It’s a well-known fact that Sydney’s Kings Cross has a rather sordid history. Today it’s a buzzing and cosmopolitan drinking and dining strip, and in a laneway just off Darlinghurst Road, you’ll find LL Wine and Dine. Last month Steph and I were invited to try their new menu, which I was pretty excited about! Head Chef Jin Kung has given the menu a strong mod-Asian twist, with all of the dishes designed for sharing with friends.
As we were given a tour of the restaurant, we’re told that the place used to be an illegal gambling den, brothel and adult bookshop complete with panic doors in case they were ever raided! In a tribute to the building’s origins, one wall is plastered with vintage adult magazines that were found in a secret room of the premises during the renovations. Only in the Cross…
We start with a couple of cocktails, the Botanical Fling was a delicious combination of Hendricks Gin, St Germain Elderflower, kaffir lime and lemon and the Ginger and Lychee Martini was exactly as perfect as it sounds, with fresh ginger and lychee muddled and shaken with 42 Below vodka and lychee juice. I would be hard-pressed to pick a favourite between them – I loved the herbaceous quality of the Botanical Fling, but I’m also a total ginger fiend! Looking through the cocktail list, there were plenty of other delicious and very unique sounding options too, like the Chilli and Coconut Martini.
The first dish to come out sounded a little strange – Sashimi Nachos of kingfish and ocean trout. It was served in a pretty little tower with a spicy lime, capsicum and corn salsa, avocado sour cream and black caviar. I really liked the way the seemingly disparate flavours and textures worked together, however I think the whole dish would have benefited from a good squeeze of lime. It was the perfect little starter dish to snack on with a cocktail.
I get excited at the mere mention of dumplings, so I was happy to see the telltale steamer approaching our table. However the dish we were served was more decadent and delicious than I could have dreamed of – Steamed lobster bisque soup dumplings, served with soy and red vinegar sauce, fresh ginger and spring onions. And yes, it was every bit as good as it sounds! I would recommend a visit to LL Wine and Dine based on this dish alone. It’s that good, seriously.
The next dish was the Confit crispy skin duck breast with five spices served with homemade pancakes, cucumber, spring onions, taro chips and plum and orange sauce. I loved the duck and how nicely it worked with the delicious plum and orange sauce, but the pancakes were just slightly on the thick side for my taste. The taro chips were an interesting crunchy, textural element.
Another of my favourites of the evening that I just couldn’t fault were the Roasted lamb cutlet crusted with Massaman curry and lime leaf, served with cucumber and mint jelly. Sitting elegantly on the plate, they tasted as good as they looked with a great balance of flavours – a subtle hit of spice from the curry crust and just a touch of sweetness from the jelly. A really great dish!
I was starting to get full by this point but dinner was nowhere neat over yet! Our next dish was a taster version of the Singaporean jumbo king prawn curry with capsicum, broccoli and sugar snap. These prawns were huge, easily the biggest I’ve ever seen in my life! We’re told that this dish is usually served with six prawns, to make 1kg! The curry was served with fritter dipping sticks, which helped sop up all that awesome sauce.
Really, really struggling for stomach space, the final savoury dish was the Braised beef cheek served with smoked bacon and sweet potato mash, sugar snap, carrot and garlic-soy jus. The beef was tender and perfectly cooked, and falling apart with the slightest prod from a chopstick. It’s a nice, hearty dish for a cool autumn evening and I think it will be a very popular choice from the new menu.
The dessert platter for two was very generous, providing tastes of all the desserts on the menu. The Cinnamon and honey panna cotta was served with delicious caramel ice cream and cinnamon sugar swirls. It was lovely and sweet, with just the right amount of spice. The Hot Belgian dark chocolate pudding was a little on the dry side, I was hoping for a nice molten interior, but it was nice with the accompanying hazelnut ice cream.
My favourite was the Ginger sugar coated doughnut balls, which were filled with coconut custard and served with a refreshing pineapple sorbet. The doughnut balls themselves felt like they were made with a glutinous flour as they had a sticky sort of feeling to them, quite different to a normal doughnut but still absolutely delicious.
LL Wine and Dine is looking like it will be a nice local haunt when our office moves just around the corner in the next couple of weeks! With a laidback atmosphere and a great menu, I really enjoyed the evening. I think the sharing concept of the dishes really works well. I’d definitely like to come back soon to try the Pork belly bun and Crumbed soft shell crab, as well as some of the other awesome cocktails. Also check out their Yum Cha with a twist, with live music, cocktail jugs and awesome food every Sunday from 11am-4pm.
Spicyicecream dined as a guest of LL Wine and Dine
LL Wine and Dine – 42 Llankelly Place, Potts Point