Blending Manhattan style with an upmarket steakhouse look, Eastside Grill is a nicely rough-around-the-edges space in Chippendale. There are some industrial touches, like the metal shelves behind the bar, alongside some striking features, like a star-shaped light fixture hanging over a group table.
On one wall, there’s an abstract portrait by Belgium-born (and Hong Kong-based) street artist Caratoes, an eye-catching piece that nods to the time executive chef Stanley Wong and head chef Angie Ford spent in that fabled food city. Exposed brick walls and some greenery round out a smart, not overly sanitised design.
The food treads a nice line in slightly rustic meat and seafood dishes, sourcing high-end produce from around Australia and successfully bringing some influences from modern Japanese cuisine into the mix.
It’s an upmarket menu, but not overly fussy or formal, with a group of “sharing noshes” that range from bone marrow to diver scallops doused in tiger’s milk. Eastside’s bill of fare includes a twist on even the most familiar standards; the chips include seaweed and truffle aioli, while the Caesar salad spices things up with a flame-roasted jalapeño dressing.
Similarly left of centre is a special of white asparagus ($24), which is a refined, slightly unusual treat, with the subtler taste of the white variety sitting underneath tender pink slices of duck breast, a hen’s egg, microherbs and shaved parmesan.
The mains make the most of Eastside Grill’s main point of difference: the Japanese binchotan grill. Prized by chefs worldwide, this grill uses white charcoal from ubame oak and imparts a distinctive flavour to the meat while not releasing smoke or aroma like other cooking methods. It makes for supremely tender smoked meats, and you can choose from a range of steaks, like a Black Angus NY striploin ($52).
Alternatively, you could go for a mixed grill ($48), which allows you to sample an assortment of king prawns, meltingly soft hanger steak, octopus, lamb sweetbread and a moist, almost sweet piece of red snapper. The tiger prawns, from Northern Territory’s Skull Island (available separately), are especially good; they’re light, succulent and ideally cooked with a little garlic. It all comes with a small pot of sharp chimichurri sauce – always a simple but reliable way of elevating grilled meats.
Eastside Grill is probably more known for its smoked seafood and steaks than sweets, but you don’t want to sleep on the Dessert Extravaganza.
Fitting for a restaurant with a strong international flavour, the wine list crosses continents, including the likes of a pleasingly smooth Argentinian red (2015 Pulenta ‘La Flor’ Malbec, $14/$70). For something closer to home, the 2014 Chard Farm River Run ($17/$81) is a New Zealand Pinot Noir with berry and intense fruit flavours robust enough to go with any of the meat options.
Eastside Grill is probably more known for its smoked seafood and steaks than sweets, but you don’t want to sleep on the Dessert Extravaganza ($42), a visually explosive mini-feast, which lives up to its lavish name, arriving at the table with flaming crème brûlées, potted chocolate mousses and the delicate green tea tiramisu.
Demolish those and you’re only halfway through this sugary cavalcade, with fluffy brownies, chunks of thick New York-style cheesecake, wisps of pastel green fairy floss and slices of sweet dehydrated orange sitting amongst a scattering of moreish sugared raspberries and dabs of colourful coulis. It makes for a satisfying (and potentially sugar coma-inducing) end to a classy meal.
