ABODE Bistro. Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

We were very fortunate to experience the ‘Chef’s Table’ at ABODE and at the same time experience their new Autumn menu. We love it when Chefs can use seasonal locally sourced produce to create dishes that let the quality ingredients be the star. They’ve done this here. The passion and creativity of Executive Chef Josh Askew and Chef de Cuisine Vico Betguen shone brightly all through this wonderful five course menu. These wine pairing they also offer here creates a matching that works so well too - it’s really worth going the whole way!

ABODE is family oriented but at the same time pairs relaxed and sophisticated so nicely. The decor is bright, spacious and elegant. There are several spaces too so it breaks up the area. It’s worth checking out the ‘egg chairs’ that hang near the entrance. These add to the chic fun atmosphere.

Our first course, and first entree was Vanella Stracia topped with a dollop of avruga caviar, a splash of romesco sauce and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil all served with a side of house baked sourdough and house made honey butter. The paired wine was a light and subtle Rockbare Riesling from Clare Valley SA.

Our next entree was duck breast served with burnt carrot, grapes and spiced jus gras. The paired wine was a dry and lightly spiced Catalina Sounds Pinot Gris from Marlborough NZ.

Our last entree was Grouper served on squid ink risotto with a bouillabaisse sauce, salsa and sea succulents. It was paired with a fresh citrusy single vineyard Black Cottage Reserve Chardonnay from Marlborough NZ.

There was a choice of two mains - beef or lamb. Both were delicious.

Dessert was a flan with yuzu ( how cute are these spheres), creme fraiche and frozen fresh berries. It was as pretty as a picture it was sad to eat - but we did!

The food and wine really here at Abode is incredible. The set Autumn menu we had, with paired wines, was divine. The food is beautifully and artistically presented and is fresh and vibrant with great taste sensations, textures and...

Dined in Abode last September 8 to treat my mom who visited Sydney.

We did the chefs degustation menu and it was superb! I ate here a year before and i can say that the food tasting experiance has been elevated to the next level!

We started of with a dinner roll with cultured butter, but wouldnt lie to say that the grilled sourdough with honey butter they served before was far better and on a league of its own.

My favorite dish was the scallops with pickeled radish with some crispy bacon which is divine. The pork dish was melt in the mouth and their take on the classic toast was very fun and inventive.

By the time we got the mains we were already full. Steak was cooked to perfection and very tender, flavour was amazing too! wished there was a bit more sides though.

Apart from the flan, the other desserts weren't on par with the other dishes. The chocolate souffle is on the bitter side and while the ice cream that went with it was a great combination, the honey comb i reckon was a bit over and tastes bitter (wasnt pleasant to eat with the already bitter souffle) and the jelly really didnt make sense in my opinion. Id rather have more of the ice cream and of melted choco.

The panna cotta dessert unfortunately was a hard pass for us. The panna cotta itself was nice, silky and smooth however the passion fruit coulis that they served it with was VERY sour. My partner that likes passionfruit even says its too much and the kumquat sorbet that came with it had a very bitter aftertaste. The flavor profile for me was to the extreme of the spectrum, very sour then very bitter which over powered the delicate panna cotta.

Thankfully the flan dessert was perfectly balanced.

The servers was very nice and friendly however they didnt explain the dishes that were sent out to us so that was a bit dissapointing as we were having a laugh guessing what we were eating.

Besides these, the overall dining experience was great...

Friendly and attentive service.

It was a cold Monday night and I was looking search for a nice hot meal. I was heading towards Darling Harbour when I came across this little bistro. The atmosphere was nice. Not too loud and not too rough like some places. It was more of a family/homely atmosphere.

I ordered the scallops for entree, but was recommended I try the quail by my hostess. Great suggestion, it succulent and tasty. It was partially deboned but not overcooked. For my main meal, I had the riverrina rib eye beef steak. I asked for it to be cooked medium but it came out somewhere inbetween, closer to medium rare. The steak knife was a little blunt but that didn't stop me from devouring the mouthwatering steak! Finally, I ordered the vanilla fig creme brulee for my dessert. It was a little small yet still very tasty. The layer of fig at the bottom of the brulee was a nice surprise.

What a happy way to...