Hidden beneath Bondi Junction's busy Oxford Street Mall, The Hideaway brings New York style after dark glamour to Sydney. There's live music, impeccable service, a sensational dry-aged cheeseburger, steak tartare prepared tableside and a flaming rum and raisin Bombe Alaska. Find out all of the details here.
It's a Saturday night when Mr NQN and I visit The Hideaway in Bondi Junction. This subterranean fine dining restaurant is located off busy Oxford Street Mall in Bondi Junction and is so well hidden away that we almost walk past it. We only see it when the woman outside with the tablet greets us and then leads us downstairs to the restaurant.
The Hideaway is just that, looking like an American style club inspired by New York's after dark dining scene with large booths in cascading tiers facing a stage where live music plays from Thursday to Sunday.
It's a touch of old world glamour with busy staff gliding past in white tie. And all of this in Bondi Junction mall too where fine dining restaurants are a little thin on the ground.
The menu is curated by RJ Lines and executed by Chef James Tai, formerly of Automata. Our Italian waiter Giancarlo is superb and attentive to all of his tables. We start with cocktails: a Hideaway Martini for Mr NQN made with Papa Salt gin, Grey Goose vodka, Italicus, Lillet blanc, pickled onion and made extra with a caviar bump.
He loves this combination and of course who doesn't love a caviar bump? As for me, it's a mocktail called a Good Mama's Spritz made with Valentina non-alc aperitif, strawberry, Fever Tree blood orange soda and mint that is nice and dry and refreshing.
We start with the anchovy Matrimonio toast, two pieces of rye toast topped with capsicum and a white and a brown anchovy and the signature hideaway butter, their own riff on Cafe de Paris butter. It's a delicious interplay between the sweetness of the capsicum and the saltiness of two types of anchovies plus the texture of the bread and that butter. Oh that butter.
For something fun, try the house made chicken nuggets that come out freshly fried and piping hot and topped with pickled kohlrabi, mayo and Siberian caviar on top.
We can see many tables ordering the steak tartare which is mixed and served tableside. The seasonings are pitch perfect including fine pops of fingerlime and there's a surfeit of crispy house made potato chips.
It's not often that I've ever been recommended a burger as an entree at a fine dining restaurant but Giancarlo practically insists that we share it for an entree. It has a 150g/5oz dry aged whole beast beef patty (with the option to upgrade to a double patty), smoked beef fat onion rings, cheese and dill pickle. We added maple bacon just because we love bacon cheeseburgers. Mr NQN takes a bite and nods appreciatively. "Mmm it's juicy..." he says and seems reluctant to hand over the other half. The burger is incredibly juicy and moreish with the crispiness from the fried onions. Definitely order it, even if there are four of you as they can cut it into four. 10 out of 10, no notes.
It's time for mains and we saw the lobster plated with the lobster trottole pasta on their social media and liked that idea. The lobster comes with the meat already removed with a generous drizzle of tarragon butter. Often lobster can be chewy or overcooked but this is all sweet tenderness.
The trottole pasta has a perfect al dente texture, you know the kind that beckons you to keep eating it and when combined with the sweetness of the peas and lobster bisque it's a perfect dish to accompany the lobster.
By now we are full but it's too late to stop the pork chop (which truthfully I was curious about). The pork cutlet is dry aged and dipped in a fennel seed crumb. It comes out already sliced and with a dab of black garlic. I would perhaps add a bit more black garlic sauce but that's the only thing I would change.
They also have a special side dish, a crispy potato pave cooked with beef fat to maximise crispiness. The crispy texture is so pronounced from cooking in the beef fat.
And if you want fries with that, the hideaway fries come out hot and fresh with the Hideaway version of chicken salt on it.
It's dessert time and as soon as they mentioned rum and raisin I knew I had to order the Bombe Alaska, flamed at the table. It's a spectacular dessert and we see many of these being ordered. My only wish would be a bit more of the Ciccone and Sons rum and raisin gelato in it.
Because the Hideaway's theme is being a bit extra even the banana split isn't your ordinary one. It's made with crisp banana fritters, jersey milk gelato, chocolate fudge sauce, peanut caramel and candied peanuts. Plus chocolate shavings and cherries on top!
So tell me Dear Reader, are you drawn to restaurants with live music or do you prefer a quieter dining experience?
The Hideaway Bondi
195 Oxford St, Bondi Junction NSW 2022
Phone: (02) 8360 4336
Monday closed
Tuesday 5:30-9:30pm
Wednesday 12-9:30pm
Thursday 12-10pm
Friday & Saturday 12pm-12am
Sunday 12-9:30pm
www.thehideawaybondi.com.au/
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