Time travel takes us back to Melbourne's CBD and under a swift recommendation from brother Andrew, Patty and I head on over to Nieuw Amsterdam (106-112 Hardware Street, Melbourne CBD). This quirky new restaurant/bar has an uncanny New Yorkesque vibe that stems from the black, lacquered wood out front to the bistro and cocktail bar inside.
 |
| House Made Bread & Butter |
We're served at the table and provided a plateful of warm salted bread with some butter. Life is so much better with bread and butter.
 |
| Too drunk to remember what I had naaa I actually just forgot, if only though |
 |
| Whiskey Smash Bourbon, Fresh Lemon & Mint over Cruched Ice |
With the entire antarctic; penguins and all, inside of this cocktail glass, Patty and I knew this would be an icey situation (yeahyeahyeah not bad, not your best one though). A beautiful citrusy concoction of bourbon and lemon with a sprig of mint. Simple, elegant and it was as refreshing as ice ... alright mate.
 |
| Chicken Waffles Pate, Terrine, Crispy Chicken Skin, Orange Caramel |
The description says it all really. Our favourite dish of the night and these waffles will get you into a kerfuffle! Doesn't rhyme at all, whatever. Toasted square waffles form the base for a healthy brick of terrine and a delicate quenelle of pate. To top each individual waffle off is a crackled chicken skin and a drop of tart orange caramel. The flavours on this plate were enough to put your tongue into a coma, fortunately it didn't though. You won't want to have waffles for breakfast again, I'll tell you that much.
 |
| Pork Trotter & Ham Hock Nuggets with Burnt Onion Jam |
Essentially pigs leg nuggets, but that doesn't sound very appetising does it? Maybe to my dog. These little rippers are sitting on a squidge of burnt onion jam that was very subtle but the main attraction delivered an awfully good mouthful. The pork trotter and ham hock mixture inside had all the nit and grit which gave these nuggets sensational flavour.
WARNING: So ... what happened next was a catastrophe! Naaa it really wasn't haha. Our appetisers had come in pretty quick time however our mains took a little over an hour to make its way to our table. Patty and I didn't really care though because we were on holiday and it was understandable given that they had only opened their doors a few weeks before. For memory I think we had staring competitions to pass time.
 |
| Rabbit Meatballs Hand Rolled Tagliatelle, Soffrito, Roast Tomato Sauce |
After staring at Patty on the opposite side of the table turn from a beautiful, youthful woman into a wrinkly, leathery grandma all in the space of an hour, our rabbit meatballs finally came! And boy ... was it NOT worth the wait =(. I was so looking forward to eating my own species in ball form but they were really overcooked and that sucked all the life out of the dish. The normally gorgeous tagliatelle was dry and stuck together like wet socks. I need a shoulder right now =(
 |
| Southern Style Pork Belly Chops with Sauerkraut, Apple Sauce, Crackling |
We venture to the mud for some more pork and stumble across this southern styled pork belly. Maybe it was the wait, but this too didn't taste that amazing. The pork was cooked well and the crackling was crisp but there was nothing very special about it. Tasted like pork and veggies. Still good though?
We also had a tomato salad as well but we decided it didn't deserve a photo.
 |
| Pumpkin Donuts with Kentucky Bourbon Cream |
The night took another U-turn (don't worry it didn't happen over doubled lines, so it was perfectly legal ... haha, that was okay. I'll give it a 7/10) for the night when these little babies arrived to the table. Soft, warm and sugary ... like little babies, these pumpkin batter donuts were mouthfuls of baby goodness. The bourbon cream was so light and added a slight caramelly sweetness. Miss these things.
Despite Patty watching the hairs on my chin grow for most of the night, we walked out of Nieuw Amsterdam happy and full. We highly recommend the appetisers but the mains seemed very bland for the night, but that may have just been a one off. It's such an interesting place with a great atmosphere and some unique food! Definitely worth giving a go.
Bunny Rating-
Category: Melbourne, Dining
No comments:
Post a Comment