Sugarcane Coogee — Restaurant in Sydney

Sugarcane occupies a great spot in Coogee overlooking the beach where during the day you can see bustling locals and tourists passing by or be immersed in the lively nightlife that descends after dark.

My dining partner and I were only able to get a late 9pm sitting as it is a very popular spot. We arrived a few minutes early and were greeted by very friendly staff who showed us immediately to our table. Even at this late hour the dining room was buzzing with activity and I was surprised to see it was quite full with patrons. This means it’s a louder environment and some may find it a little difficult to have easy conversation. With this said it was a very upbeat vibe and the Asian inspired decor made for a comfortable enough experience.

We opted for the trust me menu where for $60 per person the staff select items from the a la cart menu including a selection of entree’s and mains. A desert course can be added for and additional $10.

We were informed that several items from the menu were already sold out including oysters and another raw meat selection. Keep this in mind if you are opting for a later sitting.

The selections came out at a nice steady pace starting with the tortillas and scallops. Both were well presented and had fresh flavours. The tortillas suffered a little bit from overdressing which masked a lot of the crab flavour I was expecting. The scallops were beautiful and delicate garnished with a zesty accompaniment.

The curry spring role and grilled octopus were delivered a short time later. The spring role was hot and spicy and consisted of a crispy casing filled with a seasoned beef mince. It’s a bit like an Asian inspired sausage roll. The grilled octopus was slightly chewy and again I found that the dish was slightly overdressed. The mashed green base was delicious and added nice complimenting flavours to the octopus.

Last course was a hearty combination of crispy chicken and beef rendang curry served with a bowl of steamed rice. The crispy chicken was as advertised; crispy outer crust with tender chicken slices. The flavours were acidic and cut through the proteins of the chicken but again I found that the sauce was just a bit too over powering. The crispy skin flavour would have done this dish proud but the sauce was quite tart and masked the flavour of the meat. The beef fell apart and was cooked perfectly. I beautiful cut of meat that again was slightly let down by the sauce. The rendang curry had a beautiful consistency and flavour but maybe a bit heavy handed with the star anise which overpowered the other flavours of the sauce.

This course was also served with what was described to us as a new menu item, Pomelo Salad. It was a simple mix of iceberg, grapefruit, pickles, mint, roasted peanuts and a dressing. It was ok but a combination of flavours that I wasn’t sure made for a harmonious dish, somewhat lacking in refinement.

We chose to accompany our meal with a glass of rosé for my dinner partner and one of the on tap beer selections for myself (the pale ale is the better of the two).

Overall I was more than satisfied with my meal. I can’t complain about the amount of food as I was struggling to finish everything that was bought to the table and I noticed a few doggy bags at other tables. The food was very nice but I felt on this occasion it lacked a little bit of refinement with the biggest downfall being sauces overpowering the main ingredients.

The staff are superb and very attentive. Each time a dish came out the staff were familiar with their tasting notes and the dishes they were serving.

I would definitely come back again and look forward to trying a few more items from the rest...

I'm a foodie traveler and constantly try new things but I'm originally from Malaysia so I'm going to be abit harsh. In short, order the crispy stuff and avoid the roti. Read on for the full review.

Service is good and the waiters are great. Ambience is good. The cocktail my wife ordered was great in flavour and depth. The food was the let down. It's described as fusion and it's abit all over the place.

Prawn bao: 3.5/5 - the kick of spice is the saviour in this otherwise bland appetiser. The prawn is fried in batter but if timed wrongly and placed within the bao too early, the batter eventually gets soggy. They can also change it to a different type of batter to avoid this.

Duck wrap rice paper - 3/5 good flavour but... it came already wrapped unlike how most Chinese restaurants serve it as a DIY. However, the fault here is that there was too much fluid in the wrap and it soaked through and through. It was no longer feasible as hand food either due to it dripping all over. Maybe serve it dry and let people dip into the vinaigrette/sauce instead.

Twice cooked duck (special menu) - 4/5 - favourite item from our meal. Very tasty and remained crispy despite the coating of sweet sauce. Only criticism is that the crust tasted slightly burnt and dry (overcooked)

Wagyu rendang - 3/5 - I know there's many variations of rendang but this fusion rendang resembled a stir-fry/stew with cornstarch as a thickener. The lemon grass flavour was underwhelming. There was cream rather than coconut milk for some reason. The meat was ok soft (my preference) considering traditional rendang tends to be irritatingly tough. However, I'm not sure why alot of beef dishes in Sydney uses the term 'wagyu' beef when actual wagyu beef is known for its excessive marbling and melt in your mouth texture. This looked and had texture like standard beef although maybe wagyu beef means something else locally in Sydney. Should use toasted desiccated coconut to thicken instead but maybe local populace do not like desiccated coconut.

Rice - 3.5/5 - would have preferred the more fragrant basmati rice. Rice is on the sticky overcooked side. Also should include other variations of carbs that's mild (not fried rice/roti)... Things that would complement the main dishes... This can be pilau rice or coconut rice or saffron rice.

Roti - 1/5 - there are many types of roti but this variation which I think is based off roti canai or maybe paratha, was far too oily to be edible. Chinese variations try to make it crispy but in this case the oil had separated and it was so drenched that biting into a piece just oozed flavourless oil out all over. My wife tried pressing out the oil with paper towels but I didn't think it was even worth it as the flavour and texture was off. Rotis are meant to be a carbohydrate dish to complement the main dishes/curries and this weird variation has failed as it is too rich (and distasteful). I recommend this to be taken off the menu and back to the drawing board asap. Also, for the chefs, only taste test on those who knows the original rotis... Sometimes you'll get people who are too polite and without prior knowledge of what a roti dish should be, they might give unhelpful positive feedback. That's the only reason I can think of about why it's being served like that.

Photos attached. Overall, I don't think this place deserve such a high rating but it's all relative. If in Malaysia, this shop would be a 2/5 or 3/5 rating. (with people protesting outside in regards to the roti...

Unfortunately, we went for a group get together and we paid for their “service not” through the nose. During the booking we were quoted $70 for a group banquet meal but once our group of 13 arrived everything fell apart! Firstly, we were intercepted by our host and told, “not to swop any stools for chairs as the chairs were not allocated to our table”. We insisted on a chair swap because the stools were uncomfortable for an injured back. Secondly, during the booking we were quoted $70 per head for the banquet. Upon arrival, we were told vegetarians pay $70 for the banquet meal, meat eaters pay $75. Ok, a misunderstanding/ lack of information about meal prices. Thirdly, our meals were dumped randomly on our table without knowing which plates were vegetarian (3 people) and which were the meat meals. Then the wrong drinks were delivered to the wrong table as waiters were lovely but confused. Not a big deal at all, except we’re were charged an extra $130 for this “service fee” but no service or delegated waiters for our table when serving the food and drinks. Why charge and not deliver? Our waitress only came to our table to push hard on buying more and more drinks! We felt uncomfortable repeatedly being asked especially when this was the only time she came up to us for “service”. This was not a “service” in any way. So why charge $130 for being told we had to sit on stools, confusing our meals & drinks and pushing drink sales? Fourthly, we had to pay a further $80 for a large group of 13 people. I believe this is acceptable at some restaurants but this should have been disclosed when booking the venue. Also, we were charged a fee for public holiday which is completely acceptable and fair. Of course this additional charge was to be expected even if they didn’t mention this during booking. Finally, the icing on the cake was when we had GST added to the total bill. This GST was added to the food, the service charge, the extra people charge. I don’t think it is very Australian to quote a banquet meal for $70-$75 per hard and then add on the GST once people arrive and eat. They should have quoted banquet price per head inclusive of GST. Retail prices normally include the gst amount. So the real price for banquet is $75+ $13 ( service fee) + $10( more than 10 people charge) =$98 PLUS gst. Total amount for banquet is really $107:80 not $75. Also, we were charged an additional Anzac Day fee, of course this part was fair. Despite our disappointment, the food was quite yummy but not at the prices they charge. Needless to point out, their website menu is years out of date!!! 2016 & 2017 menus. I wonder why? Unfortunately, I would highly recommend NOT to eat here without checking all the additional charges. What a shame since we are local and planned on booking this venue again for our convenience and love for...