District Dining Surry Hills : Warren Turnbull

The District Dining table was set ready with a small plate, the knife and fork on top with a serviette, indicating the shared food ethos. The layout of the menu encourages sharing too. This bistro of Chef Warren Turnbull is somewhere he’d like to eat, somewhere we’d all like to eat often.

It’s busy, noisy and inner city sassy, but most important the food is good – very good!

This international reflection shows us that our multi-cultural city is globally connected. Each dish draws on international influences. Every dish was just how it ought to be. Beautifully cooked, from beautiful produce. And offset with interesting accents – flavours and textures.

We started at the bar, my choice an Aperol spritz. My good friend Chris of Clifford Wallace Agency kicked off with a gin and tonic. And soon our table was ready. @DistrictDining tweeted there were 144 booked that night and “and 66 in big brother Assiette”. Luckily we’d made a reservation.

We really gave the menu a workout with our selection though we didn’t sample any of the eight or so small bites. Our choices:

Crispy courgette flower, Jannie goats curd, Pinenuts, Honey
Seared scallops, Jerusalem artichoke, Crispy pancetta, Prune
Kingfish, Wasabi pannacotta, Quinoa, Ponzu
Veal tongue, Pickled turnips, Salsa Verde, Almonds
Saute mushrooms, Garlic chives, Fried duck egg, Truffled pecorino
Rabbit ragout, Pappardelle, Green olive pangrattato
Lamb rump, Caponata, Crispy polenta, Mint gravy

You’ll remember what a fan I am of egg, and the gooey gorgeous egg required a late order for bread to mop up all of the sumptious yolk. The veal tongue was incredible, and we loved the pickled turnips that went with it. A visually stunning as well as very tasty dish. And, the pappardelle was soft and light and tickled the shredded goodness of the rabbit. And did I mention the crunchy green beans tossed in the saltiness of anchovy butter, that we enjoyed as our side.

Contrasts of light and dark, creamy and crunchy, robust and light, kept us engaged and entertained.

There were contrasts in the serving plates too – from slick white plates, to terracotta and the warmth of wood.

We missed dishes such as Cous cous, Baby beetroots, Dates and almonds, Orange blossom or Sweet potato, Gorgonzola, Risotto, Preserved Pear and Chicken liver parfait, Sauternes jelly, Toast, Green grape chutney. There just wasn’t enough room. I want more!

After chowing down to as much as we could manage, there was just enough room to squeeze in one shared dessert. The cheesecake and accompaniments were not overly sweet and like a cheese course at the end of the night, had a delicious creamy tang. The crunchy buttery crumb base wasn’t overly sweet either and balanced the tang of the cheesecake filling.

Bravo Chef Warren Turnbull for a fabulous menu. Bravo Head Chef Grant Astle who ran the kitchen on the night.

District Dining
17 Randle St, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia
+61 2 9211 7798