Pachamama House, Surry Hills

This restaurant is now closed.

New to the Surry Hills food scene is Pachamama House, a Peruvian-style restaurant serving up dishes with Asian and Modern Australian influences. It opened at the beginning of this year and is conveniently located on a quieter part of the neighbourhood, just off the busy Oxford Street, around the corner from Oxford Square.

Chilcano – $10

The furnishings are dark, sleek and modern and the interior also features a bar at the very centre of the restaurant. We kick start our meal with a new cocktail, Chilcano, which is so new it isn’t even on the menu yet (you can still order it though)! It consists of Pisco, lime and ginger beer and is crisp and refreshing, both in flavour and price as I’m used to most cocktails in Sydney typically sitting around the $15-$20 mark.

Classic Cebiche – $17

We then get the classic cebiche as an entree which features snapper, lime, coriander and fresh green chilli straight from the head chef’s farm on the Central Coast. The dish is strong and crisp thanks to the chilli and lime, and the thin sweet potato chips on the top add some lovely texture as well.

Sticky Duck – $21

One of the more popular dishes amongst patrons since opening is the Sticky Duck, so we thought we’d give this a go as well. The dish consists of coconut braised duck meat on a bed of crispy rice and betel leaf, and then topped with chilli jam and some coconut sauce. Be prepared to get your hands dirty as you treat the leaf like a pancake, but it is completely worth it. Great textures of crispiness from the sticky rice and soft duck, along with coconut and chilli jam flavours – an absolutely stunning dish.

Beef Lomo – $16

Our next dish is a blackboard special which features dry cured beef with tomato, green chilli and zucchini salsa. The beef is well cooked and is tender, complemented by the chilli bits and home made crunchy potato chips on the top. The sauce is soy sauce based and there are also spring onions in this dish. I had my doubts on this fusion combination at first but Pachamama manages to make it work.

Merluza Negra – $27

Next comes out a piece of Chilean sea bass with roasted scallops and a panca sauce (tomato/chilli). The fish is cooked perfectly with crispy skin yet retaining a soft and moist texture inside, as are the scallops which are seared very well. I find the sauce very hearty and tasty due to the tomato, lime and chilli, and there are also potatoes hidden throughout which soak up the sauce very well.

Tequila Sorbet – $12

After this is time for dessert! First comes a bed of caramel popcorn and orange cream, topped with a baked meringue and tequila sorbet. The sorbet has subtle flavours and is not like a tequila shot thankfully! It goes well with the crisp popcorn, crunchy meringue and burst of citrus flavours from the orange sauce.

Picarones – $12

Our last dessert is a sweet potato donut called Picarones which is served with spiced syrup. I find it is like a soft round churro with a spiced glaze. It is tasty and finger licking good, but is quite filling so best to share this one.

Even though we dined on a Sunday night, the restaurant was quite empty the whole time we were there (maybe it was the heavy rain?). I really do hope the crowds pick up soon as Pachamama House is an amazing hidden treasure that demonstrates  impressive fusion cooking techniques. It’s a great place for groups as dishes are made for sharing and I know I will definitely be back in the future.

Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of Pachamama House

Pachamama House
200 Goulburn St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph: (02) 9261 8799


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