Restaurants on the water at Sydney’s Darling Harbour are doubly blessed. Not only are they a hop, skip and jump from the CBD, they’re also situated near Sydney’s most seductive asset – its harbour.
During daylight hours, people flock here to shop, visit various attractions such as the Sydney Aquarium and IMAX theatre, feed the seagulls and watch the amazing array of activity on the water. Pleasure cruisers, ferries and water taxis come and go, and at night, laser images projected onto water fountains make fantastic displays. It’s a short walk from the city across one of the flyovers from Sussex Street, or you can catch a ferry from Circular Quay or hail a water taxi.
Just near the IMAX building is The Meat & Wine Co, part of an international group of steakhouse restaurants located in Australia, UK, Israel, Greece, Bahrain, UAE and Africa. On a warm evening recently, we decided to taste the fare and were lucky to get a table near the windows. This is a busy restaurant, so I advise you book ahead for a good table.
As soon as we entered, we were struck by an impressive towering staircase of wine in the centre of the room and by various African references in the décor. I was intrigued by the ‘boerewors’, a traditional South African farmers’ sausage, and chose it for my entrée.
It was curled like a snake and sat on top of a circle of ‘pap’ (white polenta). In Africa, this dish is referred to as ‘pap and sheba’. Its fragrant cinnamon flavour was most enjoyable. Our charming waitress also recommended the salt and pepper calamari, a good choice because they were surprisingly tender and deliciously spicy.
For mains, the honey-basted kangaroo fillet with potato gratin and redcurrant jus sounded irresistible. Topped with crispy kumara chips, it was very flavoursome and tender. My partner’s succulent 120 day grain-fed Angus fillet steak was also a hit. Served with crunchy chips, it’s easy to see why it’s the specialty of the house: all the beef here is carefully managed from pasture to plate and perfectly aged.
For dessert, we chose the Grand Finale, a mini dessert platter which included a lovely vanilla crème brulee, seasonal fruit tart and decadent chocolate fondante. An extensive wine menu is available with a number by the glass and the service is friendly and brisk.
The Meat & Wine Co is open daily from 12pm to late.
Level 1, 31 Wheat Road, IMAX Theatre Complex, Darling Harbour.
Tel: 9211 9888.
www.themeatandwineco.com