The Lansdowne Hotel – Phoenix Diner, Chippendale

Sydney certainly has been seeing an influx of diner-style restaurants opening up everywhere, including Jazz City Diner, Hotwheels Burgers, and now the Phoenix Diner. This is located in the newly revamped Lansdowne Hotel, located right in between Newtown and UTS. It’s a three-storey building that has seen an inner transformation, and the second floor is where all the foodie action happens.

Kirin Ciders – $8 each

We kickstart our meal with two Kirin ciders which I have never seen before – Fuji Apple+Mikan and Fuji Apple+Ume. The Mikan (mandarin) tastes pretty much like the name, an apple cider with some sour hints of mandarin. The Ume (plum) is my preferred one though – the plum undertones leaves the cider not as sweet or artificial tasting as the Mikan one and is overall a nice drink.

Raging Bull – $13

Shortly after, our food starts coming out. First is the Raging Bull – Italian meatballs with ricotta, slow roasted tomatoes and a capsicum sauce. The meatballs are tender and juicy, and the sauce and cheese make it a great combination. Hearty comfort food, and definitely one of the better meatballs I’ve had in Sydney.

Moonshine Gumbo – $16

Next is the Moonshine Gumbo, which is served in a jar and accompanied by a salad, corn and some maize flatbread. The gumbo is quite thick, tomatoey, spicy and full of seafood including prawns, mussels and clams. The seafood is plentiful and I’m surprised by just how much they managed to squeeze into the jar. It definitely beats Jazz City Diner’s gumbo.

The Big Cheese – $14

The last dish we get is The Big Cheese pizza containing wood smoked cheese, mushrooms, asparagus, garlic and truffle oil. I was a bit sceptical at first as I usually prefer meaty pizzas but this one blew me away. It was super tasty with lots of garlic and cheese giving it big flavours, and the truffle oil adding a fragrant layer. The asparagus also added a crunchy texture and this pizza just ticked all the boxes on so many levels – big thumbs up.

I’m surprised I haven’t been here earlier – The Lansdowne’s Phoenix Diner is a hidden jewel with amazing food and affordable prices to match. It’s a great place for the many UTS/USyd students to stop by in between classes and I’ll definitely be back again soon to try the other menu items.

Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of The Lansdowne

The Lansdowne Hotel
2-6 City Rd, Chippendale NSW 2008
Ph: (02) 8218 2333


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