Sorry if I’ve startled anyone with my
spurt of capital letters and exclamation marks, but I simply could not hold back
on the excitement of finding a whimsical wonderland nestled in Sydney CBD!
Rabbit Hole Bar & Dining is
bringing in molecular mixology with an intensive cocktail list bursting of
flavours and textures beyond your imagination. They are the first and only bar
in Sydney to use Cointreau Caviar Spherification – producing spheres of liquid
resembling caviar visually and texturally, and wows anyone who put these
translucent balls in their mouth. It’s definitely a voyage down the rabbit
hole!
Alongside their expertise in anything
liquid and a bar menu, they also have a Modern French dining menu created by
Executive Chef Tomoyuki Usui. Having previously worked at L’Astrance
(currently ranked 18th on San Pellegrino’s List of World’s Best Restaurants),
nurturing seasoning produce with light preparations, he definitely knows how to
craft modern dishes with clean flavours.
We twirled down the spiral staircase
into the rabbit hole. It’s dimly lit with earthy colours of brown and green.
Our delightful server brought us our rabbit themed drinks and dining menu. I
don’t usually drink (especially not on a Monday night), but tonight’s an
exception as my previous college and now foodie buddy K told me all about how
she got proposed to only 6 days ago, and how she has already picked the venue,
bought her gorgeous wedding dress (which is the second dress she tried on)… and the biggest news of all is the fact that
they are getting married in 6 weeks time (OMG and YAY!!!!)!! The surreal story
came with a striking diamond ring and the disclaimer that, no, she is not
pregnant LOL.
Rabbit themed decors on the wall
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| Male & Female Rabbit Restroom |
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| Pepper & Salt; Water or potion? |
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| Flicking through the fascinating cocktail menu |
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| Hypnotised yet? |
Both of us opted for liqueur based cocktails.
K ordered a hazelnut dark Chocolate Pop Martini – it has a chocolaty taste with
a hint of coffee as the chocolate spirit is infused with coffee beans cooked
sous vide. It is sweet and velvety, completed with playful chocolate popping
candy lining the martini glass, almost symbolising the ecstatic time our
bride-to-be is living out now!
With a curious mind I ordered the Texture
Taster, which is a sampler of alcoholic lemon jelly, mini caprioska foam and a drink
that appears to be a lava lamp containing spherified Cointreau Caviar. While I
love the lemon jelly, I can see how easily one could overindulge in these harmless
looking treats. The lava lamp is a knock out - the intensive flavours bursting out of the translucent
balls of Cointreau swept me into a strange new world!
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Chocolate Pop Martini
|
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Rabbit Hole's Texture Taster
|
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| Alcoholic Lemon Jelly |
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| Lava Lamp with spherified Cointreau Caviar |
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| Mini Caprioska Foam |
No less spectacular is the food here.
K and I both ordered scallops and absolutely loved them... Perfectly seared and
juicy scallops, clean flavours, delicious celeriac puree and nutty bits of
buckwheat.
For main I had the roasted sirloin -
it is exactly what you want in a good steak - unpretentious and tasty with a rich,
brown crust. The braised chick peas and kongo (a type of potato as I’m told)
puree are scrumptious and comforting. K is also happy with her main and
we both declare we’ve fallen for this rabbit hole :P
 |
L Loves... Seared scallops, celeriac two ways
& buckwheat
|
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Caramelized snapper, burnt butter,
anchovies & almond
|
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| L Loves... Roasted Riverine sirloin, kongo puree
& braised chick peas |
L's Verdict:
· Taste: 9/10
· Ambience: 4/5
· Value: 5/5
· Service: 4/5
· Creativity and other WOW factors: 4/5
Overall rating: 26/30
Rabbit Hole Bar & Dining
Basement level
82 Elizabeth Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: 02 8084 2505
Mon to Fri 12pm – 2am
Saturday 4pm - 2am
Visited November 2012
Friendly advice: This is the place to be if you’re looking for fun,
innovative drinks and scrummy nibbles. Be experimental and try their cocktails,
created by Doug Laming, AHA Bartender of the Year 2011 finalist and co-owner of
Rabbit Hole!
!! this looks amazing - esp the drinks. I think cocktails are making a comeback. In Auckland too!
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