June 2022
Dining Review: Farmhouse Kings Cross – Sydney, Australia
Our final meal took us to a new part of Sydney – Kings Cross. Often referred to as “The Cross”, the neighborhood stood out as the late night spot in Sydney to a very young, diverse community. But we were not here for the nightlife.
Farmhouse Kings Cross is a small, unassuming restaurant with several tables inside and outside offering a dinner party atmosphere. This farm to table establishment offers a set menu that changes around once a month on average with varying specials showcasing what is fresh.
Seated outside huddled next to a heating lamp, I appreciated they did not over crowd the inside and were still mindful of COVID precautions. And while it was cold, the heating lamp really did a good job so sitting outside was not a bother.
The menu was very appetizing and we had a few optional additions to the menu that we gladly accepted as they all sounded delicious. For wine, we decided to go with glasses and the menu here was a mix of French and Australian wine. Since we have access to many French wines, we stuck with the Australian wines on the menu. For the meal, we ended up trying three wines – Clarence House Reserve Chardonnay (Tasmaina), Clarence House Pinot Nior (Tasmania), and Ministry of Clouds Temranilo / Grenache (McLaren Vale). We enjoyed them all but I know the Chardonnay was my favorite. Now, onto the food!
Country Loaf with House Butter / Farmhouse Pickles / Snacks du Jour
Optional Extras:
Natural Sydney Rock Oysters (Merimbula) / Mignonette Dressing
W.A. Scallop, Brown Butter, Yuzu
Our faces lit up when we saw all these plates placed at our table – they took up so much room I thought we may need another table. It just made for a beautiful spread of food. We first started with the oysters which were salty and a great size. The scallops were so photogenic – just look at that sear and the color of those shells. The scallop was succulent. And the garlic gutter liquid gold in that shell was immediately sopped up with some bread. Speaking of bread, the final plate had the house made sourdough bread and butter along with a few snacks, all of which was delicious. What a great spread to start this meal.
Yellowfin Tuna, New Season Citrus, Marjoram
It felt extra special to be served yellowfin tuna tartar and it was so flavorful. Topped with oil and fried capers, the addition of the fried capers was brilliant giving a burst of crunchy texture and saltiness. There was an additional bread given with this course as well to make little sliders. We really enjoyed this dish!
Riverine T-Bone – cooked over Charcoal / Smoked Potatoes and Sauce Carole / Bitter Leaves and Herbs / Reschs Mustard
Truffle Supplement from Kanimbla Farms, Blue Mountains
We were once again overwhelmed by plates being brought to the table as our eyes widened at all the food displayed. The T-Bone steak was a gorgeous color and to enhance it even more, covered the black truffles. But my goodness there was so much meat – what a generous portion! The truffles were such a treat to pair with the steak. The super star was the potatoes – these were thinly sliced , crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and topped with leeks which is one of our favorites. And the sauce with it? Get out of here – it had us licking the plate. The salad was unfortunately a miss for me – the bitter leaves were extremely bitter – which is a shame as I was very excited to see something green being served with the main dish.
Rhubarb, Dacuoise, Creme Diplomat
Mandarin, Chamomile, Cardamon
The finale of dessert and I love that we got two of them. The first was a biscuit with a cream on top which was divine. I do have a strong dislike for rhubarb so those had to come off and honestly, the dessert did not suffer without them. Then we had the custard which was interesting. The flavors were all a bit strong so they were competing – is it tea, citrus or spice? I think this one was a miss for us but we appreciated the attempt to put different ingredients together to try something new.
Overall, we had a great time at Farmhouse Kings Cross! The food options were fun and showcased a range of ingredients and techniques. The service was great and we enjoyed getting to know our servers throughout the meal. And we really enjoyed the style of the meal itself to lean more into family style eating as opposed to individual tasting plates. A lovely way to end not just our night, not just our time in Sydney, but our entire Australia trip!
