very glad we did as this was delicious. I didn't know if the yolk would be runny but it was actually more of a paste so it held it's shape but wasn't dry and it added a richness to the delicious green veg. Fioretto is like the cauliflower of broccolini to broccoli and it was another very satisfactory dish. Unless you don't eat egg, I can't imagine anyone disliking this.

• Swordfish, Celery Root Cream, Burnt Fennel, Onion Ash

It was a bit odd to have three pieces of fish for the two of us but I guess it really is about the sharing! I'm not a huge celery or fennel fan but I really enjoyed this. The celery root cream was subtle but delicious and the swordfish was cooked perfectly.
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• Lamb Rump, Bacon, Borlotti Ragout, Broad Beans, Pea Tendrils

And the final savoury course was again in three pieces meaning we had to make sure the third piece was shared exactly in half. No way was I giving up my fair share because this lamb was delicious. Perhaps a little too pink for some tastes but so well rested, it was perfect for me. Served with a medley of beans it was like Spring on a plate.

• Yoghurt Mousse, Lemon Curd, Malt Meringue, Basil

Dessert was a snowball to split between the two of us. Totally my kind of dessert - fresh and sharp flavours make it refreshing and light and the little bit of meringue provided just enough sweetness and crunch. Steve prefers a more decadent, richer and heavier dessert but he definitely ate his half so it was obviously still good!

We had a great meal and I like the fact that it is a good place for groups to dine as the food is so approachable and delicious. It's all about the crowd pleaser and that's in line with the "social" aspect in its moniker. Like a group of friends. it comes together and there's good cheer and warmth in every bite and moment.