The Hub House Diner, Dulwich Hill

Following my trip to America last year, I was reminiscing about the food with a few friends when one of them piped up with Hub House Diner as a suggestion. I have to say, after sampling the restaurant, Hub House Diner is one of the better interpretations of American diner food in Sydney.

The menu contains a wide selection of share plates and individual dishes which caters for small and large groups. We started off with the Popcorn Chicken which were deep fried panko coated chicken balls in a quirky bucket, though some were strewn across a bed of coleslaw. I love the presentation of the dish as they have incorporated some actual popcorn too! With my favourite dipping sauce (aioli), the chicken was a tasty and crunchy start to the meal.

Popcorn Chicken, $14

Next came the House Plank which was a selection of 3 starters picked out by the chef. I usually prefer these dishes as it allows us to sample a wide variety of dishes. Today, it came with the Beef Short Ribs, Buffalo wings and the Zucchini Fritters. Once again, the presentation of the food was great and we decided to start with the Zucchini Fritters.  The sour cream lent a welcome twist to the fritters giving it a stronger flavour, as it was a bit bland without the sauce. The hickory basted Beef Short Ribs had soft meat falling off the bone and were ‘finger licking’ good. We even ordered the larger version of the Ribs with sweet chargrilled corn and crunchy fries because we couldn’t get enough. Lastly, the Buffalo Wings had a great tangy flavour and were definitely given the thumbs up.

House Plank, $24

Beef Ribs, $30

Our friend’s Spaghetti & the Meat Ball came out next and it was the BIGGEST meat ball I have ever seen. It’s no wonder the menu names it ‘The Meat Ball’. Braised for 4 hours, the meat ball came with a sprinkling of manchego cheese with mild chili arrabiata spaghetti. We quickly dug into the meat ball to find it soft but firm and full of flavour. It definitely pairs very well with the spaghetti which was cooked al dente.

Spaghetti and the Meat Ball, $22

 The group also shared a House Beef Burger (burgers are not the easiest to share mind you) which had the winning combination of American Jack, bacon and egg with the juicy beef patty. The hickory smoked BBQ sauce added a flavour hit to the dish, tempered by the lettuce,  onion and tomato.

House Beef Burger, $19

We also ordered an extra side of Jack Fries, featuring melted American Jack cheese and hot sauce over crunchy fries to complement the burger. Although there was plenty of sauce drizzled on the fries, I felt that it was lacking a bit of oomph in terms of flavour.

Jack Fries, $9

Everyone has a second stomach for dessert and the metaphor definitely applied after our huge meal. The Affogato Frangelico we ordered was simply divine. I loved the way we were able to pour the Frangelico liqueur ourselves over the layers of honeycomb, pistachio soil and vanilla ice cream to combine. It seemed to be layered in a way from crunchiest to least which swirled to make a great end to the night in our mouths.

Affogato Frangelico, $13

Loved our group dinner at this gem in Dulwich Hill and will hit it up again next time I’m in the neighbourhood!

The Hub House Diner
10-412 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill NSW 2203
Ph: (02) 9518 1887


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