Review: Albion Street Kitchen

K and I had eaten at Assiette a few times over the past few years - I had been there for their lunch 3 course special, their dinner degustation and had been lucky enough to be invited there as well for a private function. It was always fabulous food, top quality dishes, and I had never walked out of Assiette unsatisfied... so it was a sad moment when I heard that it was closing... but then I realised that they were transforming themselves to Albion Street Kitchen!

It had seemed that Albion Street Kitchen had only been open for 5 seconds when I saw on Travelzoo a deal that could not be refused. $50 for $100 worth of food from Albion Street Kitchen - an absolute steal. I snapped the deal up very quickly, and then went off to peruse the menu online. The menu, a small selection of 3 courses, all seemed to be delicious, but I wanted to try was the chili salted fries that was offered as a side dish - I had heard all about it from friends who had been to Chur Burger.

On a Friday night, K and I turned up and we promptly ordered an entree, two mains and two sides. Before any of our dishes turned up though, the complimentary bread with the rosemary olive oil did - and WOW. I took a bite and then proceeded to hog it all to myself, my justification being that K had ordered an entree and I didn't, so this would more than suffice!

K's entree of cured fish, heirloom tomatoes, coconut and yuzu gel was an absolute winner. It looked gorgeous, and lived up to its appearance. K demolished it in no time as I looked on longingly... I can't wait to be able to eat cured fish, raw fish and the like!

My main was the Chatham Island cod, served with cauliflower, vadouvan and tamarind gel. I took a bite of the cod and it was beautifully cooked - flaked delicately and tasted so incredibly fresh. The cauliflower for me was a revelation. I had never really considered cauliflower to be tasty before, but this one was roasted and tossed in all these gorgeous spices that I was really disappointed when I ate it all.

K's main was the Ranger's Valley bavette, miso glaze, eggplant, sesame seeds and spinach. The beef was very tender and very juicy, however K found that the miso glaze's strong flavour overpowered everything else that was on the dish. I had some of the eggplant with the glaze and I had to agree with his assessment.

We had also ordered two sides - the chilli salted fries and the salad. Fries are my soft spot, my weakness, my kryptonite. These were good, but I wanted more punch to them - perhaps a little more salt, and a stronger hit to the chilli.

We lingered over the dessert menu but I was too full to try any. So with full satisfied bellies we left Albion Street Kitchen and made our way home. The quality of the dishes and the presentation is still up there with Assiette levels - we could tell that the produce was fresh, and care taken in the preparation of each dish. The group deal was unbeatable value, and was a good way to try out the new Albion Street Kitchen. I can't wait to come back to try out Churburger - I've heard some very good things about the burgers!

thesuzchef x

Albion Street Kitchen
http://albionstreetkitchen.com.au/