I never quite believe it when people say that they’re too busy to eat. Too busy to eat? Seriously? But that’s the highlight of the day surely! And last week when I was furiously busy prepping for my Hallowe’en party, I was rushing about lamenting only having a certain number of hours in the day but I was looking forward to my lunch at the new Cotton Duck, from Jared Ingersoll of Danks Street Depot.
On Holt Street, where nearby Vini sits, it is like the spacious, beachy cousin of the all black, small Vini. There’s a decorative ceiling with dangling laser cut spirals and unexpected patches of greenery. Jared himself is at the open kitchen (it’s always comforting to see the chef in the kitchen let alone for everyone to see). When offered cocktails Laura and I demur (too much to do afterwards and after all it is a work day) but when we spot the last page of mocktails we order excitedly.
We try a new mineral water-a very crisp sparkling Tasmanian rain water.
Ginger, treacle soda, mint and lime $8
The ginger treacle soda with mint and lime is a pretty sight to behold and I take a sip. It is dominated by the ginger flavour which reaches right to the back of my throat. Mr NQN would love this but it’s a little too strong for my tastes and I don’t really taste the mint and lime such is the strength of the ginger.
Aloe Vera, mint and orange blossom $8
This is more my style with the aloe vera the predominant flavour with a little taste of lime and orange blossom. This is sweetly floral and refreshing but never too sweet.
The seeded warm bread comes out with soft butter that is made by Australian Cultured Butter. The outside is crusty and the inside is dense and white.
Lyonnaise Salad $18
The Lyonnaise salad is a fetching salad with frisee lettuce fronds, finely diced pancetta, pickled onions and a soft poached egg. I pierce into the egg and the yolk comes oozing out dressing the delicate tendrils and I enjoy the salty, bacony pancetta, pronged leaves and creamy yolk along with the crunchy, plentiful croutons (which are totally moreish in themselves).
Peas and beans $15
Described as a plate of spring peas and broad beans in parmesan jus it comes out looking very pretty. I enjoy the sweet peas but the finely diced onion is a bit undercooked and Laura and I both find that there is just something missing in the dish.
Pasta sheets with butternut pumpkin, blue swimmer crab, sage and walnuts $26
The layered pasta sheets are lovely and silky textured with generous amounts of roasted butternut pumpkin and chunks of blue swimmer crab, toasted walnuts and sage leaves. The flavours and textures combine very nicely indeed and we both adore this.
Veal and Tuna: a play on vitello tonnato $24
I love the Italian dish vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce) and when the waitress tells us that it is a veal fillet that has been stuffed with tuna in the centre I’m pretty much sold. The homage to it ends there as it comes out as a juicy, tender fillet and sure enough, in the centre under the quail’s egg is a centre of tuna. The taste is entirely different from vitello tonnato as it is doesn’t have that strong tinned tuna flavour and mayonnaise although it is very good.
Pumpkin Pie with pumpkin cream gin and brandy snap $16
Do we have time for dessert? Absolutely! And a good thing as the desserts sound enticing with a nice mix of old fashioned or homely ingredients like treacle, brandy snap and pumpkin pie. ‘Tis Halloween season so we order the pumpkin pie which comes out as a slender slice with a biscuity base and a clear jelly layer on top. The pumpkin inside is gloriously smooth as silk which makes it slightly different from other pumpkin pies which have some of the texture from the pumpkin. It is also not overly sweet at all so this is ideal for the non sweet toothed out there. There is also a brandy snap with what the waitress tells us is a pumpkin seed infused cream which is unsweetened and there are pumpkin seeds embedded into the crunchy outer. The cream isn’t much by itself but is just right with the sweet brand snap and pumpkin pie.
Cheese Coulommiers with fig and date bread $18
Coulommiers cheese is a cow’s milk cheese from France similar to Brie with a slightly nuttier and stronger flavour. It comes with a studded nut bread and golden Iranian raisins.
Rye ice cream scoop
We can’t resist and ask for a scoop of the rye ice cream which comes with the steamed treacle pudding as we’re curious to see what it is like. It is like a brown bread ice cream that I have made except the bread is untoasted here and roughly crumbled into rye rubble so that you can taste little bits of rye bread as well as light crumbs.
Chocolate petit fours
Oh my. This is a morsel of sweet, nutty goodness with pulverised nuts interspersed through the cold chocolate fudge square. I could quite easily and happily polish off a dozen pieces of this. If I were to compare it to anything, it does remind me of the sweet nougaty flavour of a Toblerone but like its couture cousin. A lovely way to end off our meal.
We’re in and out for lunch in one and a half hours and we both rush back to our respective desks well fed!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you order cocktails or wine at lunch on a work day?
Cotton Duck
50 Holt St, Surry Hills, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 8399 0250
Open: Lunch Thursday-Friday 12pm-3pm
Dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm
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50 Comments | Add your own
That rye ice cream looks really interesting and I’d love to try it! Sounds like an interesting menu altogether
Time for dessert, ofcourse i always have time for dessert too,lods of it but after i relish all of the deliciousness u describe here!
Pretty pics too!
Nice reporting, NQN. I’ve been waiting for this place to open. Looks quite good (as expected)–especially that lasagne.
And nice work on them getting you in and out in an hour. For 3 courses of good food that’s pretty impressive.
What a beautiful and elegant space!
All the meals looked so pretty!! Mum and I will share a bottle of champagne over a very long lunch once every couple of months. It is a very nice way to catch up. Mostly though it is hard to make time for lunch, let alone the sleep I need after a drink in the middle of the day!
oooh that aloe drink has me intrigued!
Wow, love the rye icecream – it sounds really good. I will have a glass of wine during a work day lunch if everyone else does, but not a cocktail.
No, usually no cocktails for me at lunch! Not that I am being virtuous – but I may be tempted not to leave!!
Oh the mocktails sound yummy especially the aloe vera one =)
Alcohol on a work lunch is a no no, but if it’s Christmas lunch I usually get encouraged to have a glass of wine, and those lunches are coming really soon!
I know what you mean. When I hear people say they are too busy to eat, I think they have lost their mind!
And next time you come across something too gingery for you, send it my way. I am a ginger fanatic. The hotter, the better.
I have been meaning to check this place out. I like the look of the lasagne and would be interested to try the treacle pudding. I made a treacle tart on the weekend and it was the bees knees
I rather sacrifice my bed time than not eat! Everything sounds great, would love to try that pasta dish!
$15 for peas and beans???? – tell ‘em their dreaming!
Otherwise the food looks yum
The lyonnaise salad and the pasta and the rye ice-cream – oh my! It all looks so delicious. The aloe vera, mint and orange blossom drink too. Never too busy to eat!
I would only occasionally order wine or cocktails at lunch hour. Maybe just on the weekend. A glass of champagne at brunch is always nice too
Heidi xo
This place looks amazing. Would love to try this place out!!
There is always time to eat, especially when the food is so delicious.
I am always baffled when people tell me they were too busy to eat or that they forgot. My stomach would never let me forget!
I’m a sucker for anything chocolate so you’ve sold me on the sweet morsels of nutty goodness. Mmmm
That pumpkin and crab pasta looks divine – and the ice cream too.
I work too far from anything to get a proper restaurant lunch – the best I can do is thai takeaway- plus being a teacher it’s probably not appropriate to have a drink with lunch
i loved the veal tuna dish – it was just amazing! didnt get to try the Pasta sheets with butternut pumpkin, blue swimmer crab, sage and walnuts but it did look good!
if it was a friday, i would have definitely ordered a cocktail / drink or two. otherwise, it would depend on what i have in the afternoon!
A beer at lunch on a Friday is a must, along with an awesome pizza from The Australia in the Rocks, a Friday standard for us.
oh my gosh. looks so nice
can’t wait to get home so i can try this out!
i do wonder about people who ‘don’t have time to eat’. i allllways find time to eat!
however i wish i could forget the odd lunch or elevenses now that it is coming into summer..
Pumpkin pie and the pumpkin pasta with crab would do it for me. Looking forward to trying it some time.
What an absolutely delicious meal!Especially the desserts…
No, my days of doing that are long gone, though I may have been guilty of it in my younger days. In fact, when I was a young journalist doing night shift a bunch of us would often go to happy hours at cocktail bars in Cairns, then go back to work. I don’t think you’d get away with that these days!
3 courses in an hour is great, they’ve obviously got a good team back of house. I love a nice glass of white wine when I’m ‘doing lunch’
Food & restaurant looks great here to, thanks for sharing.
Me likey! I always enjoy reading your reviews… well written and fun as always Lorraine!!
I wish I could do either. Strictly soft drinks.
Call me a dork, but I just love the simple sans serif font on the sign. The food at Cotton Duck looks okay, too, if a bit pricey. But perfect for a lazy, not-too-boozy lunch!
Another nice review, Lorraine, and the pea dish looks lovely!
I’m a wine girl at heart – cocktails are far too naughty for lunch!
Looks really yum!!
I miss having Jared Ingersol’s food at Danks – I went to college pretty much across the road from it, so some of us students would go for coffee at least once a week, but once a semester, I’d treat myself to lunch there. I usually ordered something different every time, and it was always sublime! 
As for the question you ask – well, I’m not working at the moment, so I can’t really answer. Although, when I did work, I never went anywhere for lunch where they served cocktails or any sort of alcohol.
Another yummy place to go. I liked the look of the broadbeans, pity it didn’t live up to expectations.
The whole place seems to have a real organic feel to it…love the ceiling. The food looks delicious but a bit pricey.
My problem is I’m almost always too busy to eating to get anything done… (I really wish this weren’t true. I waste SO MUCH TIME snacking!)
Love the look of the pumpkin pie!
I think I’ve love that ginger drink
I’m one of those people who doesn’t often have time to eat at work – so it goes without saying that there’s no cocktails either!
this place looks yum yum yum! i always love a good cocktail! however a list of great mocktails is also a big winner with me
I’m intrigued with the treacle drink…. I’d love to give it a try. I avoid alcohol if I’m driving, and usually stick to just a couple otherwise. I stick to my old standby of soda water.
Cotton Duck looks AWESOME! especially the ginger, treacle soda, mint and lime mocktail – looked almost like a delicious Thai iced tea
Some of my best friends live on Holt St, so I guess I will be frequenting them when I’m home 
The rye ice cream does look quite interesting – never seen anything like it.
The strongest i have with lunch is a coke! I really want one (handful) of those chocolate petit fours right now!
Those pasta sheets with crab and pumpkin are going to haunt me all day!
Lovely place, Lorraine. The Aloe Vera mocktail sounds really refreshing, and it sounds like it was a pretty delicious lunch. I’d love to try the rye ice cream!
Looks like the perfect restaurant for an uncoming birthday I have. Thanks for sharing Lorraine x
Thank you for the vicarious visit! I used to work just around the corner- and a cheeky glass of wine at vini on a Friday lunch was sometimes the only thing that got me through the week. We used to call it going for a ‘white whine’.
‘There was something missing…’ sums up Cotton Duck for me!
I usually spend my lunch hour reading your daily posts Lorraine! (which often makes me hungrier) but working in Paddington a few of us do sneak out for the friday lunchtime vino. Only if we are not too busy ofcourse!
Im excited to try this new place. I’d skip the peas and will make sure to leave space for dessert.
The interior of the restaurant looks fantastic. I can’t believe people that are too busy too eat as well. It’s the thing i most look forward to every day, but then again we are food bloggers…
I have had a salad similar to the lyonnaise at a french restaurant in Rozelle, and it was very good.
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