Monday, March 28, 2011

Review : Smith's on Bayswater - Butcher & Wine Merchant - CLOSED

32 Bayswater Road
Kings Cross

Brunch 11am Sunday
Lunch 12pm Fridays
Dinner 5pm - Late 7 days

Brunch has always held a certain appeal for us, we love the melding of breakfast & lunch dishes on a menu and the ability to move between the two.

Smith's resides within the former home of Bayswater Brasserie (an old fave of ours) & we are keen to see if Smith's is a worthy replacement.

So this rainy Sunday morning we head to Smith's for a spot of leisurely brunching....



We take a table in the back courtyard & immediately feel comfortable & relaxed, the space seems familiar, but there are subtle differences.

The brunch menu is spectacular with something to suit just about everyone.


We start with a Custard Apple Bellini each. Custard apple pressed to order & folded through a sparkling Chardonnay/Pinot Gris....light, fruity, not too sweet...divine.



I love a Reuben & will not overlook it if it presents on a menu. Buggles & I decide to share one as an 'entree' of sorts. 
I've had the Reuben at Danks Street Depot & the one one at Eat, Deli Kitchen and I have loved them both very much, however the Reuben at Smith's is amazing & by far my favourite.
House corned wagyu, sauerkraut, Heidi gruyere cheese, Russian dressing on toasted light rye with a pickle on the side. Oh my god...so good.
While perhaps not as 'meaty' as the Eat, Deli Kitchen version, it beats it hands down in terms of flavour. I put this down mainly to the Russian dressing which is a little tangy & spicy - it absolutely makes the sandwich.


Following on from the Reuben, Buggles decides on Duck & Potato Hash, fried duck egg and house black pudding.
Another winner. The hash is wonderfully flavoured with shredded duck meat, the duck egg is rich & lush & the black pudding mildly spicy & aromatic. The combination of all three elements in the one mouthful is sensational. A very good dish.

My bacon & egg pasta with grana padano arrives at the table deconstructed. Our (lovely) waitperson then pours olive oil over the pasta & slowly adds two beautifully cooked 62 degree eggs, next the crispy shards of bacon & finally a very generous helping of grana padano.


The finished product is wonderfully rich (thankyou 62 degree eggs) & full of parmesany, bacony goodness...the pasta is perfectly al dente. God, how I miss pasta!

Our plan was to finish off with some churros & chocolate, but unfortunately the pasta has got the better of me. Definitely next time. Oh yes, there will be a next time.

Service at Smith's on Bayswater is brilliant, incredibly friendly, pleasant & chatty...we love that.
Can't wait to go back.

Squeak
Smith's on Bayswater on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

joey@forkingaroundsydney said...

That's a big call with the reuben sandwich. ;-) Love the courtyard and the food looks great.

chocolatesuze said...

REUBEN!!!!! I WANT TO TRY!!!!

Buggles and Squeak said...

The Reuben truly is delicious & certainly my favourite of the three mentioned.
I am yet to try the Reuben at Felix....soon though.

john@heneedsfood said...

I've been meaning to try the reuben here for ages and by the look of it, its a good one!