Who doesn’t want a flamingo in their cocktail? The bright pink Jalisco Highlander at Upper East Side will get your night started in the best possible way. Tequila, Chartreuse, cranberry, lime and a flamingo swizzle stick. And that’s just the beginning.
On O’Brien Street, right on the corner of Hall Street and Glenayr Avenue, Upper East Side has the luxury of a premium corner spot and plenty of space, a rarity in everyone’s favourite beachside suburb. Street side tables are the perfect spot to see and be seen, settle in with a cushion on the window seats to watch Bondi’s beautiful people walk by, or grab one of the scandi-wood tables inside for an intimate meal for two.
The swizzle stick might get you in the door, the Voodoo Punch, Reggae Got Soul and Mokatini are a few of the cocktails that will help you settle in, and then there’s the kitchen. This is Bondi, so there’s plenty of carb-light, produce-heavy dishes, all designed to be shared. Start off with snacks like South Coast rock oysters and grilled tiger prawns, three different types of sliders, and pork lettuce tacos. The salt and pepper cauliflower, lightly fried in white soy and tamarind, is almost too good to be good for you. Larger plates cover everything from a colourful beetroot and buffalo curd salad (expect to fight your dining partner over the salted honeycomb sprinkled on top) and scallop carpaccio to a slow cooked, 6+ wagyu. The lamb rump, served on soy braised mushrooms and more cauliflower is a crowd pleaser, and the grilled cuttlefish, dairy and gluten free, covers off Bondi’s clean eaters.
For dessert, there’s sorbet and a coconut raspberry parfait, but it’s the fried banana bread we can’t go past. Dotted with blueberries and topped with a dollop of caramilk ice cream, this hot/cold/smooth/crunchy dessert is hard to pass up.
The $50 and $70 sharing menus are great for groups, so settle in under the 100,000 fairy lights on the ceiling, surrounded by palm trees that pop up out of the floor, and get ready for a proper Bondi session. Even better, on weekends expect to see some of the tables sacrificed so the DJ can mix things up.
Upper East Side Bondi
14-16 O’Brien Street, Bondi
http://uppereastsidebondi.com/
