Barangaroo is now home to a whole new host of restaurants and bars, from the cheap and cheery to the fancy shmancy. Banksii Vermouth Bar & Bistro is planted somewhere in the middle, but it distinguishes itself through its impressive list of vermouth (as its name would suggested). Other restaurants have long wine lists. Banskii has a long vermouth list. I didn't even know that there were that many varieties of vermouth: dry, white, red, rose...but now I do know. What a time to be alive.
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| L to R: raspberry citrus soda ($8); Banskii vermouth ($5); Mancino Rosso vermouth ($8), elderflower grapefruit soda ($8) |
The non-alcoholic sodas at Banksii all sound incredibly appetising and grown-up, but don't be fooled: these are the kind of sugar-laden concoctions that you must never, ever give to children or small dogs. I chose the Banksii vermouth - apart from its incredibly, unbelievably reasonable price, it must be something Banksii is proud of, to have put their own name on it. The menu assures us that this vermouth has been 'lovingly blended', and has notes of hibiscus, rose geranium and lemon aspen. My untrained palate just think of it as crisp and light. The Mancino Rosso vermouth is a red vermouth, with a deeper, almost coca-cola-like taste. It is an Italian vermouth with juniper, vanilla & cinnamon bark.
When trying a new restaurant, my lack of ability to make decisions without regret always draws me to their degustation menu. That, to me, is a surefire way to try all the signature dishes without having to commit to the full portion of a main menu item. The degustation menu at Banksii is a sharing menu - so a lot more casual than fine dining - but oh my, it is a very filling meal. The pictures below show a 2pp portion.
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| Bread & Cultured butter |
The bread and cultured butter is noteworthy because this roll is a serious sourdough - the acidity level is high, and the bread is very chewy. Fans of sourdough rejoice.
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| Prosciutto, grilled peach & candied almond |
On the online menu, the starter course is a proscuitto, fennel salumi, bresaola, fresh fig and pickled chilli dish. On the night, we got a generous serving of proscuitto, frilled white peach and candied almond. The combination of the grilled peach and the proscuitto is lovely. Sure, it is something I could easily make at home and I would have preferred what was on the online menu, but it is nonetheless a lovely start to the meal.
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| Grilled prawns, curry leaf butter, pickled turmeric |
The grilled prawns were delicious. Fresh, bouncy, the flesh slightly sweet - and the pickled tumeric is delightfully crisp.
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| Salad of shaved zucchini, mint, fetta, olive oil |
On the night, Banksii swapped out feta for goat cheese, which is not a particular favourite of the family due to its more gamey taste - however, each to their own. Some people love goat cheese and would have preferred that. For me, I think Banksii should have stick with feta, which would have a slightly higher salt content to balance the freshness of the zucchini. As it was, I felt the dish was ever so slightly bland.
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| Risotto of roast fennel, fresh herbs pecorino romano | |
I loved this risotto - so simple, yet so delicious. The roast fennel and fresh herbs balanced out the creaminess of the dish, and the dish was topped with some kind of pickled vegetable which was slightly salty and crunchy.
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| Sticky beef short rib, smoked carrot, pickled onion |
The beef short rib was absolutely melt in the mouth despite its enormous size. It sat atop a puree of sweet potato, and its rich, hearty flavour is perfectly contrasted by the smoked, pickled carrot shavings. However, I suspect that the beef was cooked separately to the sauce, because the flavour had not properly infiltrated to the deeper levels of the meat - it was very much a surface-sauce.
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| Brocollini and fried onion |
The beef is served with crisp, fresh brocollini topped with fragrant fried onion.
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| Banksii trifle |
The best part of the meal, hands down, is the Banksii trifle - again demonstrating that if a restaurant puts its name on something, it is usually good. The Banksii trifle is the most delicious concoction of vermouth and strawberry gum sponge, rosella jelly, and sweetened dollops of cream. It was simply heaven - not overly sweet, yet oh-so-satisfying.
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| Chocolate truffles and marshmallow (birthday special) |
We were at the restaurant to celebrate a birthday, so the Banksii team also kindly gifted us some marshmallow and chocolate truffles. The marshmallows were a bit sticky (it was clear that it was homemade), and the truffles were dark and decadent. That was a very kind gesture.
If I were to be completely honest, nothing at Banksii truly stood out, with the exception of the trifle. All the dishes were very well-made and delicious, but nothing spectacular. Then again, at the price point, the Banksii tasting menu is 100% worth it.
Score: 3.5/5
Cost: at $79pp, the price is very reasonable.
Address: 11/33 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo
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