Shop 5, 809-823 New South Head Road, Rose Bay NSW 2029
https://www.instagram.com/jackseast/
Jacks Newtown heads east
3 years on and Jack from Jacks Newtown has moved on from the busy Newtown burger institution to set up shop in the more sleepy suburban village of Rose Bay. For those who have enjoyed Jacks Newtown I'm sure travelling to Rose Bay for a Shake Shack style burger fix will be on the cards. It'll be interesting to see what the locals think of the medium cooked 'pink' patties and whether asking for well done patties will suit them better. Beef Cheeseburger ($12) and Fries ($5) is my order of the day. The burger looked smallish due to the soft buns being smaller than the signature medium 'pink' cooked pattie. It held together pretty well with a tasty housemade old bay sauce and nice melty cheese. They possibly might look at a slightly larger bun to match the pattie size which I think could be a good thing to consider to better meet burger expectations and perceived value for money from the older generation locals. Crinkle cut fries are nice, and would benefit from a tasty spicy seasoning option.
There's a bit of seating inside and the ceiling fairy lights border on being a bit too dim I think to show they're actually open when the doors are being kept shut to keep out the cold weather. In contrast to the open kitchen of Jacks Newtown which added to the happening vibe, all the cooking action now resides behind closed kitchen doors so no cooking show to be had here. With previous burger write ups by Good Food, TimeOut Sydney, Broadsheet and The Daily Telegraph when they resided in Newtown the past experience and successes should hopefully help the only dedicated burger shop in Rose Bay become another local gem.
55 George Street, Redfern NSW 2016
http://bush.sydney/
https://www.instagram.com/bush.sydney/
Bush comes to Redfern
Finding a park can be a nightmare and you might mistake this place for an Aussie gift shop with all the Australian marsupial soft toys around (souvenir lightbulb idea) but they sure know how to make a decent cheeseburger. When ChocolateSuze says it's one of the best burgers in Sydney this inspires me to get the Cheeseburger ($12). Pillow soft bun by Breadtop, plenty of tasty sauce and a flavoursome pattie plus melty cheese for the win. Side of chips ($5 on bill, $6 on menu) are always a winner when crinkle cut and well seasoned. Burger game is certainly strong here.
Did someone say Fairy Bread N Butter Pudding ($10). I had to try. It sort of works but would love to see more ice cream to last or include some warm custard to provide a bit more moisture. Tree log seating looks interesting but I'm suspecting becomes less comfortable for a longer stay. Menu is limited which is probably a good thing while they find their feet in improving kitchen turnaround time. Service friendly and there's more seating out the back in the courtyard. Decor seems to be a work in progress and with time I'm sure they'll settle into their new digs and become a local burger gem.
Jones Bay Wharf, 19-21 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009
https://www.chuuka.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/chuukasydney/
Chuuka Chuuka Boom Boom
“Chinese flavours. Japanese precision. Victor Liong and Chase Kojima have joined forces to create food like you’ve never seen before. What is CHUUKA? CHUUKA is marching to the beat of your own drum. CHUUKA is a world of contrasts that defies categorisation. CHUUKA is CHUUKA.”
Restaurant life looking great matched with good service, a lovely view of the Harbour Bridge and a promising menu at this former Flying Fish restaurant location. I fondly remember back in the good old days of blogging when tweetups were a thing.
It's their first day and my preference for the Wood cocktail of barrel-aged & hickory-smoked shiso umeshu, Bulleit rye, Campari ($19) is unfortunately not yet available so opted for the Japanese Gin & Tonic ($16) using a Japanese style gin from Cambridge Distillery with juniper, shiso leaf, sesame seeds, cucumber, sansho and yuzu. A lovely drop but I'm not a fan of the glassware style as the ice tends to fall onto your face when you get to the end of your drink unless you're using a straw. I much prefer my gin and tonics in tumbler style glasses for a more relaxing drink experience #firstworldproblems. To start Pacific oyster, bonito soy yuzu, spring onion oil ($5) have a tasty dressing that makes up for them being preshucked. Oyster lovers will still appreciate the balance of flavours to compliment the oyster's creaminess.
CHUUKA ‘Ebi Chilli’, stir-fried prawn, chilli miso butter, Japanese milk buns ($42) comes with 6 large prawns. You'll also get 6 milk buns. I was given 4 in this instance but could have asked for the other 2. I would have loved to take the left over buns home for the kids but unfortunately takeaway not allowed at the restaurant. Sauce was tasty with a pleasant hum of chilli. The perfectly soft buns served warm are handy to mop up the sauce. Prawn texture wasn't quite as firm as preferred on this occasion but after mentioning to the chef he has since made amendments in the kitchen to rectify for the better. Good use of the cleaned out prawn heads which have been fried to a decent crisp for added texture and to enjoy eating whole. Dish best shared between at least 2-3 people.
Chase’s ‘Tempura Yuzu Chicken’, dried chilli, sweet & sour yuzu sauce ($24) is apparently one of their signature dishes. Tasty flavour reminding me of a sweet & sour sauce with some chilli heat but it's not as angry as it looks unless you bite on the dried chillis. Pleasant crisp batter that adds some crunch to the dish. My only suggestion would be keeping the chicken pieces a touch smaller to make it easier to pickup and eat with the chopsticks gracefully. A good one to share between 3-4 people.
The menu is designed to share and dishes are served in the order they're ready. I think best suited for dining as a table of 4 to try a few things. Wine by the glass starts from $13 for whites and $16 for reds. Decor looking good for business lunches but families seem welcome as well when I spot a baby change table available in the toilet.
