Waiting for the initial controversial hype to pass, we finally made our way to this establishment which used to be the Hampshire Hotel.
Headed by the team behind Vietnamese Laundry and in collaboration with chef Miles Davies (previously Golden Boy, Jolley's Boathouse) the offering at this venture is Asian fusion, twisting and contrasting old favourites and creating new modern takes, such as the cheeseburger spring rolls, the pork roll-ups.
Dishes are encouraged to be shared as most are tapas-style. We had quite a number of dishes as the menu was rather interesting. The chicken wings was delicious, but salty. The manchego sweet-corn, however was on point. They ran out of the trout dumplings, so it was substituted with a prawn and chicken ones. They were lovely, but a tad too salty and sweet for me.
We also ordered the shallot pancake which came with two dipping sauces. It was overpriced in my opinion for one typical Asian pancake, which did not justify a $5.00 pricetag.
Also shared was the oysters which was beautiful. It was refreshing and tasty.
Interior decor was light and bright, with pastel pinks and greys throughout. Decked with booths and casual stools, mirror ball and a ping-pong table, it doesn't strike me as a pub. It is definitely different!
It is a good place to catch up for a casual drink and nibbles. For something more substantially filling, I would head elsewhere. read more