Hinky Dinks, a dink a do...

The revival of the old school - anything retro, beyond the 1980s, 'vintage' - makes me wonder what will be considered 'old school' in another 10 years' time. There doesn't seem to be anything in the 1990s that would be revived as fashionable or cool; though I guess we can only wait and see.

Complimentary spiced popcorn at Hinky Dinks, Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst

Hinky Dinks is a retro-styled bar that could pass as a 1950s milk bar but also serves killer cocktails and some pretty decent eats. It was created by the guys behind this blog about opening a small bar in Sydney - and they have obviously reached their goal. When they say small bar, they kind of mean it, so get there early if you plan to imbibe on a Friday or Saturday night.

Booths and more spaced out lounge seats dominate the cosy space, but the bar seats are where the action happens: from the shaking and garnishing to the refilling of complimentary paper cups of popcorn flavoured with a moreish herb and spice mix, which I could eat endlessly.

Madagascar Manhattan

There's a good variety of cocktails that could all easily become signatures of the bar, especially the deadly Zombie of which patrons are only allowed a maximum of two per night. It's responsible service with a liberal shots of fun at Hinky Dinks. One glance behind the bar and you know there's some impressive experience in those hands that shake up cocktails so efficiently.

The Madagascar Manhattan is an exotic twist on the heavy-hitting classic, featuring bourbon infused with vanilla (the Madagascan connection?) and citrus peel stirred with sweet vermouth, agave and chocolate bitters.

It was hard not to feel a little 'vintage' with the pretty crystal glassware, though the maraschino cherry and popcorn brought it back to somewhat more recent times.

Gin 'n' Jam

I hadn't quite expected such a frothy, girly drink when I ordered my Gin 'n' Jam, though I probably should have figured with the use of house made rose petal jam as an ingredient.

Here, Bombay Sapphire gin and Aperol were shaken with the mentioned jam, lemon, cranberry bitters and egg white for the blushingly gorgeous drink, garnished with a few rose petals. The bitter Aperol features prominently in this light cocktail that would be ideal pre-food.

Gypsy Blood

A cool, tall drink is the Gypsy Blood, just one of a few cocktail names at Hinky Dinks that would fit right in for a Halloween theme.

While it's of a red hue, there's nothing squeamish about the mix of Amaro, an Italian herbal liqueur, fresh lime, pineapple syrup, peach bitters and grapefruit soda. This was my second drink although I think it's probably best to start with the long drinks on ice ahead of those served up.

Pan fried olive and parmesan sandwich

Aside from cocktails, there's also a one-page wine list that traverses the sub $100 mark quite broadly and an interesting list of bar food with a menu designed by Laif Etournaud. It's then no wonder that I faced the temptation, again, of a pan fried olive and parmesan sandwich, which I first encountered at Gotham (where Etournaud also consulted on the menu).

Hinky Dinks' olive and parmesan toastie was a savoury delight, especially after the sugar of the cocktails. A salty black olive tapenade with salty melted cheese on crunchy grilled bread has to be as close to the perfect bar snack there is.

Fried squid with aioli

The squid was fried to a pale, soft texture although this was forgiven with the inspired addition of whole leaves of parsley and basil. The freshness from the herbs was an exhilarating twist on same-old fried squid, while the aioli added a welcome touch of richness.

The food we ordered came from the 'peckish' section of the menu and there are just three more substantial eats and a couple of desserts, so it's definitely more your drinking than eating kind of parlour.

The Darlinghurst crowd was definitely enjoying itself in one of the area's newest offerings although given the very limited space at Hinky Dinks, there were a fair few turned away or told to return later. The vibe is relaxed but stylish, matched well by the sophisticated drinks and service, the popcorn and also the huge bowl of complimentary mints at the bar. Hinky Dinks goes to show that good old fashioned fun never goes out of style.

Role playing at Monkey Magic

I grew up watching, and indeed playing, Monkey or what we called ‘Monkey Magic’ – the Japanese TV series from the 1980s hilariously dubbed into English for our Australian ABC television viewing. The fight scenes were my favourite to watch, especially any which involved Monkey magically turning his tiny staff into a full sized one.

Role playing at home back in the day, I was lumped with being Sandy while my brothers took the roles of Monkey and Pigsy. We’d run around the house, up onto the couch or anything that would elevate us to simulate Monkey’s flying cloud. I miss those young, innocent days.

Go-Shu sake at Monkey Magic, Crown Street, Surry Hills

While I no longer identify with Sandy, it’s as we’re reliving more innocent times at a birthday dinner (late twenties – prime for the Monkey cult phenomenon) at Monkey Magic in Surry Hills. A large group means we’re allotted the set menu, which seems reasonably priced and covers a number of Japanese menu favourites.

The sake menu consists of four Japanese and one Australian brews. Requested warm to hopefully diffuse the effects of a cold, we start with the Aussie stuff, which is kind of drinkable.

Amuse bouche - Cauliflower soup with curry

I’m not sure what or who Monkey Magic is trying to be when an amuse bouche arrives. A creamy cauliflower soup sprinkled with curry says nothing of restaurant’s direction nor the modern, bare brick chic look with exposed ceilings, wooden floors and browns all round.

It also says little about the ability of the kitchen, though perhaps it was just my cold-affected tastebuds that found the amuse bouche more like a bland glass of cold cream that had cauliflower and curry powder waved over it.

Edamame with pink salt sprinkles

The edamame are a huge improvement on the earlier amusement, as well as the soy beans in general. These, sprinkled with pink salt flakes, have a firmness that is so pleasing against the common expectation of soggily-cooked edamame.

Shared between four-to-five people, the bowl of discards rises quickly against the ‘kampai’ of our little sake cups.

Assorted sashimi

The sashimi platter is portioned for three, featuring salmon, tuna, kingfish and a daikon-rolled salmon topped with salmon roe. The tuna wasn’t spectacular but the others faring reasonably better.

Soft shell crab roll

The inside-out roll of soft shell crab, serving four, is a winner, especially the end bits with battered and fried crab legs hanging out. With the rice rolled in tobiko flying fish roe and a spiced mayonnaise within the roll, it was fresh, full-flavoured and downright delicious.

Chilli soy cuttlefish with mizuna, bean sprout, coriander, white onion vinaigrette

This take on salt and pepper squid is most appreciated, given the rarity of cuttlefish on Sydney menus (though I did have a very good spiced version on the specials menu at Izakaya Fujiyama more recently than my last visit).

Cuttlefish is much like squid, but the flesh is thicker and in this instance, more tender and sea-sweet too. The white onion vinaigrette is an interesting addition to flavours while the vegetables add a necessary healthy aspect to the dish.

Chicken-prawn shu mai with fresh bamboo, water chestnut, ginerg, miso-mustard sauce
and lychee berry

The shu mai dumplings aren’t the prettiest sight. A little flop-sided and looking as if they were steamed within inches of their little dumpling lives, they weren’t revolutionary in the slightest but with a pleasant ginger fragrance. The miso mustard sauce was subdued while the sweet soy dipping sauce helped as much as it could have.

Pan seared ocean trout with green pea ragout, Asian green and black pepper sauce

There’s a choice of three mains as part of the set menu: ocean trout, pork belly or beef sirloin. There is little Japanese about any of the three mains – as they arrive, I could have been easily transported to any average, suburban restaurant trying for a modern Australian bent.

The fillet of ocean trout has pleasingly crisp skin and is well cooked with a rare centre, but is otherwise unexciting. The black pepper sauce is particularly pungent and probably much more appropriate paired with beef while the peas have me thinking about pies.

Slow cooked pork belly - soy braised pork belly, apple -lime puree, spicy kimchi, salad
of pickled vegetable

We all immediately note, with distress, that the pork arrives skinned; just a bare, pale layer of fat topping the well sized portion, covered in a rich brown soy sauce. Only then realising it was a braised pork belly, one still feels pretty cheated – as if someone had stolen the crackling off your pork.

The tender pork wasn’t too bad, with a rather traditional Western apple sauce contrasting with kimchi and Asian-style pickled vegetables.

Rangers Valley sirloin with confit cherry tomato, roasted white onion and 'goma' sesame sauce

The pre-cut sirloin probably looked the most promising of the lot, cooked to the requested medium-rare and mostly tender.

It was served with a single ‘confit’ cherry tomato, a small wedge of white onion and more of that pepper sauce, and wouldn’t have looked too out of place at a steakhouse or even local pub.

Salted caramel semifreddo with crunchy meringue, yuzu stewed apple

Desserts are not included in the set menu but we definitely had stomach space for a few selections. The salted caramel semifreddo was my pick of the lot, though I wasn’t expecting the slice to look so much like a Thai custard.

The creamy texture of the semifreddo could not sway me from thinking it tasted exactly like caramel YoGo from childhood. The pretty meringue which supported the semifreddo slice was the highlight with an impressively crunchy shell, and pleasant with the stewed apples.

Yuzu trifle with yuzu lady fingers, mango and raspberry

The yuzu trifle was a pretty construction of cream and subtle yuzu sponge fingers, with a lust-worthy dice of mango drizzled on top. Surprisingly light in texture and flavours, I think a bigger hit of yuzu was needed to justify the dessert’s name.

Our group didn’t get kicked out for another group event, as we were told to expect, but the dining room wasn’t entirely full for the Saturday night anyway. Modern Japanese in Surry Hills is a tough gig with the ultra luxe, high end of Toko up the road on Crown Street, and cheap and cheerful Sushi Suma on Cleveland Street.

But perhaps there is a middle ground – indeed, perhaps there is still a bit of room in our lives for Monkey Magic, jumping on couches and being innocent again.

Say cheese at Jamie’s Italian

I’ve been lamenting the lack of decent pasta options in the city for so long I have to smile every time I pass the newly opened Jamie’s Italian on Pitt Street, where every morning and throughout the day fresh pasta comes magically out of two machines in the window. And not just the noodle-y stuff; frilly shells and rigatoni-esque shapes too.

Inside Jamie's Italian, Pitt Street, Sydney

After many months of anticipation, I was at dinner on the ground level of Jamie’s Italian with an after work Dal Zotto prosecco just the thing to start the evening. Even at an early 6.30pm Wednesday night, we had to have a drink in the bar while waiting before being seated, with queues out the door not much later.

Complimentary bread basket

A quick skim of the menu shows up traditional Italian at extremely reasonable prices: starting with bread and nibbles, antipasti, pasta in two serving sizes, mains and a wealth of side dishes.

I’m not sure it’s possible to not order the pasta, even if everyone starts with a complimentary bread basket with ciabatta and white and rye half slices from Brasserie Bread, rosemary focaccia, a bread stick and a thin, not-quite-as-crunchy-as-it-should-have-been carta di musica thin flatbread.

Creamy mozzarella

With such reasonable pricing, I was more than happy to go the whole three courses plus sides, not to mention the well-priced wine list with a good range under $60. The light and fruity Umani Ronchi Montepulciano D'Abruzzo was reasonably fruity and a good match to all the flavours throughout dinner.

The mozzarella cheese called to me and arrived as a simply torn ball of buffalo mozzarella with a new take on insalata caprese – same white, red and green colours but substituting non-spicy red chilli slivers for tomato and mint for basil.

The mint combined with lemon zest and olive oil really lifted the flavours of the dish while the chilli added interest to the subtly creamy and salty mozzarella, which could easily get boring being such a big serve.

Crispy squid

One of the hot antipasti dishes – and one of the only ones without cheese – was the deep fried squid, served almost tapas style in a terracotta dish with chilli, garlic, lemon and "really garlicky mayo".

The thin and still crunchy batter was a highlight, yet it was still outshone by the most garlicky and tangy mayonnaise/aioli I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. It was so good that once the just tender squid was finished, we continued dipping pieces of bread into the aioli.

Meat platter

On a per person order, the antipasti boards are ceremoniously placed atop two cans of tomato at the table – a bit gimmicky but cute enough to think it’s something Jamie Oliver might do at home.

Crunchy salad (left), bocconcini (middle) and pecorino with chilli jam (right)

The board features meat, cheese and vegetables, and would make an excellent drinking companion. The ‘Crunchy Salad’ is one of root vegetable slivers; beetroot most noticeably and heavily doused in olive oil.

The cheese is both a bocconcini ball with diced chilli and mint, and a thin slice of pecorino on flat bread with a puddle of chilli jam.

Cured meats and vegetables

There’s a scattering of two olives, a caper berry and a pickled green chilli over the feature meats which I believe are sourced from Quattro Stelle: a lush, melt-on-your-tongue San Daniele prosciutto, wagyu bresaola, fennel salami and capocollo that was declared the best of the lot.

Spaghetti bolognaise (entree size)

The meal started extremely promisingly and as the noise and crowds ramped-up, the attentive waitstaff were still smiley and on the ball amid the rather loud chart-topper pop music, which is an interesting choice. The pasta was the moment we were all awaiting for secondi; some entrée sized and some main sized.

I had expected the spaghetti bolognaise to deviate somewhat from the traditional and it was by no means classic to the Australian palate. Featuring house made al dente spaghetti with a pangrattato bread crumb topping and pecorino shavings, the sauce was inexplicably sweet and lacking a little in moisture. I’m sure Jamie Oliver would have fixed that with half a bottle of olive oil “to finish” but we didn’t.

Crab and squid ink risotto (entrée size)

Dramatic black risotto never fails to impress the eye while here the rice maintained a nice bit of bite. The flavours were fairly restrained though I didn’t try the spanner crab, and the dish was said to be fairly good overall. The entrée size risotto is so generous I’d be a little scared to see a main size.

Mushroom panzerotti (main size)

It’s so refreshing to see a filled pasta dish of reasonable price and decent serving size. Four ravioli are never going to fill anyone with a proper appetite, but this main size panzerotti quite huge – especially considering starters and sides.

The brown sauce of mushrooms was again on the sweet side while the filled "half moon" pasta shapes were simply perfect in texture and obviously freshly made. It was somewhat let down by seasoning (or lack thereof) despite grated pecorino on top, while the pangrattato added a fun crunch to every mouthful.

Bucatini carbonara (main size)

While I know a perfectly decent carbonara sauce is achievable at home, it’s always good to see the professionals do it too.

The hollow tubes of bucatini, or hollow spaghetti, virtually swim in the eggy sauce which is best described as an edible silk. Slinky, smooth, luxurious – this carbonara had it all going on, while the bucatini pasta was much fun to slurp up, elegantly and splash-free, of course.

Posh chips

One Jamie Oliver audience member couldn't resist the "posh chips" dressed with truffle oil and grated parmesan cheese. Hauntingly similar to some at a nearby shopping centre burger outlet, these were not chips of the crispy variety; more the chunky, skin-on variation that took on the posh flavours just as well.

Best humble green salad

Amongst all the cheese and carbs, I had to see some greenery, which arrived covered in cheese. I'm not sure where the "humble" part comes into play, but the mint and lemon buttermilk dressing seemed anything but.

A selection of crisp mixed leaves was actually rather rich and creamy, though still appreciated amid the carb-loading and boozing that was happening.

Bread, wine, starters, pasta main and sides were filling - no surprises there - but for once I wasn't going to leave without dessert. Perhaps it goes back to the affordability or that so many of Jamie Oliver's desserts in his books and television shows look extraordinarily tempting.

Brioche con gelato

I didn't expect mini burgers when I ordered the brioche con gelato dessert; even if they were very cute burgers. Warmed brioche bun halves held together gelato, a lemon marmalade and crushed pistachios, which all together had the very flavours of cassata.

The warmed buns meant the gelato melted quickly and messily, while the bun to gelato ratio swayed heavily towards the former which was a bit much to handle after the numerous courses.

Dessert special: Eton Mess

The evening's dessert special of Eton Mess was a pile of ingredients that each sounded better than the next. To start, the waiter wasn't kidding when he said chewy meringues, as they were the chewiest, teeth-sticking meringue pieces I've ever come across.

Creme fraiche, pistachios and raspberry jam rounded out the mess which was actually quite light, despite appearances. The worn look of the enamel dish was a cute touch although potentially worrying for some mothers.

Creamy panna cotta

The panna cotta was more creamy than wobbly, but luxuriously so. The berry compote played second fiddle very well to the vanilla bean speckled milk pudding, which had a perfect sweetness and texture. It disappeared in less than a minute but stayed on the mind for much longer than that.

The crowd had cleared in the later evening, though the kitchen still seemed to be pumping and having a bit of fun even. Music blared; those that were left were into their food or the pretty impressive fitout; and me - well, all that cheese and fresh pasta meant I just had to smile as I walked past those pasta machines in the window.

P.S. Minor gripe: when paying with a credit card, staff re-print and re-deliver your bill to add on a 0.8% merchant fee. The staff then process your credit card as they stand/squat next to you via mobile EFTPOS terminals and ask and wait as you input a tip amount, which is a little awkward. Would be nice to streamline this process.