Fast food: Steak, martini and a ‘f**k off’ dessert in an hour
It’s fast food, but not as you know it. New Sydney steak restaurant Alfie’s is packing fresh new punch into the power lunch.
Confidential
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A premium steak, a martini served at -10C and gelato all within an hour?
The team behind high-end steak restaurants Bistecca and The Gidley are taking the power lunch to the extreme.
On Monday, Liquid & Larder opened their third steak restaurant, Alfie’s. And it’s set to be a game-changer.
The restaurant on Bligh St in the CBD serves up high quality steak, without the drawn-out ceremony of dining.
There is only one steak to choose from, a $38 Riverine sirloin which has been wet and dry aged, and the team (including executive chef Pip Pratt and head chef Matt Thomson) guarantee to have it cooked to your perfection within 15 minutes of ordering.
Combine the steak with a range of sides, like Alfie’s bubble and squeak slaw, risoni, roast mushrooms, cucumber salad, potato gratin, fire-roasted baby carrots, and hot chips with chip shop curry sauce.
All of which can be ordered in half-serves so you can try them all.
The signature martini, which is served at -10C. Then to cap off the meal – and a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fast and furious nature of Alfie’s dining – patrons can order a ‘f**k off” dessert of gelato on a stick made of burnt honey gelato, beef fat and rosemary.
James Bradey, co-founder and director of Liquid and Larder, said while the group’s previous venues focused on slow dining (they famously don’t allow mobile phones at their venues), Alfie’s was a deliberate change in direction.
“We’re going off script at Alfie’s by offering the same high-quality food and booze but fast-paced and full of action,” he said in a statement.
The restaurant itself is inspired by the underbelly of East London and films like Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman, and from Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm will have DJs spinning old UK grime and hip hop.
The restaurant is also home to the group’s central butchery, and diners can glimpse the masters at work.
DO YOU EAT IT OR DRINK IT? THE DISH THAT HAS SYDNEY SLURPING
It’s the dish at Pearl Dining that looks too good to eat. But you actually drink it.
The Pearl is a premium cocktail made up of Moutai, Pineapple Orgeat and Lime at the newly-opened Chinese restaurant at Quay Quarters.
While it looks like a tasty seafood dish, it’s an edible sphere served in a pearl shell, and consumed like an oyster.
And it’s made up of a luxurious, and pricey, Chinese spirit called Moutai.
While it’s a rarely known and used spirit here in Australia, it’s the most revered spirit in China. A 500ml bottle of Moutai retails for $400. However the cocktail itself will only set you back $26.
Tara Sullivan, the Chief Operating Officer of the Lotus Group, who opened Pearl, said the cocktail was specifically designed to showcase the unique spirit.
“Moutai is one of the most premium spirits of all time,” she said.
“We wanted to showcase the best of Chinese baijiu by making it an experience.”
Just as a pearl is formed by a tiny grain, Moutai starts with an ancient grain which is developed over five years to become a highly sought after product.
The cocktail is delicately made to order and takes 15 minutes to make.
“Ultimately, this is a fun and joyful way to experience Moutai,” Sullivan said.
The Cantonese restaurant is located in Quay Quarter Tower and the latest venue from Sydney’s Lotus Dining Group.
While the group has been known for their dumpling venues which are scattered across Sydney, Pearl is an new concept for the group and is enticing customers in with it’s elevated Cantonese cooking with views of Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Executive Chef Steven Wu said they’ve been preparing for the restaurant for a “every long time.”
“We wanted to ensure we got the freshest product from everywhere in Australia,” he said of the menu that includes coral trout from Port Stephens and Pearl meat from South Australia. “It’s about celebrating Australian ingredients but cooked in traditional, Cantonese-style ways.”
FAMOUS SYDNEY PUBLICANS HIRE JAMIE OLIVER CHEF FOR PREMIUM PUB IN UNLIKELY LOCATION
Hurstville is the unlikely location of a premium new venue by publicans Mitchell and Harriet Waugh, and headed up by chef Scott Greve, who has worked with Jamie Oliver.
The Humphrey’s Hotel in Hurstville is the latest project from Public House Management Group (who have venues like The Royal Hotel in Paddington, The Toxteth in Glebe and The Marrickville Ritz) and when it opens in the coming weeks, it is set to shake up southern Sydney’s dining scene.
Located on Humphreys Lane in the heart of Hurstville, the hotel will be home to a bistro, all weather terrace and sports bar. At the heart of Humphrey’s is Hatch, a modern Australian premium dining restaurant which will seat 140 people.
UK-born Greve has been tasked with overseeing the food offering for the venues.
His impressive CV includes working for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in his Jamie Oliver Group before moving to Australia and working for premium steak restaurant 6HEAD.
The team around him includes general manager Adrian Basha (ex-Merivale) and sommelier Theo Nguyen (ex-Sokyo and ex-6HEAD).
Greve says the menu at Humphrey’s is “pub food reimagined. We’ve moved away from the schnitzel and parmi and have a lot of lighter dishes”.
While Hatch will focus on contemporary fine dining with premium seafood and steak. “It’s Modern Australian with a Mediterranean twist,” said Greve.
He will also be bringing back his caviar cornetto, which he debuted one New Year’s Eve at 6HEAD.
“Everyone is doing something with caviar so this is our interpretation. Growing up my favourite ice cream was cornetto so we thought we would combine the two and make a savoury cornetto,” he said.
Greve said the opportunity to try something new in an untapped area of Sydney is what excited him about the project.
“For me if you open something in the CBD, there is so much competition and everyone is doing something similar,” he said. “There is nothing like this within 10km of us. There is going to be a lot of development in the area over the coming years so it’s good to get our foot in the door and hopefully we can attract other businesses to do the same.”
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