PUBLISHED December 29th, 2013 03:03 am | UPDATED April 14th, 2016 05:52 pm
What was once just the Bar Stories kitchen, working hard to bring you bar bites with your bespoke cocktails beneath the bar, The Crostini Bar is now a fully fledged restaurant specialising in some of our favourite, delicious European inspired dishes – but with a twist. We went along to decide whether The Crostini Bar is holding its own or is just an extension of the bar above. As it turns out.. it’s pretty damn good!
If there was an award for best bar food of all time, chicken wings would be up there, wouldn’t they? Well if you prefer yours a little less greasy and not doused in sticky-wing sauce, then the F-Ugly 4-Spiced Chicken Wings ($12) are exactly what you want. The chicken is juicy, chunky and plainer than your usual chicken wing, making them feel a lot more healthy. These are some of the meatiest wings we’ve tried, but we like a bit of heat and think these could do with a side of sauce.
The Beef Tartare ($16), is a light sharing dish, served with small rounds of crusty bread – although there could be a few more of these to account for the amount of beef tartare. For something filling opt for the Beef Brisket Stew ($16) a warming, tender, bowl of French-ness. The brisket is cooked for a day on a slow temperature to ensure it’s as firm and buttery as can be.
The Rock Lobster ($25) served with angel hair pasta and a good portion of veg is a decent sized main course. The lobster flavour is enhanced with homemade lobster oil which travels through the rest of the dish, infusing the light pasta and fresh veg with a lobster aroma. If you want something vegetarian and slightly smaller, you could also go for the Marinated Wild Mushrooms ($15), served with a small roll of angel hair pasta. The Pan-Roasted Chicken ($20) served with crunchy vegetables and a smooth gravy is the slim-line version of a heavy roast – cooked for three hours it’s delivered moist and succulent.
Although Bar Stories is strictly cocktails and no menus, there is a menu with cocktails (all $18), whisky, beer and wine down at The Crostini Bar. We tried TCB Apple Pie, which is essentially Christmas in a vase. This smells like cinnamon and tastes like homemade apple pie – a delicious warmer on a rainy day. For something a bit more girly, try the light and fruity Very Berries – the perfect palate cleanser for all this flavoursome food.
The Crostini Bar is an easy, laid back concept and makes for the perfect place to grab some upmarket small bites and drinks and a change of cuisine in the Arab quarter.
Written by Superpat