We’re enjoying a culinary journey across Australia this October, at the stylish ABODE Bistro near Sydney’s Darling Harbour. A partnership with Vic’s Meat – The Chef’s Butcher is “championing Australian farmers, producers and premium meats” – and the first stage of our adventure starts in the pristine country of the Paroo Darling region in Far West NSW.
The Vibe
ADOBE Bistro is a glamorous but friendly venue, part of the PARKROYAL at Darling Harbour, on the CBD side just a short walk from Town Hall or Gadigal Metro station. There’s a long, stylish bar which serves a range of snacks as well as full meals in the dining area. There’s a wide range of house cocktails as well as a couple of fruity mocktails.
The spirit of Australia – native zest in a cocktail glass
Several tantalising cocktails are on the menu this October, each week’s special is paired with a suggested cocktail. This week’s Paroo Kangaroo is recommended with a Lemon Myrtle cocktail, a herby, aromatic zinger that’s perfect with the rich rare roo. We’re always a fan of native ingredients so it’s great to taste the zesty herb. Next week’s White Rocks Veal Osso Bucco partners with a Spiced Negroni, then there’s Maremma Duck Leg Confit and a Whisky Apple Sour, and the month winds up with Kurobuta Pork Chop accompanied by a classic Ginger Highball. As well as the cocktails and mocktails – we love the Lychee one – there’s a full and wide drinks menu of wines and spirits.
The Menu
We jump at the chance to try this week’s wild harvested Paroo Kangaroo which comes with morcilla sausage, onion soubise, salsa verde, padron peppers and veal jus. The chef recommends it medium rare, as being a lean meat, kangaroo is best on the rarer side. It’s cooked flawlessly: rich, succulent and tender, next to a crumbling mound of tasty morcilla atop two surprisingly spicy peppers. We got curious about Paroo and looked it up – it’s a region in southwest Queensland and is famous for opals and artesian mud baths. We’ll have to give those a try in future!
To accompany it we choose the Snake Beans with buttermilk dressing and almonds and the Shoestring Fries with parmesan and tomato sauce. It’s an absolute delight. The beans are cooked crisp, scattered with flaked almonds and drenched in a buttermilk jus, while the fries are crispy perfection and perfect for soaking up the roo juices.
Despite being stuffed, we still dive into dessert. These include the rich delight of a Chocolate Mousse Dome with hazelnut praline, vanilla bean ice cream and coffee gel. Then there’s a stunning tart of dulce de leche and yuzu which comes with a garnish of fresh orange and freeze dried mandarin segments. Inexplicably and amazingly these taste just like rhubarb and they are so delicious we get out our phones and start figuring out where we can buy more. Forget freeze dried candies – these fruits are even more delicious and presumably a bit more healthy. This turns our dessert into health food (…at least so we try to kid ourselves).
The full month long menu at ADOBE Bistro includes:
- Week 1: 5-11 October: Wild harvested Paroo Kangaroo with morcilla sausage, onion soubise, salsa verde, padron peppers and veal jus, paired with a Lemon Myrtle Cocktail
- Week 2: 12-18 October: White Rocks Veal Osso Bucco with broad beans, snap peas, asparagus and lemon jus, matched with a Spiced Negroni
- Week 3: 19-25 Octobter: Maremma Duck Leg Confit served with cherry gastrique, heirloom baby carrots, kipfler potatoes and duck jus, paired best with a crisp Whisky Apple Sour
- Week 4: 26 October-1 November: Kurobuta Pork Chop with burnt apple, hispi cabbage, witlof, watermelon radish and miso jus, complemented by a classic Ginger Highball
What We’re ADDICTED To? A toss up between the super succulent kangaroo and those tantalising freeze dried mandarin pieces – we must get more!
What We Need To Be More ADDICTED? Everything was honestly perfect at ADOBE Bistro. The only thing we might have liked would have been mocktail versions of the special cocktails.
ABODE Bistro at the PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, 150 Day St, Sydney NSW 2000. The menu can also be enjoyed alongside ABODE’s weekday Happy Hour, running from 4:30-6:30pm, Monday to Friday, with $2 Nambucca oysters, selected beers and wines from $6 a glass and $15 cocktails. Bookings and walk-ins welcome.
