I was very excited to finally get the chance to dine at Bowery Lane. Why? It's been on my Hit List for few months and it is a New York style restaurant in both the menu and decorations! I really want to feel how it's like to dine inside a restaurant that looks like in New York restaurants.
Ratings out of 5
Food: 4. Bowery Lane food is designed mainly for sharing. The menu is about meat, meat and more meat! A great feasting ground for meat lovers!
Food: 4. Bowery Lane food is designed mainly for sharing. The menu is about meat, meat and more meat! A great feasting ground for meat lovers!
I really love the entrees! The seared scallops were sweet, fresh, light and well balance. The seaweed and mayo gave the dish a Japanese twist, The squid was crispy, succulent and seasoned. The dipping sauce was refreshing with a South East Asian accent. The 2 entrees enticed my appetite and gave me a glimpse into what I can expect for the rest of the meal. It was a great way to start dinner.
The soft shell crab burger was first main dish to arrive and it wasn't too oily and fishy. Normally I'm not a fan of fried food but the crab was crunchy and light. It is very easy on the palette as the slaw was refreshing. Only down side is it was a bit messy to eat since the burger is jam packed with slaw.
Bowery Lane have specials on each night. We went on a Wednesday night so it is "5:30pm-9:30pm Steak Night: Steak & Beer $29". My partner chose to have a coke instead of beer as the Liberty Ale he wanted wasn't included in the deal and got the beer separately. The New York steak was juicy and tender. The meat was flavoursome with a bit of char taste to give the steak a bit more character. The sauce was rich I chose the Kingfish as I was actually hyped up to taste the dish as it looks so delicious in photos on instagram. The highlight of this dish was the crispy skin and the tahini and corn that gave the tangy flavour. However, the fish was a let down as it was a bit too dry, lacked flavour and the taste didn't live up to the visual of the dish. I give credit to rest of the dish that tried to accentuate the fish. The corn gave a crunch, the attempted to give the fish moisture and smoothness. The only highlight was the crispy skin. |
Now, this pasta. Wow! It was amazing! The chilliness was just right to give a good kick without overpowering the prawns and taking the al dente pasta to a new level! The sweet and refreshing tomato smoothed the edge of the chilli.
Dessert, it's time to get serious. I have a big sweet tooth so I always try to leave some room for dessert. Nutella is delicious and cheesecake is so good to eat. When the 2 are combined, it becomes mind blowing! The cheesecake was extremely creamy and the chocolate crumbs added texture and a deeper chocolate taste. The cheesecake does become too rich to eat after 3 consecutive bites so the raspberries balanced the dish and cleansed the tongue with its refreshing and slightly tangy taste. Our very last dish was the banana split. I felt a hit of chocolatey banana as soon as I put a spoonful into my mouth. It was followed by the smoothness of the mascarpone and maple syrup and ended with the crunch of the honeycomb. Each mouthful was excitement and it was a fun way to end the meal with an adventure! |
Ambience: 4. The rustic decorations, the leather seats in the booth, the exposed black pipes on the ceiling and the light bulbs. It's like I have stepped into a New York restaurant I see in the movies and TV series. I highly recommend the booth if you want some privacy and solitude from the rest of the restaurant. We didn't know that the restaurant was full house until we walked out of our booth. Service: 4. As soon as we walked up the stairs into the dining area, we were greeted by friendly staff. Our waitress explained the menu to us and what is tonight's special. The food came out quite fast on warm plates. These small things do count and shows attentiveness especially when the night we went to Bowery Lane was cold. Location: 5. Bowery Lane is a short 7 minutes walk from both Wynyard Train Station and Circular Quay Train Station. Value: 4. It was a reasonable price for the large portions of each dish. It cost $200 for 4 adults and we were extremely full from dinner. Pros: Large portions and most dishes were full of flavour. Cons: The Kingfish didn't keep up with the consistency in flavour like the other dishes. There was no WOW factor. |
Comparison: The Hub House Diner in Dulwich Hill is inspired by American styled food and is more on a casual dining when compared to Bowery Lane.
I'm glad we went as a group as I wouldn't be able to try out so many dishes if I was by myself. As soon as I stepped into Bowery Lane, I felt like I was transported to New York. I hope to go back for breakfast or lunch to try out the day time menu and to experience the feeling of being in a New York cafe.
I'm glad we went as a group as I wouldn't be able to try out so many dishes if I was by myself. As soon as I stepped into Bowery Lane, I felt like I was transported to New York. I hope to go back for breakfast or lunch to try out the day time menu and to experience the feeling of being in a New York cafe.
Address
Shop 1, Level 4, 1 O'Connell St, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9252 8017
Shop 1, Level 4, 1 O'Connell St, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9252 8017