Deus Bar & Kitchen delivers a roaring combination of bikes, bites and beers.
Housed in an open warehouse space in Camperdown, Deus Bar & Kitchen has recently been revived and re-opened. Behind the reno are The Bucket List’s Tom Walton and Andy Ruwald, and bar manager James Prier.
Sharing the space with the Deus Ex-Machina’s flagship store and garage, this bar and kitchen pays homage to its motorbike roots with vintage bikes on display and graphic street art hung on the exposed brick walls.
Deus Bar & Kitchen has a lot on its plate, serving everything from early breakfasts to late-night bar snacks. It’s open for breakfast and lunch everyday and offers brunch on the weekends. Dinner is served from Wednesday to Sunday. Deus works as a casual daytime dining space and a trendy night-time bar venue.
We booked in for a mid-week lunch and the venue was packed. Afraid to miss out, we ordered close to everything on the menu, starting with ‘Loaded’ Hummus ($16). It arrived as promised, loaded with pomegranate seeds, crispy onion, mint, roast almonds, feta and bread. The price speaks for the quantity. Don’t be fooled thinking this would be a light starter.
Next came the Eggplant Fritters made with spiced chickpea batter and served with smoked chilli mayo ($12). Despite the deep frying, the fritters weren’t oily or heavy. The batter was hot, crispy and delicious.
For a lighter touch, we ordered the Pickled Cucumbers with black olive labna ($9). It was a fresh dish, although it didn’t really wow us compared to everything else.
We were also treated with one of the options available on the dinner menu. Chicken crackling with raw kingfish, smoked eggplant and capers ($14). We were sceptics, but after one bite we were won over. The thin, salty crackling acted as a cracker for the ceviche style kingfish and a squeeze of lime juice was a perfect compliment. This inventive dish is a must-try.
You’ve no doubt heard about their infamous ‘Deus Cheeseburger’ that’s flooded Instagram. But for us, it was a hearty salad to share that caught our eye- a generous serving of roast broccoli and freekeh with hazelnuts, raisins, fennel, herbs, sumac and tahini yogurt ($18).
To round it all off, we dug into a plate of Dark Chocolate Mousse scattered with honeycomb, hazelnuts and fresh passionfruit ($12). It was another interesting combo of flavours that the team pulled off.
If you’re going to visit Deus Bar & Kitchen for dinner, make sure you check out Prier’s cocktail list. It takes inspiration from the machines next door – The Midnight Rambler is a mix of Bulleit Rye, Regal Rogue and Maraschino Cherry, ‘Le Gigleaur Noir’ is French for ‘the black jet” and pairs vanilla infused Ketel One with Vittoria Organic Blend and the ‘Scorpio V’ is a scorching blend of Herradura Plata Tequila, Jalapeños, Citrus and Winter Syrup.
Deus is back and better than ever. Duck in for a casual breakfast or book one of the large wooden tables and drag along a crowd. Stay tuned for news of upcoming live music and DJ’s.
Deus Bar & Kitchen
102 – 104 Parramatta Road, Camperdown, NSW
Open: Sun to Tues 7am – 4pm, Wed to Sat: 8am – midnight
http://deuscustoms.com/cafes/camperdown/