Bills
Bills, tooted as one of the 'must go' spots on Sydney's foodie scene, has several locations. My lunching friend and I opt for the one nestled on Crown Street in Surry Hills, within easy walking distance to Gelato Messina and a gorgeous little stationery shop filled with one-of-a-kind Christmas cards.
Being Saturday lunch hour, bills was very busy, I believe there was even a line forming outside - but just as quickly as the crowd gathered, it dispersed at around 2pm, leaving the restaurant a little quieter.
Having researched online and following the guidance of the menu, we ordered the signature wagyu burger and hotcakes.
But first, a drink - bills's signature hot chocolate. The hot chocolate at bill is served differently to most others - with little buttons of chocolate nestled at the bottom and on the side of the glass, and frothed milk poured over.
Once you stir the buttons through, the liquid turns into a very rich, dark hot chocolate. I personally found it a little too sweet, but I simply can't resist the novelty factor.
The kitchen seems to have been overwhelmed by the number of diners who had ordered the burger, so we were told by the maitre d' that our food will be slow coming, but they offered some olives on the house to keep us munching. Despite being alarmingly green (I think that's more to do with the particular type of olives), these were immensely enjoyable.
I love olives, but sometimes they can be extremely salty. These ones were not - instead, they were light, fresh and even slightly sweet.
The Wagyu burger seems to be what every food blogger who has been to bills reviews, so I thought we can't possibly pass this up. The burger is smaller than I thought it would be, but it is served with chips and lettuce with a salad dressing with little pieces of bacon in it.
I quite like the fact that lettuce is served on the side - not only do you get more refreshing lettuce than you otherwise would have, the separation of the lettuce ensures that the buns do not get soggy. The buns were quite sweet - a brioche bun, which I am quite a fan of - but the patty was dry and a bit loose; and the cheese not sufficiently melted.
The chips were not as exciting as I would have expected either, and at $25.50, this is a bit over-priced considering what quality burgers you can get elsewhere for quite a bit less.
The hot cakes came under the 'Classics' heading of the menu, so of course we have to try it. The serving size is very generous, and I'm glad my friend and I had agreed to go halfsies with both the burger and the hot cakes - because there is no way I could have finished the hot cakes by myself!
The hot cakes seem to consist of very thick pancakes which are rich in egg white, served with banana and a sweet butter, and drenched in syrup. Initially satisfying, soon I realise that the hotcakes themselves were quite dry, so you had no choice but to saturate each mouthful in syrup, which in turn made the dish very rich and thus difficult to enjoy from beginning to end. I experienced some diminishing returns with each mouthful, so my suggestion would be to definitely share this dish.
Score: 3 / 5
The celebrity fame upon which bills rides on is a very small draw card for me. I think, in a city with so much good food to discover, I won't be rushing back. However, it was an enjoyable meal, the waiting staff were lovely, and the food quite good.
Cost: 2 non-alcoholic drinks and 2 dishes costed just under $60. A bit overpriced for what you get, particularly when compared to some of the other nomming options.
Address: 359 Crown St, Surry Hills
Website: www.bills.com.au
Being Saturday lunch hour, bills was very busy, I believe there was even a line forming outside - but just as quickly as the crowd gathered, it dispersed at around 2pm, leaving the restaurant a little quieter.
Having researched online and following the guidance of the menu, we ordered the signature wagyu burger and hotcakes.
But first, a drink - bills's signature hot chocolate. The hot chocolate at bill is served differently to most others - with little buttons of chocolate nestled at the bottom and on the side of the glass, and frothed milk poured over.
Once you stir the buttons through, the liquid turns into a very rich, dark hot chocolate. I personally found it a little too sweet, but I simply can't resist the novelty factor.
The kitchen seems to have been overwhelmed by the number of diners who had ordered the burger, so we were told by the maitre d' that our food will be slow coming, but they offered some olives on the house to keep us munching. Despite being alarmingly green (I think that's more to do with the particular type of olives), these were immensely enjoyable.
I love olives, but sometimes they can be extremely salty. These ones were not - instead, they were light, fresh and even slightly sweet.
The Wagyu burger seems to be what every food blogger who has been to bills reviews, so I thought we can't possibly pass this up. The burger is smaller than I thought it would be, but it is served with chips and lettuce with a salad dressing with little pieces of bacon in it.
I quite like the fact that lettuce is served on the side - not only do you get more refreshing lettuce than you otherwise would have, the separation of the lettuce ensures that the buns do not get soggy. The buns were quite sweet - a brioche bun, which I am quite a fan of - but the patty was dry and a bit loose; and the cheese not sufficiently melted.
The chips were not as exciting as I would have expected either, and at $25.50, this is a bit over-priced considering what quality burgers you can get elsewhere for quite a bit less.
The hot cakes came under the 'Classics' heading of the menu, so of course we have to try it. The serving size is very generous, and I'm glad my friend and I had agreed to go halfsies with both the burger and the hot cakes - because there is no way I could have finished the hot cakes by myself!
The hot cakes seem to consist of very thick pancakes which are rich in egg white, served with banana and a sweet butter, and drenched in syrup. Initially satisfying, soon I realise that the hotcakes themselves were quite dry, so you had no choice but to saturate each mouthful in syrup, which in turn made the dish very rich and thus difficult to enjoy from beginning to end. I experienced some diminishing returns with each mouthful, so my suggestion would be to definitely share this dish.
Score: 3 / 5
The celebrity fame upon which bills rides on is a very small draw card for me. I think, in a city with so much good food to discover, I won't be rushing back. However, it was an enjoyable meal, the waiting staff were lovely, and the food quite good.
Cost: 2 non-alcoholic drinks and 2 dishes costed just under $60. A bit overpriced for what you get, particularly when compared to some of the other nomming options.
Address: 359 Crown St, Surry Hills
Website: www.bills.com.au
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