Island Radio — Restaurant in Sydney

(3.5 stars) Wunderlich Lane is the hippest new dining precinct to not quite grace Surry Hills, despite it occupying the space formerly known as the Surry Hills Shopping Village. Alongside former tenant, Coles, and new tenant, Harris Farm, the updated and now mostly open plan shopping centre is set to contain an array of hip eateries. We tried out Island Radio. From the outset, it was immediately apparent that all the it-publications—TimeOut, Broadsheet, Concrete Playground—will sing its praises.

And there IS a whole lot that’s great about it. Take, for example, the bright orange and coastal blue interior by Émilie Delalande (Etic) that includes an on-air DJ box where a real person was spinning great tunes throughout my Thursday night visit. Live music is great; so are unisex toilet cubicles that each have their own mirror ball. The well-priced beverage package ($29/head) is also great. Your spend buys you 90-minutes of five different House Made wines and the Young Henrys Newtowner you can drink, well as fast as you can find staff members to take your order. All the wines are decent, the only one that I baulked at was the House Made ‘Skinsy’ Viognier Blend by Vanguardist Riverland SA, but orange wines are an acquired taste.

The hawker-style menu of Southeast Asian eats is put together by Andy Wirya (ex-Queen Chow). It’s non-traditional, so dishes are made using Western techniques. I’m not convinced that works for rendang ($33) made with wagyu beef cheeks that stay too firm without the long, slow cook in coconut milk. It’s big on aromatic spices, with cardamom and star anise at the fore, but without the falling-apart beef it doesn’t scratch the rendang itch. My dining companion called it “the least unsuccessful rendang.” I’m a bit the same with the sate—we try ‘em all on the sate share plate ($30)—BBQ pork with sawsawan lacked the vinegar sharpness of the Pinoy original; Malay chicken lacked turmeric (but I liked the non-traditional sesame satay sauce). LP’s smoked ox tongue sate was the best of the bunch, as was the accompanying turmeric gravy. Andy’s sambal is worth ordering the scallop silk ($7.50/each) for alone. While it’s clever to make scallops into silk, I’m not sure why you’d do it to serve them back on the shell. I’m into the enoki and curried crispy rice in the Island Radio salad ($17) but a lack of vinegar in the peanut satay vinaigrette stopped it from dragging my chopsticks back. Amidst all the ‘almosts’, there are bright spots, like raw kingfish skewers ($7/each) punctuated with green grapes and dressed in coconut and lime. Note on the bill they opt to add their own 3% tip, effectively ripping themselves off 7% by taking choice away from diners who...

Firstly and most importantly the food was awful. We had the 79 banquet and the good part, they are not stingy. The food well first up beef tartare. Soooo much salt. Almost inedible. Then the tuna I think. That was good. The chips were excellent. They food came out so fast there was no room for anything. Mind you my cocktail took 40 mins. It was nice but really. Food after that was ok. Not great but there were two standout dishes that made me grimace from pure disgust. The noodle dish. Again salt so much salt and over power taste. Lime on it helped a lot but not good. To top it off the mains. Some leather like fish that had a nice sauce but then this abysmal beef shaped cardboard that wanted to look like massaman curry but utterly no flavour. Awful. Does the kitchen taste their food. They need to gut the kitchen staff and start again. Location is good, restaurant looks great but what's with the disco toilet lights that go black and have you pissing on the seats because you can't see where you are aiming. Ladies must love that in the mixed toilets. Then there is the DJ talking over the music. Really. Wtf is this. A tacky nightclub ? They had housewine. Yep. A restaurant that serves a house wine. Eeek. Staff were excellent. Lovely people doing their best and always nice. The lady dropping food was cold and grumpy but who can blame her, she is run off her feet, a little attention to presentation would be nice rather than dump and run but that isn't her problem. She did her best as well under pressure. The manager. Not out there enough. He seemed nice but needs to be seen more.

So would I go back. Nope. Not without a compete kitchen replacement. It really had potential but the food was awful for $160 plus a head in the end. We had the pineapple boat. Now that was good. Scallops were very good as well, unique but to have 3 bad dishes and one good one with the rest ok is not ok. The kitchen staff must sit down and try their food. If they think that what they presented was acceptable then take them just up the road and show them what good can be. So disappointed in a venu that could easily be so good. Oh and orange font menu.... Really. Dim lights. Dim text. Does...

Island Radio has certainly nailed the ambiance. The restaurant’s fit-out is stunning, blending a laid-back, contemporary aesthetic with a vibrant energy that immediately draws you in. We always appreciate a modern take on Asian cuisine, and Island Radio delivers on concept—though there are a few areas that could be fine-tuned.

We kicked off with the potato curry puff, and it was a great start. The pastry was flaky, and the filling was super flavorful. They’re a generous size, so sharing one between two is a good idea.

The Malaysian king prawn roti with fermented chilli aioli was another standout. It had a prawn toast vibe but in a crispy roti, and the aioli added a nice kick to balance things out.

The duck “lumpia” with spicy coconut sauce was tasty but didn’t quite hit the mark. It felt more like a spring roll with hoisin sauce rather than something more exciting. I think it could’ve been executed better, without so many heavier elements.

The smoked brisket char kway teow was definitely the highlight. The thick rice noodles were well-cooked, and the smoked brisket was tender, flavorful, and perfectly executed

The crispy lamb ribs with caramelised sambal and fragrant herb dressing had fantastic flavor, but the combination of fried elements and multiple rich sauces became overwhelming after the first couple of bites. The sambal added complexity, but overall, the dish could have benefited from a fresher contrast to break up the richness.

The service was excellent, with staff who knew the menu well. However, it would’ve been nice to get a bit of advice on balancing the meal, especially since so many dishes were fried. A recommendation for something fresh or lighter would’ve been great.

One thing to note is the pacing—everything arrived at once, and the mains came out before we’d even finished our entrees. A little more thought into the pacing would make a big difference!

Overall, Island Radio has a lot going for it—amazing flavours, great service, and a cool setting. A few tweaks here and there, and it could easily be one of the top spots in...