Restaurant Review by Franz Scheurer
Duke I refreshingly different, bringing a truly avant-garde dining experience to Sydney. It’s almost as if the old lady made one last effort to dress in a miniskirt and a tank top. Duke is upstairs inside the Flinders Hotel and looks a little like an opium den met a staid German railway station café and they had a love-child. The kitchen is run by Mitch Orr (ex Sepia) and Thomas Lim (ex Tetsuya) and they bring an enthusiasm and energy to the place that is born out of their youth, their knowledge that they can and will do whatever takes their fancy and the fact that they have not as yet figured out what they don’t know. Nothing is holding these guys back and this combination results in fabulous, edgy food that holds promise and delivers with charm and great flavours and textures.
The place is packed, it’s noisy and it’s cramped. However due to quirky acoustics you can easily hold a conversation without shouting and the noise drowns out all conversations at the next table. A number of air-conditioners and lazy overhead fans keep the temperature comfortable and Kylie Javier (ex Bentley Restaurant & Bar) runs the floor with precision and a perpetual smile. The service is some of the friendliest you will experience in this town and it’s refreshing to see just how far passion and a genuine smile can go.
The wine list is good; the selection of wines by the glass commendable and an interesting cocktail list completes the picture.
The menu, a number of plates designed to be shared, is short and obviously designed to be adapted to the seasons and availability of produce. A lot of thought has also gone into creating dishes that can be produced and plated in a relatively short time to ensure uninterrupted flow of food to the hungry patrons.
We ordered the ‘Blood Pudding, Pigs Ears, Croutons’ ($ 8), the ‘Radish, Dashi Butter, Bread Rolls’ ($ 9), the ‘Octopus, Hops, Chilli, Orange’ ($ 8), the ‘Fried Chicken Wings, Coleslaw Milk, Hot Sauce’ ($ 10), the ‘Tater Tots, Duke Gravy, Edamame’ ($ 15), the ‘Bonito, Lardo, Beetroot, Farro’ ($ 15), the ‘Pork Neck, Purple Kale, Bread Sauce’ ($ 18) and finally a daily special salad with warm water melon. The radish dish is a stroke of genius. Serving radishes with butter and salt is not unusual in France, but serving them in a warm dashi butter makes the dish something special. The black pudding was good and the pig's ears add a nice, textural component. Love the octopus with the bitterness that the hops brings to the dish and, yes, I agree with other comments I have read, the chicken wings are a must-have dish. Crunchy little morsels of finger-licking goodness in a way the Colonel would have never dreamt of. The tater tots are just plain fun and the bonito surprises with lots of earthy flavours that work. Beautifully moist slices of pork neck are a perfect companion to the crunchy, earthy kale and the unctuous bread sauce and I am still surprised that I actually liked the warm watermelon.
The savoury food at Duke maybe adventurous but it never loses sight of delivering maximum aromas, flavours and textures. Guys, you nailed it!
Desserts, from the couple of things we tried, may still be a work in progress as it is early days. The combinations and flavours didn’t convince me and I had trouble with the temperature the macaroons were served at.
Value for money is excellent.
Would I go again: Yes, every time the menu changes. I want more!
Noise: 84 db
Lasting impression: the radishes and dashi butter
Score: 7.5/10
For more information or bookings:
Duke
Upstairs at The Flinders
63 Flinders Street
Surry Hills
Tel.: 02 9332 3180