Nothing beats the newly-launched fresh menu of The Balmain Hotel to warm you up this winter. Just ten minutes away from the CBD across the Anzac Bridge, this popular hotel located on the corner of Reynolds St and Manning Rd in Balmain, offers an exiting new menu focusing on simple, yet delicious dishes that are big on flavour.
The Balmain Hotel
The building is quite deceptive from the outside, yet stepping inside you’ll find a labyrinth of space, spread across several levels. Starting from the main lounge and crossing through to the downstairs bar and dining area, there’s a multi-levelled outdoor beer garden and courtyard areas with a Tiki themed ambiance.
Interior
Exposed bricks, themed painted walls, colourful eclectic furnishings give it a vibrant and island feel for either intimate dining or for larger groups.
The Balmain Hotel
The new menu is created by Head Chef Mark Ferraro (ex the Boathouse Black-Wattle Bay, Moran’s and Bather’s Pavilion) and adopts a healthier style of cooking. You’ll find a wide selection of plates to share, seafood, meat, salads, sides, desserts and specials of the day.
Share Plate
A shared plate for two ($35) is a choice of any three items from the share menu and comes served on a butcher-block cambro with the dishes creatively placed out for ease of sharing.
The Jalapeno Croquettes have a wonderful crisp texture, with a soft filling of manchego cheese with romesco and aioli relish, which compliment the dish very well. The Zucchini Flowers are succulent, the smoked cheese filling has a mild flavour and texture while the pepperronata tossed with basil, onions and fresh tomatoes adds sweetness to the dish. Balancing the two dishes is the Peking Duck served on soft and pillowy steamed buns with cucumber and shallots. The duck is juicy and the savoury flavour of the hoisin sauce integrates well. All these dishes can be ordered separately.
Mahi-Mahi
The pick of the seafood is the pan-fried Mahi Mahi ($26). The pineapple quinoa and jerk sauce is a perfect blend to the fish, adding a tropical note of sweetness and spice with a burst of flavours.
Texas Black Angus Scotch
For meat lovers, the Texas Black Angus Scotch 300g ($28) is not to be missed. The steak is served medium rare, tender and juicy and cooked to perfection. The freshness of the jalapeno salad, sweetness of the corn and potato adds serious punch to the steak. The jus adds richness and mixes well with the juice flowing off the meat.
Wine by the Glass
A glass of 2011 Scarborough Chardonnay and 2013 ‘Puku’ Pinot Noir make great accompaniments throughout the meal.
Churros
To finish off your meal, don’t go past the irresistible Churros ($10), soft and light with a warm decadent chocolate dipping sauce. You’d want to scoop out the remaining chocolate if there’s any left.
The Balmain is also a popular lunchtime destination where you can enjoy the afternoon sun in the outdoor beer garden with lunch dishes for only $12 between 12 pm and 3pm. It’s well worth a visit.
Photography © by Ed Sullivan for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.
The Balmain Hotel
74 Mullens St
Balmain, NSW 2041
www.thebalmain.com
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