It was a day smack bang in the middle of Winter. I was at home working and watching the temperature like a hawk and by midday it hadn’t climbed over 11.1°C/52°F. Then by that afternoon it flicked over to show 12°C/53.6°F. I let out a “Yaaay!” before realising how ludicrous it sounded. Getting excited over a mere 12°C degrees? Welcome to Winter.
I was just thankful because Mr NQN and I were seeing my two fabulous friends Queen Viv and Miss America that evening and we were going to a place most appropriate for the weather. Our destination was Smash Sausage Kitchen, a place that specialises in delicious sausages and mash with gravy among many other comforting foods. Originally a tip from tweeter @sarcasmcupcakes I was intrigued by the mix and match sausage concept.
We walk in and there’s banquette seating to the right and regular table seating on the left. A pop art collage takes up prime position on one wall with cartoon characters (superhero “Smash Man” it seems), Elizabeth Taylor and other sultry movie stars and starlets. A gigantic luminous picture of Marilyn Monroe sits on another wall. Cute mismatched chairs and colourful cushions are for sitting on and against and the waitress has a silver skeleton necklace to die for. And did I mention it’s warm too. We settle right in.
The menu has starters and hearty mains but there is also a mix and match section where you can order from one of nine varieties of sausage including one vegetarian one, several kinds of mash and four types of gravy and you can choose from either two or three sausages with your mash and gravy. We pick and choose and our original plans to have three different types are foiled. Apparently you used to be able to have different varieties of sausage but now you can only choose the one type. My face falls, we’re all of the sharing to try as much as possible variety so the waitress suggests that we try the sausage tasting plate whose selection changes daily.
Complimentary sweet potato and parsnip crisps
Each table is given a plentiful bowl of sweet potato and parsnip crisps, shaved thinly and every curly tendril or piece well salted.
Chunky fish fingers with lemon aioli $15
I love real fish fingers (and admittedly the frozen supermarket ones do hold a certain kitsch value although they always taste a tad watery). These come out first, four to a serve, all crunchy golden with proper fish inside. Along with it comes an excellent aioli and a wedge of lemon to accompany them.
Grilled sausage tasting plate with chutney $15
We ended up making our own sausages and mash meal with this tasting plate and the sides. The three sausages on the tasting plate today are the chicken, cheese & baby spinach, smokey Texan and old English pork sausage. These are smaller than the serve that you would normally get in a mix and match sausage meal and each sausage looks about a third of the size of the full sized sausages. I liked the smokey Texan with a teeny hint of spice although I was less taken with the chicken & cheese sausage which was a little watery and the English pork was good but I’m after a more exciting sausage. They’re served with a tomato chutney which is flavoured with spices and is strong in clove and fragrant with spices.
Full sized sausages
Our waitress, and service is really warm and personable here, suggests that if we want more sausages that we can order them and sausage fanatic Miss America’s eyes light up and he wants some more. So an order is put in for three more sausages of different flavours than what we have tried on their recommendation. Now these are the types of sausages that we were hoping for-perhaps it’s these flavour or perhaps it’s the larger size that lends an advantage. Mr NQN cuts them into quarters and we take a chunk of each and bite into them. They’re juicy and fat and delicious, the Moroccan lamb is sweet with raisins and cinnamon and is a favourite-if we could have ordered some to take home with us we would have. The beef with wild mushrooms and garlic has chopped up mushroom in it. The lamb, mint and rosemary has a good balance of flavours but all we’re thinking about is the Moroccan sausage.
Bacon and leek mash $5
“My what big bowls you have!” Goldilocks would have said. They have regular mash but why have regular when you can have bacon and leek (or caramelised onion, our backup choice)? The mash is smooth and delicious with pieces of bacon and leek studded throughout it.
Mushroom Gravy $3
We opted for the mushroom gravy which comes out in two bowls (if you order the plate of sausages then you get one of these). The mushroom gravy is excellent, smooth and full bodied with pieces of mushroom throughout it. And yes perfect for pouring over the mash.
Mushy Peas $6
I’ve had some really average mushy peas so I wasn’t sure what to expect but these are well seasoned and moreish with the soft, mashed peas and their burst shells helping to alleviate the meat heavy mains. And this too is a gigantic serve.
Shepherd’s pie $18
The pie of the day was Shepherd’s pie and we hadn’t realised that we were going a bit overboard in the mash and pea arena. The shepherd’s pie is a flavoursome tomato based mince underneath a topping of mashed potato on top and on the side were peas. It was quite good although I don’t think we ordered wisely given how much mash and peas we had already consumed.
Roasted pumpkin, rocket, macadamia and goat’s cheese salad $9
Both salads sounded great and it was just the roasted pumpkin and goat’s cheese that swayed us. It’s a generous serve of rocket, sweet roasted pumpkin chunks, a very generous sprinkling of toasted macadamias and a smidgen of goat’s cheese and a very good balance of flavours and textures.
Pudding tasting plate $20
Why have one dessert when you could have a whole tasting plate? Thankfully everyone is of the same thinking and so we order the tasting plate which has a bit of the three desserts. We start with a delicious caramelly sweet sticky date pudding with macadamias drenched in hot butterscotch sauce which is served warm. Then we move onto the gluten free flourless chocolate cake, rich and dense with chocolate sauce poured over it and last but not least is everyone’s favourite the apple crumble with a nutty, buttery topping and deliciously sweet apples underneath it and vanilla custard on top. A pot of vanilla ice cream completes our Winter food fest for the evening.
It may not the kind of place that gets chef’s hats but for us it fits the bill perfectly for a Winter warming dinner with warm service and comforting meals. And just a tip, do book as it gets busy – the secret seems out in Newtown! And the bill? Stuffed to the gills and less than $30 a person. Worth braving 12 degrees for!
So tell me Dear Reader, what are you loving eating this Winter?
Smash Sausage Kitchen
512 King Street, Newtown, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9516 5424
Open Tuesday to Friday 5:30pm until late
Saturday to Sunday 10am-3pm and 5:30pm until late
Closed Mondays
Corkage $5 per bottle
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56 Comments | Add your own
That pudding tasting plate would rock my world.
Now this is my kind of place. I really miss having good sausages here in the US, especially where I live. For once I was more excited to see that bowl of mushy peas than I was to see the desserts (although they look so good too). We don’t really get winter here but when it gets a little cooler in Dec/Jan I do enjoy some pumpkin soup or a good corn chowder.
I would go there for the complimentary sweet potato and parsnip crisps:) Winter and +12 degrees? A very warm winter!
Bacon and leek mashed potato?! AND a pudding tasting plate?! Oh my… awfully excited to find out this is only 4.6km from where I’ll be staying when I visit Sydney in October!!!
soup with just out of the oven savoury scones or freshly baked bread and an open fire..jane
Wow those desserts look delish!!! The sausages too! In winter I love my dad’s version of chicken rice – it’s like a cross between chicken soup and chicken rice with a stong ginger flavour. The ultimate winter comfort!
What an interesting place! As I was reading your review, I vacillated from thinking “ooh, that’s cheap” to “ooh, that’s expensive”. Sounds like the type of place where you need to choose carefully. Food photos look amazing, as always!
Looks warm, and love the artwork
Mmm, gotta love a place specialising in bangers and mash. I am not personally eating any lately, but in winter, steamed pud and custard always hits the spot.
I always leave your site starveling!
I love a good sausage!
Wow, better go here while it is still winter. Not sure how the menu will go down in the si=ummer. Thanks for the post
i would come here for the fish fingers, pea mash, and the pudding trio dessert- nom nom nom
looks like my kinda place. I am loving all the warming saucy steamed puddings this winter. And now I have a craving for sausages! yum
Oh my stars. I want ALL of this so, so much!! Definitely adding it to my ‘to-eat’ list for next time I’m in Sydney.
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[for the record, this list is getting monstrously out of control.....let me know if you ever need an eating buddy
I am enjoying all my “wet” dishes – casseroles … yum!
I was outside staring into here only last week (wasn’t feeling in a sausage mood, unfortunately) but this is totally bangers and mash weather.
Looks delish….would love somewhere like that in Perth, although I’m not sure it would go so well in the heat of summer!
Nirvana to me! Yippee, nothing better than snags and mash, whichever way they come: organic, local butcher, snazzy, plain, tasting plate, piled plate. I’m in heaven.
OMG this is like Stud’s ideal meal! Sausages, mash, peas and gravy haha! Def going to head to this one.
I must say, fish fingers also hold a place in my heart
Great place to go with friends for a warm, hearty Winter lunch. I love pork and fennel sausages but the Moroccan one sounds delish.
The cold snap, (7degrees out my way yesterday, I immediately made a large stockpot of Minestrone) has inspired me to cook lots of soups and casseroles, I love to see my two grand-daughters eat with gusto, knowing that it’s so healthy for them.
I want everything …. they all looks soo yuuummm
Yummm…looks delish. My current winter favourites are Jamie Oliver’s Spicy Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks served with Soft Polenta and steamed green beans, Veal Osso Bucco with Cannellini Beans, Spezzatino di Manzo (Italian Beef Stew) with Spinaci alla Romana, Bill Granger’s Puy Lentil Soup with Parmesan Toasts, Leek and Potato Soup, Fish Pie and for dessert Tetsuya’s Lime & Ginger Creme Brulee,
))
individual passionfruit puddings (like lemon delicious with passionfruit) and my newest favourite, NQN’s Easy Pear Tea Cake made with Buerre Bosc pears (brown skin left on)& lots of cinnamon …YUM YUM!
I’m not a big sausage fan but the Morroccan one does sound good. The desserts look delicious too. I always tend toward heavier meals in winter, pasta & stews followed by hearty puddings. Winter is not the time for weight loss
Comfort food in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. The Moroccan lamb surely has my name on it
) !
What a find. I love comfort food like this, especially on miserable days like today.
Anything that is slow cooked or carnie keeps me happy this awful winter. Although I’m with you on the 12*…. Seriously that’s warm!!!
When we lived in London one of our local restaurants was S&M cafe the S standing for sausages and M for mash. We often visited there on a cold winter’s evening. So glad that you posted about this one as I do miss S&M.
Although at S&M you could mix and match your sausages. Definitely a plus.
What perfect comfort food! Complimentary parsnip and sweet potato crips…nice.
This winter loving hot tea as always. As for food, bread and warm desserts.
@ Jaqi – thanks heaps! Am a lamb shank addict and have Jamie Oliver’s book with this in it – the book is, of course, buried under a mountain of others, so shall dig it out!
!
the mash sounds awesome… mmh sausages!
with peas.. its like harrys cafe but even better.. i miss try this place out!
The dessert platter looks great for a cold wintery night
Like I told you on Twitter, I really liked the Spicy Texan with sweet potato mash and traditional gravy!
The owner told me that they’re going to start featuring different countries. They’re going to have a South African sausage and SA beer soon, but I’m not sure when.
I’ll let you know, since I’m angling for a job there.
Complimentary sweet potato chips is so generous and look really good too! Mash with bacon and leek sounds like perfect comfort food.
What a unique dessert platter! Pudding tasting plate? This must be the first time i’ve heard of it.
What a great find! Excellent prices, and well done, warming food.
I’m loving soups, slow cooked meat, and curries this winter
Mushy peas, a dessert tasting plate, and a 12C day that is practically tropical? (I think it’s about that in Canberra today, and I feel almost like wearing a t-shirt.) Yes please!
Wow this sounds like my kind of reataurant! What a fantastic idea will definitely check it out. Thanks for sharing!
I had dinner here a few weeks ago. Great value for money and the food is fantastic! I love it and I can’t wait to go back.
I have actually eaten here 3 times already in the short period of time since I found it.
There is a great variety but at the moment I can’t get past the Moroccan Lamb and Raisin sausages, sweet potato mash with mushroom gravy. Finished off with the flourless chocolate cake.
Can’t recommend it highly enough!
I’m going to be very boring and say that I’m really loving potatoes at the moment… wedges, baked, chips.
I’m also loving Moroccan style stews.
You know LLL, the frills would love that – that’s really family friendly cuisine – thanks for posting! xxx
Oh man, those morrocan sausages are calling my name! What am I enjoying this winter? EVERYTHING. I swear, you’d think I was pregnant, lol!
Talk about comfort food. This is such a brilliant idea, bangers and mash and gravy wow! I love the sound of the sides too, and those vege crisps are great. I just wonder how they get on when the weater is 32* instead of 12*? Do they change their menu a bit? Maybe they need to move to a cooler climate like Canberra.. Hint hint….
Looks like perfect winter food, and much more than just snags. I like the look of the pumpkin salad and exotic mash flavours.
Do they really serve mushy peas? I don’t know the name always gave me shivers… maybe not the place for a veggie ehh?
Keep warm
ciao
Alessandra
Bacon and leek mash? Caramelized onion mash?! Dear Lord, why don’t we have places like these in my part of the globe?!?
I want those fish fingers!
Fab fab fabulous! Mr J is obsessed with meat pies and sausages and sausage rolls and steak and all things meaty. This is just FABULOUS!!!
I’ve never noticed this place on King St… sounds lovely for the rainy Winter weather that we’re getting. that gravy looks goooood!
Innovative and interesting–nice menu. I love tasting plates anytime as I prefer taste sensations over just one dish when possible. Another great restaurant to put on my list in case I ever make it to your part of the world.
Sounds like terrific comfort food here. The pudding tasting plate is a neat dessert.
By the way, I forgot to mention that my laptop wallpaper is a slideshow of all my favourite pictures from your blog!
i love newtown! don’t think i’ve seen this place before, bet i’ve walked past it a million times. bangers, mash and pudding are pretty much the best things ever (especially for this weather!) yay for comfort food!
A sausage tasting plate – my kids would love that, especially carnivore Miss 8. Love it!
I love Smash, me and my partner have been fortnightly regulars since it opened. Food is always amazing. Owner Nathan is wonderful! Go and like them on Facebook also. Deff refer Smash to all my friends
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