It feels like everytime I walk through the city these days, there’s a new restaurant or bar sprouting up somewhere. York Trading & Co seems to have appeared overnight in the narrow space between Dulce Luna and the Bavarian Bier Cafe on York Street and injects a sleek dose of style into this part of town in the form of a trendy wine bar/eatery combo. The restaurant is deeper than you would expect, so after you pass the dimly lit long bar set up near the York Street entrance, it opens out into a brighter, white tiled dining space near the back entrance (accessible from King Street).
It’s a lovely spot for a lunchtime break from the hustle and bustle of the CBD,with some interesting items on the menu – like their Pork Crackling and Aioli from their bar snacks menu. It sounded like a great idea when we ordered it, and looked very appealing in its cute little mesh basket sitting on top of a wooden serving board with a dollop of tasty aioli on the side. But unfortunately the crackling was quite thick and rather hard, so that it felt like we were about to chip our teeth with every bite. It goes without saying that the crackling was quite oily too, which was a shame because it had all looked so promising. But if you have strong teeth – you might find the crackling isn’t so bad!
Pork Crackling & Aioli, $8
The Arancini Balls on the other hand, were also from the bar snacks menu and were massive golden balls of crumbed goodness – filled with saffron scented rice and stuffed with hock ragu and stracchino cheese, which melted delightfully from the heat. We thoroughly enjoyed them and my friend remarked that she would come back for the Arancini balls alone.
Arancini, $9 for 3
Apart from the nibbles, we also shared an Orecchiette with Spanner Crab, spiced up with some chilli, parsley and pangritata (flavoured breadcrumbs also known as “poor man’s parmesan”). I’ve had the distinctive half shell shaped Orecchiette pasta before, but quite liked this rendition with the softened crunch from the bread crumbs adding a lovely bit of texture and the simple yet delicious pairing of chilli with olive oil which brought out the fresh flavour of the shredded crab meat. It did get a bit oily towards the end though, as the sauce contains quite liberal amounts of olive oil.
Orecchiette with Spanner Crab, $26
I like the easygoing yet contemporary vibe of York Trading & Co and its convenient CBD location makes it an ideal spot for a nice lunch for city workers. I will be back after work to try out their drinks and dinnertime menu.
York Trading & Co
28 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 92993389
Sad crackling 🙁
Very sad 🙁 it looked so promising!
aw shame about the crackling but that orecchiette looks great!
Yep – def recommend the orecchiette here!
Oooh, that spanner crab looks divine.
I love shredded crab meat…no mess, with all the tasty benefits 🙂