The Bourbon: NOLA nights in the Cross

Posted by Kath

In the wake of the lock-out laws introduced in February this year, there appears to be a definite change in the Kings Cross air - but we're yet to see which way the change really swings for the hospitality industry.

With a more relaxed menu and approach than a year ago, The Bourbon's decor and daily food and drinks specials, including a half-price late night menu, offer an inviting scene for those after a quick burger, a bite with few cocktails or a more substantial meal from the New Orleans/NOLA-inspired menu.

The kitchen in action at The Bourbon, Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross

With a renewed focus on accessibility and affordability, gone is table service in the front of the venue in favour of ordering food and drinks at the bar, and the inclusion of six burgers on the menu (there's table service in the rear dining space and set menus for groups).

We were treated to a chef’s tasting selection to guide us through the new menu, which retains many aspects of NOLA influence. (Note: most dishes shown below are smaller tasting sizes and not the full menu size). 

Maple Rose Sour (left) and Velvet Vivant Martini (right)

The cocktail menu has improved significantly in the past year and we started with something you'd expect at a venue named The Bourbon: the Maple Rose Sour.

Their take on the classic whiskey sour comprised Bulleit bourbon infused with rosemary, cloudy apple and lemon juices, green chartreuse, maple syrup and chocolate bitters; the latter few ingredients adding a nice hint of sweetness.

The Velvet Vivant martini had Ketel One vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon, pink grapefruit and agave, which while refreshing, became a little too acidic for my tastes.

Little Black Drink (LBD, left) & Ginger Rogers (right)

The LBD, or Little Black Drink, was a clever take on an espresso martini, comprising almost all my favourite things to drink in one glass: vodka, espresso gelato, maple syrup and shot of espresso.

The sweet, light and refreshing Ginger Rogers was a fruity affair of Tanqueray Gin, pomegranate liqueur, berries and lime juiced charged with ginger beer.

Spiced nuts and olives

To kick off the meal and accompany drinks, we had a selection of spiced nuts, olives, hummus, pickled chillies and bread.

The crunchy, spiced peanuts and cashews had a nice dusting of flavour with a mild heat kick, while the olives of varying types and sizes were lovely and salty.

Pickled chillies, hummus and bread

The hummus was more toned down than I'm used to but still had a nice smooth texture; great for slathering over grilled bread.

The highlight of the board, though, were the pickled chillies with such a delicious vinegary heat to them, I would have eaten them all if I didn't have to save room for the rest of the meal.

Scallops with grits, bacon, apple and fennels

Having never experienced New Orleans food, other than vicariously through watching Top Chef, I was excited to see what The Bourbon's menu had in store.

Our first and probably my favourite dish of the evening was the seared scallops which were plump, tender and beautifully caramelised on the surface.

These excellently-cooked molluscs were accompanied by a slice of crisp bacon atop a bed of creamy grits which had a distinct corn flavour. A salad of fennel and apple on the side freshened things up.

Fried chicken, waffles and hot sauce

Next we were delivered a Southern classic: fried chicken and waffles, garnished with chilli, coriander and Spanish onion. The chicken was tender and moist inside, while the batter was crispy and very well seasoned.

The waffle underneath the chicken was a sweet contrast to the savoury chicken while the tangy, fiery-red hot sauce adding extra zing, perfect for those that don't mind a bit of spice.

Alaskan crab, spiced butter and grilled bread

Another highlight of the meal was the signature Alaskan crab legs, with a surprising amount of sweet meat in each leg, considerately pre-cracked and smothered with cinnamon-spiced butter.

The spiced butter pooling on the plate was too good to waste, with sides of grilled bread provided to help mop up every last drop of buttery goodness.

Jambalaya - risotto, spices, bacon, shrimp, watercress

With no hint of slowing down, our next course was a Cajun classic of jambalaya. Like any good comfort food, the jambalaya - similar to an Italian risotto - was deliciously filling with a tomato base, bits of salty bacon and shrimp and again, a good kick of heat mixed through the rice base; all topped off with lightly pickled Spanish onion, watercress and fresh chilli.

Seared swordfish with 'hot fanny sauce' and iceberg & fennel salad

The second last savoury dish of the night was a perfectly cut piece of swordfish; tender to eat but also surprisingly meaty for a small slice of fish. Drizzled all over was the 'hot fanny sauce' of capsicum, onion and a hint of chilli.

While this dish was visually pleasing, the flavours didn't pack as much punch as the previous courses, although that could have just been my taste buds in NOLA overdrive by this point in the night.

Grilled pork chop, potato hash, chipotle butter and crispy onions

We ended the savoury portion of our NOLA journey with a slice of the grilled pork chop, which was a juicy morsel laid atop crunchy and salty potato hash.

A garnish of crispy onion ring and watercress completed the dish, although a larger serving of salad would have been ideal to balance out the rich flavours of the pork.

Banoffee pie

A Banoffee pie ushered us into the final leg of our journey - dessert - which had one overarching theme: cream.

A sizeable cloud of chocolate shaving-topped whipped cream hid a treasure trove of gooey, warm caramel and banana, all encased by soft, buttery pastry that melted in the mouth.

Waffles, vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce

Bringing us back to happy childhood memories were the waffles with squares of vanilla bean ice cream and lashings of chocolate sauce. The waffles were a simple dessert that ticked all the boxes and left smiles all around.

Strawberries and cream - vanilla ice cream, meringue, fresh strawberries 
and strawberry sorbet

To top off the epic meal in true American style, we finished with a veritable mountain of fresh strawberries and cream, with crumbled meringue covering scoops of smooth strawberry sorbet. Refreshing richness has never made so much sense.

It was easy to forget we were in the heart of Kings Cross. Indeed, the last time I had a night out in the Cross it was definitely not for a sit-down New Orleans-influenced dinner. With the new approachable and relaxed menu, live bands and ample seating room, The Bourbon is sure to become a place in the Cross to start and end the night in NOLA style.

Food, Booze & Shoes dined as a guest of The Bourbon.

The Bourbon marks the spot for New Orleans in Sydney

Change is afoot in Sydney's notorious Kings Cross. The strip joints are probably staying, as too the night clubs, but developments at the old Bourbon and Beefsteak are seeing the beginnings of a transformation for the beloved "seedy end of town".

It starts with the newly and grandly renovated New Orleans-inspired restaurant, The Bourbon by C.Inc Hospitality, which also own Cruise Bar and Coogee Bay Hotel. The kitchen is helmed by ex Becasse and Etch head chef James Metcalfe, who brings his fine dining background into new light at the more casual venue.

Pacific oysters, natural

While there are ambitious plans for the neighbouring club, basement bar, and a rooftop bar and restaurant, for now it's all about having fun with modern twists to New Orleans cuisine - of which I have limited experience although the city is in my top two list for US destinations I want to visit.

We started on a platter of Pacific and Sydney rock oysters in three different styles. Although I wished it were my preferred Sydney rocks served natural, the freshly shucked Pacifics were fresh and more than passable.

Rock oysters, Bloody Mary granita

Next up, I could taste the Sydney rocks through the icy tomato-based Bloody Mary granita which is a genius idea that peaks with a Tabasco sauce kick.

Deep fried oysters d'jour with Rockefeller mayo

Lastly, the crumbed and fried oysters were topped with a herb mayonnaise in recognition of the amusingly named oysters Rockefeller. The green sauce was a great partner (and distraction) to the unfortunately overcooked oysters.

Inside The Bourbon, Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross

There's a cocktail list with The Bourbon 'signatures' (not bourbon cocktails though) and classics of which the negroni goes down a treat.

More interesting, though, is the range of beers of which there'll be a healthy range of US beers, including a couple from New Orleans.

(Note: the dishes below were part of a special tasting and are not the sizes served on the normal menu.)

Hiramasa kingfish ceviche, citrus, radish

Ceviche has definitely taken over as one of Sydney's most popular dishes, and with good reason.

The Bourbon presents its ceviche as thin slices of delicate hiramasa kingfish with a balanced citrus dressing, radish matchsticks, coriander and fresh red chilli with some bite to it. It was a beautiful dish that really kickstarted the palate.

Melon and ham - watermelon, serrano, mint, chilli, white pepper vinegar

The serrano ham wrapped watermelon triangles were quite the surprising dish. Prosciutto and rockmelon are beaten convincingly with this combination, and I don't know if it was the pairing with the juicy, sweet watermelon but this was some of the best cured ham I've had.

More red chilli and mint gave great colour and a different kicker to every bite with the unexpectedly well-matched vinegar dressing.

Gumbo - spicy duck broth, smoked sausage, red chilli, coriander

The pretty sample of gumbo was quite possibly my first taste of the quintessentially Louisianan soup.

A little fancy with a duck consomme, the soup featured okra, baby corn, red chilli, Spanish onion, coriander and a house-made smoked sausage. The gumbo was undeniably spicy, nose-snifflingly so, but with a great depth of full flavours.

Clam and corn chowder - little neck clams, corn, bacon

I was particularly excited to try the clam chowder; a thick soup that I can't see/read/think of without referencing The Simpsons.

The Bourbon's version featured just-cooked little neck clams, sweet pops of corn kernels and thick-cut cubes of bacon which imparted a fantastic salty smokiness throughout the creamy soup. The chowder was like a warm, comforting hug that's perfect for the upcoming cooler weather.

Classic Cobb salad - soft boiled egg, chicken wings, avocado, tomato, crispy bacon,
watercress, Bellingham Blue cheese, pickled shallots

Quite possibly the most un-salad-like salads I've ever seen, The Bourbon certainly has taken a modern take on the classic American Cobb salad. While all the key components are there, there was more than a hint of the kitchen's fine dining origins in its plating.

The crisp perfection that was the bacon with the boiled egg gave it a breakfast air, while the blue cheese, cos lettuce, tomato, avocado and watercress returned it to firmly salad ground. The deboned fried chicken wing was the point of differentiation and excellence.

Grilled jumbo shrimp, Creole butter, spiced salt

It's prawns like these that quell any thoughts of lobster from my mind; indeed, they are mini lobsters. Split in half and absolutely drowned in a spiced Creole butter before grilling, the "jumbo shrimp" was seafood and spice at its best - with a liberal helping of butter and lime, that is.

Jambalaya - spiced risotto, shrimp, chilli, lime, bacon, smoked sausage, watercress

Again putting seafood and spice together was the very Creole jambalaya; a must-have dish where New Orleans is concerned.

A filling main dish option, also quite spicy, jambalaya is like a paella or risotto, featuring chilli, bacon and more of that excellent smoked sausage, topped with prawns and watercress.

Glazed beef rib - four hours slow cooked

As part of the mains options, The Bourbon also offers a selection from the rotisserie of which the sweet glazed beef short rib is a crowd-pleaser.

Slow cooked for four hours, the beef was full of flavour and softened tendons, served with mashed potato, deep fried kale and its cleaned bone.

Fried green tomatoes, buttermilk dressing

I'm pretty sure I clapped my hands in delight when the fried green tomatoes arrived, as the movie of the same title has stuck with me since the early 1990s.

Unsure of what to expect, these golden crumbed wheels of unripe, green tomatoes were surprisingly sweet inside their crunchy coating, with the creamy buttermilk dressing adding just the right amount of richness to the tomato's acidity.

Lime cheesecake - jelly, crumbs, cheese, coriander; and
Pecan Tart (back, right) - burnt bourbon, vanilla chantilly

There are a number of particularly enticing desserts on The Bourbon's menu, especially those with US origins. The lime cheesecake was a deconstructed version with tart lime jelly and cheese mix, biscuit crumbs, crispy meringues and an atypical sprig of coriander.

Much more traditional was the pecan tart which was served as a chewy and caramelly sliced portion with a desirable tart shell.

S'mores - biscuit, vanilla ice cream, chocolate, toasted marshmallow; and
Beignet (right) - peppered stawberries, caramel, whipped cream

I was most excited for my first taste of S'mores: that most unhealthy but delightful-sounding medley of roasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched within a 'graham cracker' of which I'm not sure are are widely available in Australia.

The Bourbon ups the ante on the S'more, pushing it into restaurant dessert territory with vanilla ice cream and house made oat biscuits instead of graham crackers, covered in chocolate and topped with torched vanilla marshmallow. I'm not sure how purists will feel about it but I certainly approve.

The deep fried round beignet of dough with a caramel sauce was surprisingly my favourite of the dessert plate; perhaps for its warmth and relatively reserved sweetness.

Thoroughly full and Americanised, we managed a quick chat with head chef Metcalfe who's enviably off to New Orleans shortly for research purposes. I think he's done exceptionally well with the general theme he's been given, with the large menu filled with many familiar references to US dishes that most in Sydney would not have tried before.

While change in Kings Cross will be a longer-term issue, The Bourbon definitely marks a a change in thinking in the area that can only be a good thing.

Food, booze and shoes dined as a guest of The Bourbon, with thanks to Agency G.