Bird Cow Fish
Restaurant Review by Franz Scheurer
I wrote a
few years ago “This restaurant’s display of cakes and
sweets is alluringly irresistible and the line ‘bistro, espresso, cheese’ on
the menu means that, as well as having breakfast, lunch or dinner in the
bistro, you can sit at one of the front tables near the door at anytime for
coffee and cake or a glass of wine and piece of cheese” and this still stands
true. Bird Cow Fish has turned out to be (not surprisingly) a stayer. Alex
Herbert’s food is approachable, well crafted and offers something for everyone.
Any
cook who spent some time in Janni Kyritsis’ kitchen ought to know how to cook
tripe and the ‘Braised honeycomb tripe in tomato veal jus sautéed chorizo &
parsley’ proves that I’m right. This is a cracker dish and frankly I wouldn’t
have thought of pairing tripe with chorizo but it really works well.
A
‘Salad if frisée, baby gem & red elk with crispy prosciutto, pangratatto
& a poached egg’ is refreshingly light with substance. All the boxes of
textures and flavours are ticked. I loved the very fine pasta in the ‘Ravioli
of salt cod brandade with almonds, green olives & lemon’ and when it comes
to the ‘Beer battered fish with shoestring fries, lemon & tartare sauce’ I
have to admit it’s stunning it its simplicity. The batter is perfectly crisp,
not greasy, the fish (probably Morwong) is soft and juicy and the shoestring
fries crisp and salty. Heaven!
We
were pretty sated at this stage and very thankful that there always seems to be
a separate ‘dessert stomach’ that opens up for sweets just when you thought you
couldn’t eat anything else. We shared a ‘Mille-feuille of poached dates, confit
orange & crème patissière’ and it was absolutely superb. Perfect harmony in
a single dish, not too sweet and utterly alluring. Note to self: must have this
again!
Noise:
76-85 db (There is a fair variation depending on where you sit)
Would
I go again: without hesitation (and the coffee’s great, too!)
Best
dish: Mille-feuille
Score: 7.5/10
For
more information and bookings
Bird Cow Fish
500
Crown Street
Surry
Hills
Tel.:
02 9380 4090