Chiswick, Woollahra

Chiswick has been on my go-to list for a long time, so I was glad to finally try it out one warm summer night. Going on a weeknight meant that we weren't able to admire the beautiful gardens around the glass-panelled restaurant, but that certainly doesn't deter people, as the restaurant was packed on a Tuesday night.

Snow crab slider, lettuce, keypie, gherkins - $9 each

I'd heard people rave about the snow crab sliders so it was pretty much a no-brainer when it came to ordering these. I wasn't expecting the snow crab to come out as a crab cake but it worked with the soft slider buns. These are a little steep at $9 each but they were well worth it and I was left craving for more!

Crisp buttermilk chicken, cabbage, chilli mayonnaise - $20

The buttermilk fried chicken was a deep golden brown with a crispy coating that reminded me of KFC. The chicken was succulent and the chilli mayonnaise was particularly addictive with the crunchy coating.

Chiswick steak tartare - $22

I love steak tartare and Chiswick's rendition didn't disappoint. The puck of raw beef was dotted with onions and capers and topped with a golden egg yolk. Interestingly, it came with crispy lattice chips which was a nice crunchy base for the tartare. For me, it could have done with a little more seasoning but that didn't stop us from eating every last bit.

Chargrilled scallops, charred onion and corn salsa - $22

I can't help but order scallops when I see it on the menu, and these scallops were perfectly cooked with some pleasing grill marks on the surface as well. Accompanying the scallops were spears of baby corn and sweet corn kernels, and charred baby red onions.

Wood roasted Moran family lamb - $62

You can't go to Chiswick without ordering the Moran family lamb. The lamb is always on the menu but what changes according to the season is what its served with. We had a zesty chickpea, cucumber and mint salad with za'atar alongside our roasted lamb, which was dressed with a fresh chimmichurri. The meat was so tender it fell apart with the nudge of a fork so the knife that was ceremoniously speared into wasn't really required at all. It is a big serving of lamb and designed to be shared with others - we were able to comfortably finish this between the five of us.

Mango and passionfruit pavlova - $15

The dessert options were tempting - so tempting in fact that we ended up ordering one of everything except for the cheese! It turned out to be a good idea because each one was amazing in its own right. The mango and passionfruit pavlova made use of seasonal summer fruits and gave the pavlova a tropical feel. The meringue had a lovely crisp shell with marshmallowy insides, and the sweetness was offset by the slightly sour passionfruit.

Strawberry sundae, meringue and basil - $15

The strawberry sundae was a glass of pink goodness with a scoop of strawberry sorbet, strawberry custard, crunchy meringue bits and a hint of basil.

Raspberry and creme fraiche cannoli - $4 each

We ordered a couple of cannoli to try and even this was plated beautifully with raspberries and a lemon curd. The cannoli had creme fraiche inside which was a little too strong for some at the table, but the blistered pastry gave a great crunch when you bit into it.

Chiswick chocolate rocky road - $15

Not being a fan of rocky road, I wasn't expecting too much from this dessert but it surprised me with the marshmallow, chocolate, fruit and nut combination. The chocolate component was quite rich but offset by the raspberry flavours and the ice cream. The crunchy praline nuts on the side and the biscuit base of the slice also lent some differing textures to the dish.

All in all, our meal at Chiswick was a wonderful experience and the food was exceptional. I loved the sharing aspect of the dishes and the atmosphere of the restaurant. The service was excellent and the waitstaff are more than happy to help you with your menu choices, as we initially had no idea how many dishes to order. I'm looking forward to returning for lunch when I'll actually be able to see and admire the beautiful surrounds too!

Chiswick
65 Ocean Street
Woollahra NSW 2025
Ph: +61 2 8388 8688
Open Monday to Thursday, noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10pm
Open Friday and Saturday, noon-3pm, 5.30pm-10pm
Open Sunday, noon-3pm, 6pm-9pm


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