Clubhouse, Rosebery

There are a lot of inner city suburbs which have had a lot of new restaurants open in the last few years – Redfern, Waterloo and Alexandria are some which come to mind. Although the neighbouring Rosebery is still relatively industrial with outlets and factories scattered everywhere, among the concrete jungle is Clubhouse, a bar and restaurant serving up top notch food.

The location of Clubhouse isn’t particularly great – it sits on a busy main road and its balcony overlooks storage warehouses – not really your picture perfect view. But upon walking in, it’s like you’ve been transported to a whole different area. The interiors are characterised by hanging yellow lamps, marble floors, wooden furnishings and an open kitchen, along with a balcony with plush yellow cushions. It really feels like its channeling a glam, beachside restaurant without actually being anywhere near the water.

Swordfish hard shell Tacos (2 pieces) – $12

The menu here has a nice mix of Modern Australian cuisine with Asian influences as well, and we end up choosing a variety of dishes to try today. To start, we get the swordfish tacos which are served with a swordfish ceviche, celeriac remoulade, tomato and corn. I really like the hard shell here as it’s light, crispy and doesn’t break when you bite into it. The filling is also refreshing with the citrusy swordfish and juicy corn.

Crispy Pork san choi bao (4 pieces) – $18

For our second entree, we get the san choi bao which is served with crispy pork belly, cucumber, spring onions and cos lettuce cups. The pork has really crispy skin and there is quite a generous serving in the pot. It’s a bit salty when eaten by itself, but the lettuce and cucumber balances it out nicely. A really tasty dish!

Spiced lamb ribs, tahini yoghurt, mint, za’atar, pomegranate dressing – $24

Onto mains, the spiced lamb ribs were highly recommended and came served on a bed of tahini yoghurt. These. were. AMAZING!!! The lamb is succulent and spicy, and the meat literally falls off the bone. The yoghurt helps balances out the spices and there are pomegranate seeds hidden under the ribs which provide a sweet juicy hit. All the flavours here are a match made in heaven and we polish it off in no time. On side note, little bowls of lemon water are also provided to wash your hands with afterwards, loving the small details.

Clubhouse cheese burger, salad, herb mayo, kumara fries – $19

Our last main is the house cheese burger served with sweet potato fries. The bun is nice and soft and it’s fresh tasting – the patty is very succulent and the burger stands tall from the crispy lettuce. The only downfall from such freshly sliced vegetables is that the tomato/lettuce juices mix with the patty juices and it gets quite wet and messy to eat about half way through. Other than that one small mishap, the burger gets a thumbs up.

Clubhouse gaytime, toffee parfait, honeycomb, caramel sauce – $15

By this time we’re pretty full but had eyed the Gaytime dessert earlier on and knew that we had to give this a go. I thought I was blown away by the lamb ribs, but the Gaytime really is the cherry on top of our meal today. The parfait is soft and is a perfect match with the bits of honeycomb sprinkled throughout. I can also taste a crumb sitting on the parfait which adds to the textural experience of the dish. There’s a chocolate sauce on the base which I think isn’t really necessary – it looks really pretty but I find the dessert tastes better when I don’t scoop any of it on the spoon. The scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is also a nice touch, adding extra creaminess to the dish. I would come back just for this dish.

There’s no doubt that Clubhouse serves up amazing food, and I would be back in a heartbeat just to eat those lamb ribs and that Gaytime dessert again. Other than the location, it ticks all the boxes and is highly recommended. I can’t wait to return to try some of the other dishes on their dinner menu!

Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of Clubhouse

Clubhouse
789 Botany Road, Rosebery NSW 2018
Ph:(02) 9669 2828