Bloodwood: Seasonal Menu for Sharing, Newtown (27 July 2011)

416 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Phone: (02) 9557 7699

http://bloodwoodnewtown.com

Bloodwood birthday bash

“On any visit to bloodwood you'll find the three chef owners, Claire, Jo and Mitch in the kitchen, hard at work bringing you a fresh seasonal menu, with an emphasis on sharing”

A friend’s birthday dinner finally gives me the chance to visit Bloodwood in Newtown. Having a table of 13 allowed us to make a reservation (at least 8 required). We thought about the choosing the banquet menu ($50 per person) to keep it simple but ended up choosing our own dishes and just getting multiple numbers to share amongst the table which worked out really well. Even though we were located downstairs in a somewhat isolated separate area close to the unisex toilets our service remained pretty attentive and friendly throughout the night. My Bloodwood Iced Tea ($18) came at a premium price like most iced tea cocktails but was certainly worth trying. The Polenta chips ($9) were done well and well enjoyed especially when combined with the gorgonzola sauce. I loved the flavoursome Grilled cuttlefish salad, cucumber and herb salad, mustard cream ($19) making it a favourite of the night for me. The Socca, chickpea pancake, zucchini, roast peppers, persian fetta, basil ($15) was tasty and an easy one to share.

King prawns and pippies xo sauce ($29) were decently sized and properly deveined. A table favourite for dessert was the Sugardaddys chocolate torte, pedro ximenez, buttermilk mousse ($12) with some actually claiming it was even better than sex I believe. The Bloodwood trifle ($12) contained some potent port wine jelly although I felt it was perhaps missing some extra creaminess to make it less dry. With initial low expectations after all the restaurant hype my night ended up being a very pleasant dining experience from which seemed to be an all female kitchen and service restaurant. The ladies certainly seemed to know how to cook and provide interesting and flavoursome dishes made with seasonal ingredients. I'd happily return to try more dishes on the menu although I've heard you need to get there early due to the walk-in policy unless you can muster a table of 8 for a pre-booking.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Interesting menu, Quality seasonal ingredients, Buzzing atmosphere, Nice cosy decor

CONS: Can get a bit noisy, Unisex toilets but they were kept clean, Parking is generally a nightmare in the area

MUST TRY: Grilled cuttlefish salad, Sugardaddys chocolate torte, Bloodwood Iced Tea, One day returning to try other menu dishes

THE DAMAGE: $737.50 for 13 people

—

Bloodwood mocktail ($8), Bloodwood Iced Tea - Vodka, gin, rum, mescal, Cointreau, apricot brandy and orange topped with bloodwood's organic tea syrup ($18)

WORTH TRYING :-)

2008 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Waipara Valley, New Zealand ($12), Bloodwood mocktail of Singapore Sling style ($8)

July set menu ($50 per person)

Table water and cutlery

Lamb kibbeh, spiced almonds, romesco ($19)

Polenta chips, gorgonzola sauce ($9)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Grilled cuttlefish salad, cucumber and herb salad, mustard cream ($19)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Socca, chickpea pancake, zucchini, roast peppers, persian fetta, basil ($15)

Leaf salad, mixed leaves, croutons, crisp bresaola ($9)

Drunken salmon wrapped in bric pastry, celery sauce ($32)

Salt cod brandade, watercress, fennel, quinoa, pil pil sauce ($17)

King prawns and pippies xo sauce ($29)

Coorong angus beef brisket, kipfler potatoes, brussel sprouts ($30)

Sugardaddys chocolate torte, pedro ximenez, buttermilk mousse ($12)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Bloodwood trifle, rhubarb, pound cake, port wine jelly, quince anglaise, vanilla bean yoghurt ($12)

Downstairs private dining room

Seating

Mezzanine seating

Kitchen

Interesting wall feature

Bottle decor

Bill $737.50 for 13 people

Unisex toilets with old school taps

Is someone missing a door?

View Larger Map