The King Street Wharf precinct has always been a destination for foodies who appreciate a stunning water view with their meals.
We sampled the best of what King Street Wharf has to offer by doing a food tour of the precinct – starting off with cocktails at The Loft. The refreshing Tasman Iced Tea combined cucumber infused vodka, Pimms, lemon juice, apple juice and raspberry which will be a hit when summer hits. The drink also has a dash of spiced syrup which leaves a tingling sensation long after you finish sipping.
Tasman Iced Tea, $18
The next stop on the tour was Steersons Steakhouse for an entree – the playfully named The Tongue ‘n’ Cheek. It’s an homage to the steakhouse origin of the restaurant, which introduces customers to less popular (but equally delicious) parts of the meat.
We were blown away by the softness of the seared ox tongue, paired with the smooth artichoke cream. The braised beef cheek was presented in a cucumber topped with a crispy sliver of fried pancetta. An amazing dish which was definitely worth trying, coupled with a softer stony fruit flavoured 2014 Saltram Mamre Brook Riesling from Eden Valley in South Australia.
The Tongue ‘n’ Cheek, $19.90 (paired with 2014 Saltram Mamre Brook Riesling, $13 per glass)
For mains, we moved onto The Malaya, where we were introduced to the famous restaurant which has been serving up Nonya Malaysian cuisine for over 50 years in Sydney. Our aptly named ‘progressive’ dinner featured a mixture of old favourites and new experiments paired with matching wines. Starting with the Kapitan King Prawns, the Penang style curry really had a punchy creamy flavour which brought out the best of the lightly battered king prawns. We then had another old favourite in the Coconut Beef Rendang – fragrant and rendered to perfection after hours of cooking. Finishing the meal was the Szechuan Eggplant, which has been subtly tweaked by the head chef to incorporate shallot, cashew nuts and dry chillies. The dish was a hit with the group, with the slightly crunchy skin falling away to a soft, flavoursome centre.
Kapitan King Prawns, $33 (paired with 2013 Bloodwood ‘Schubert’ Chardonnay, $12 per glass)
Coconut Beef Rendang, $27 (paired with 2012 Chateau Husson ‘Cotes Du Rhone’)
Szechuan Eggplant, $27 (paired with 2011 Foster e Rocco Sangiovese, $12 per glass)
The last stop of the tour was Casa Ristorante Italiano (previously Casa Di Nico) for dessert. Espresso martinis were brought out as we were seated, and gratefully accepted by the group nursing a collective food coma. After a few sips, we were ready to start on the 3 course dessert spread before us.
Espresso Martini
First up, we were individually served with an Orange Jaffa Cake, which was a moist sponge with zesty hints of citrus. Then there were two separate dessert pizzas to share – an on trend Nutella pizza or the more intriguing Apple Crumble pizza. We dug into the Nutella pizza first, and the twist of walnut and creme helped to create a good balance with the sweetness. Next was the comforting Apple Crumble pizza, which really tasted like the real thing, only with all the elements presented in a different form from the classic dessert.
Orange Jaffa Cake
Nutella Pizza, $19
Apple Crumble Pizza
The food tour showed us that there is such a variety of cuisines on offer at King Street Wharf and the beauty is that they are all within walking distance of each other, so you can literally eat your way down the wharf if you don’t feel like committing to just the one restaurant.
Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of King Street Wharf
The Loft
3 Lime Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone:(02) 9299 4770
Steersons Steakhouse
King Street Wharf 17
Lime Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone:(02) 9295 5060
The Malaya
39 Lime Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone:(02) 9279 1170
Casa Ristorante Italiano
The Promenade, 42-48 The Promenade, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone:(02) 9279 4115
