Rainford Street Social, Surry Hills

Rainford Street Social is a relatively new restaurant to the Surry Hills scene, it was opened mid-last year by the Toko team. It features an open kitchen/dining plan with lovely wooden, rustic furnishings, giving it a nice homely feel. Today we are trying some dishes from their rotational seasonal menu which caters for all four seasons of the year, with the Winter menu in full swing as of July. We are sharing our dishes across the table, so the photos in this post will not necessarily correspond with the pricing of the dishes as portions have been prepared specially for the table.

Sweet Pea & Jamon Broth, slow cooked egg – $14

We kick off the night with a rather unconventional entrée I’ve never had before. I find the broth by itself quite uninspiring (like soy sauce with water) but the other elements are all positive – the soft boiled egg and runny yolk adds great flavour, and the Jamon also tastes like BBQ pork, adding a burst of flavour. Despite this, the broth lets it down and I really don’t enjoy this dish at all.

Rainford Meatballs, tomato fondue, swiss cheese, pinenuts – $16

Their signature meatballs come out next which are juicy and tasty with the tomato fondue. There is also a white bean puree that accompanies this adding an extra dimension of flavour on the dish, and I finish this in no time, dipping my bread in the sauce and soaking up all the flavours.

Confit Duck Leg, white bean puree, spiced cherries – $26

Next up is our main of duck leg, which is cooked to perfection with meat falling off the bone. The outer skin is also crispy which is a lovely surprise!  Once again it is accompanied with a white bean puree with some cherries hidden throughout, providing a fruity flavour.

Grilled Vegetable Lasagne – $22

The other main dish we have is the grilled vegetable lasagne, which contains eggplant, pumpkin, capsicum and zucchini laced in between pasta sheets. I absolutely loved this dish, especially with the large amounts of eggplant I had in my portion.

“Upside-down” Cheesecake, brown butter breadcrumbs – $16

To cap off the night, we share two types of desserts. The first is the upside-down strawberry cheesecake, which looks exactly as it sounds. I find the cheesecake component surprisingly light and fluffy unlike your average cheesecake which has a more cream cheese consistency. It goes well with the crumble on top and strawberries scattered throughout, and is a wonderful non-heavy dessert.

(GF) Chocolate Torte, whipped cream – $12

The other dessert we try is the chocolate torte, which is extremely dense and heavy, a huge contrast from the cheesecake. I only take a couple of bites before I am done as it is super rich. Not for the faint hearted, but definitely for chocolate lovers.

Overall, I think Rainford Street Social is a nice addition to Surry Hills, but it is a bit of a hit and miss with some dishes. Although most flavours were good, the calibre of the competition in Surry Hills is quite high and beyond “just good”. It is still nice to know though that their menu is seasonal and ever changing, so perhaps the upcoming months will be able to deliver something spectacular. When I return to try out another seasonal menu, I know I’ll stick with the signature meatballs and duck if it’s still on the menu.

Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of Cav Con.

Rainford Street Social
500 Crown St Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph: (02) 9357 2573


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