Review : Hartsyard

33 Enmore Road

Newtown

8068 1473

e: hello@hartsyard.com.au

Mon-Tues : Closed

Wed-Sun : 5.30pm till late

I know, I know we are very late in coming to the table on this one - seems every blogger & reviewer has been here before us & pretty much said it all.

So why you may ask, are we even bothering with this blog entry?  Because the food at Hartsyard is so good & we want to shout it from the rooftops, that's why.

Truth be told, we have had our table booked for a couple of weeks - as soon as we looked at the menu and read 'fried chicken' and 'poutine' we were in.

So we arrive on this ultra cold Saturday evening to a restaurant that is warm  and very inviting

The room has been designed by Ashley Couch and what a great job she has done. We love the industrial aesthetic & have stolen a few ideas for our new apartment!

Once seated, Naomi explains the menu to us; Seed - smaller plates, Feed - larger plates. Easy!

The menu is designed to be shared, so share we will!

We order some sparkling water - house carbonated,  $4pp for an unlimited supply.

Jamaican Mule

 Cocktails next - and it is an Enmore Collins (Tanqueray gin, HY ginger syrup, fresh lemon juice, fresh mint) for Buggles  and a Jamaican Mule (Appleton rum, fresh lime, ginger ale, bitters) for me.

 The first of our dishes is 'Radishes' (Smoked butter, onion, rye bread crisps), this dish is amazing, the radishes are yummy & the smoked butter, sweet onion purée and rye bread are all divine. How can a dish that reads so simply, pack such a flavour punch?

 Speaking of flavour, Shaved Mushroom & Raw Artichoke Salad (Celery heart, parmesan) almost completely blows Radishes out of the water! The parmesan crisps and celery heart really make this dish sing - we could order this time and again, it is just so good.

Of course we could not go past, Cold-smoked Fried Chicken (Buttermilk biscuit, low country sausage gravy) - sublime. The skin is so utterly crispy & the sous-vide meat is so moist and juicy. The scone like biscuit is perfect for soaking up the real surprise on the plate - the low country sausage gravy, which is rich, creamy & chunky!

I was determined, prior to arrival, to order the Poutine (Oxtail gravy, fried potatoes, crispy beef threads, cheddar and beer sauce). If a dish ever screamed my name, that one does.

However, we decide instead to go with the Smoked beef short-rib (Sunga’s Kimchi, bone marrow). The meat has a great smoky flavour & topped with the unctuous bone marrow it is completely decadent - one small complaint would be that a couple of the portions were a little sinewy and chewy - but I quibble. The Kimchi is another winner, particularly with Buggles and she has no problem polishing off most of it.

 So now comes the time for dessert or 'Out to Pasture' & while we do indeed toy with the idea of ordering the Sweet Potato Pie we really can't help but order, what seems to be, the most popular dessert of the evening....

... the Peanut Butter + Banana Sundae (Pretzel ice cream, banana doughnut, salted fudge) - and what a choice it is! Wickedly salty, lusciously creamy, decadently rich, it truly is one of the best desserts we have had in a good long while.

With food this original and good & with such friendly, knowledgeable & accommodating staff, Hartsyard really does tick all the boxes. This is one restaurant we hope will be around for many, many visits to come.

Squeak