There’s slim pickings in Sydney for single ladies these days but who needs men when you have gossip, gorgoeus views, champagne and steak! A girl needs her iron and we’re not talking about tissue thin meat from the $10 specials board at your local pub. Head to Kingsleys Steak and Crabhouse on Woolloomooloo Wharf and (as the name suggests) you in for more than just good meat. Miss Freakie and I recently had a hot date and indulgent dinner at the popular restaurant.
*Warning: If it’s 11.45am and you’re sitting at your desk wasting time until lunch, tummy grumbling…this may be torturous!
Kingsleys opened in 1994 here in Sydney and is often seen mid week with suits and business meetings happening across the crisp white tablecloths. Before starting Secret Foodies I used to bring clients to Woolloomooloo Wharf myself, it’s close enough to the city but you still feel like you’re experiencing a little piece of luxury on the water.
We arrive at 6pm and the sun is slowly setting. With breakthaking views of the city skyline a beautiful blend of pinks and purples, splashed across the sky it’s a great way to start our first visit to Kingsleys. Restaurant Manager James shows us to our table outside on the wharf and we order glasses of champagne. We take the chefs recommendations and let them send out an array of dishes, crab and steak are obviously on the agenda.
We start with Alsaskan king crab legs done two ways, chilled in shell with mayonnaise and warm in salt, szechaun pepper and lime. They’re both a nice way to start the meal and pulling the meat out of the chilled crab reminds me of Christmas time seafood lunches. I also really enjoy the warm salt and pepper crab legs and they are my favourite of the two presented.
For entrees we have the burrata mozzarella salad with heirloom tomato and basil, the mozzarella is soft and fresh and the different colours tomatoes make this a visually impressive dish. As is the second entree of seared sea scallop sweet corn puree and kipfler potato chips. I’m not sure about the sweet corn puree but Miss Freakie loves it. The scallops have nice golden brown grill marks across them and are soft and plump. We are impressed so far.
It starts sprinkling with rain but we don’t notice, the automatic awnings switch on overhead keeping us nice and dry. It may also be that we’re distracted as our steaks and sides arrive. We share the sirloin (New York) 120 grain fed, Riverine Premium Beef, marble score 2+ (300g) and Angus eye fillet 150 day grain-fed Gippsland Victoira (300g). We order them both medium rare and they’re cooked to perfection.
For sides we try the chilled roast beetroot, spring onion, sour cream salad, a nice combination. I also enjoy the kipflers, spinach and chorizo though with so much food on the table, especially the amazing steak we don’t eat many potatoes. The iceberd salad, radish and blue cheese is simple but worth ordering with the steak, I really enjoy the blue cheese dressing. James matches all of our dishes with wine and I recommend asking the educated staff if you’re stuck with what to order with your food.
Feeling very satisfied it’s obvious you could spend all night on the wharf, sitting under the stars, eating and drinking. It really is a beautiful restaurant serving quality seasonal produce. We’re feeling full and but there’s always room for dessert. We try the peach melba raspberries and almond truffle which is absolutely delicious and the chocolate macaroon with cherries and ripple ice cream. When the macaroon arrives it’s not the round chocolatey disc I invisaged, instead it a long rectangle. It’s really rich and the biscuit is a bit soggy. It’s still delicious but I prefer the peach dish and I think dessert is the least strongest course of the evenings meal. We have a Petersons botrytis Semillon to finish which is soft and sweet.
The staff are really friendly at Kingsleys and as we discover it’s not just great for business meetings, but a relaxed and sophisticated evening with friends. We meet Head Chef, David Kim at the end of our meal who shares his passion for food, locally sourced produce and cooking meat to perfection. It was at his previous position at Wildfire that he learnt this skill. We had a wonderful evening that was very indulgent but you don’t have to come here and spend a lot of money (althouhg you easily could). They have a Mon-Wed lunch special (200g eye fillet with softshell crab and a peroni for $29.90) and I’m keen to try the Kingsleys Burger with grain fed beef, bacon, cheddar, rocket and beetroot reslish with chips ($19.90).
Kinglsey’s Steak and Crabhouse
Restaurant 10/6, Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo (1300 546 475)
http://www.kingsleys.com.au/
