Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse, 9 Nov 2010

Another work year has started and I am grateful that, amongst the tasks which will be thrown my way, organising a year-end Christmas party will not be one of them. For many workplaces, preparations for the following year’s Christmas party start almost before the last reveller from the current year’s event has even left the venue. Mistress has been lumped with this task for her workplace and I am most definitely not envious.

As my shiny red heels click-clack along the boards of Woolloomooloo’s finger wharf, there are large groups of men in business suits and ladies in cocktail dresses enjoying pre-dinner drinks in the evening sun outside several of the restaurants located along there. They appear to be the beginnings of year-end work celebrations and the lovely Sarah Ashmore, Functions & Marketing Coordinator of the Pacific Restaurant Group, confirms that Kingsleys is a popular choice for these shindigs and reservations are taken well in advance. All of which is understandable given the location and its view of the city skyline and relaxing surrounds.

But the view and location are all for naught if the food doesn’t stand up to the test of customers and, on this fine evening, twelve eager and camera-wielding food bloggers with appetites at the ready. Cocktails “with a modern twist” are offered all round but I’m afraid I’m not particular au fait in this area and can only remember two things about mine: 1) it was blueberry flavoured and possibly made with sparkling wine, and 2) it was girly and easy to drink.


The sourdough I do remember, with its distinct chewy crust and dense but soft interior enjoyed with real butter. However the show is stolen by the clean flavours of the ‘Burrata mozzarella salad with heirloom tomato and basil’, as well as the ceremony by which the hand-tied ball of cream-filled cheese is hoisted precariously via tweezers from a glass and rested on a bed of awaiting colourful tomato segments and where the remaining balsamic vinegar contents are drizzled over the salad itself.


The ‘Baby octopus with chilli, salt and pepper’ are tender, tasty and not at all greasy. The ‘Steak tartare with truffle aioli and sourdough crostini’ is anointed with a cute little quail egg replete with oozy yolk, and the tartare can be requested unmixed along with an array of condiments for a do-it-yourself experience.

I thought the show had been stolen by the burrata, but that was before the Alaskan king crab legs made their entrance thus completely upstaging everything before it. With pre-cracked shells for eating convenience, the flesh is sweet, springy and briney all in one bite and the triumph is in extricating a piece of meat from a segment of shell intact in its entirety.


Beef Wellingtons, encasing 400 grams of eye fillet to serve two and which require pre-ordering, are cut in half to reveal their blushing pink centres before us and plated by Group Executive Chef, Lars Svensson. Even with the vegetable relief provided by ‘Charred asparagus with parmesan’, ‘Iceberg salad with radish and blue cheese’ (very subtle in blue cheese for those who aren’t fans of it like me!), and ‘Zucchini with peas, mint & Persian fetta’, I fail to finish the meat but make a serious dent into the puff pastry outer and mushroom duxelle. Heh, I am never one to let pastry go to waste.


Dessert time proves that the ‘Chocolate brownie & banana sundae’ is a popular, classic choice, whilst I go for the ‘Toffee cheesecake with praline ice-cream’ in all its silken, toffee-swirled wobbliness. I am also told that the ‘Crème brûlée with sticky blueberry compote’ is crack-a-licious.


Dinner ends with tea, coffee, chocolate-coated coffee beans and happily satisfied bellies while I sit back under the twinkling stars and city lights wondering which lucky people will get to enjoy their Christmas parties there.

Mademoiselle Délicieuse dined as a guest of Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse, Sydney, and the Pacific Restaurant Group courtesy of Sarah Ashmore.

Restaurant 10, 6 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo NSW
Tel: 1300 546 745

Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse on Urbanspoon

happy eating!

16 comments:

  1. This was an awesome night. Especially loved the crab! Could see myself demolishing a serve of that on my own :)

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  2. Crackalicious! Now that's my kinda dessert. The beef wellington looks great - always so hard to balance perfect meat and flaky pastry.

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  3. burrata oh my delicious burrata how i love thee

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  4. ha! Yes, I can understand why the Crème brûlée and king crabv would upstage the show!

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  5. Love the look of the perfect beef wellington!! Alaskan king crab has the sweetest meat.

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  6. lol I thought it said carbhouse :P
    looks deeelicious!

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  7. I saw the word crab house and all I wanted to see was crab. And it did not disapoint. Looks like a pretty good dinner.

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  8. Twas an epic meal indeed... wanting a bit (or a lot) of everything again haha

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  9. I'm still thinking about that crab, and beef wellington, and tartar!

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  10. great memories of a lovely meal :-)

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  11. What a wonderful looking meal. Shock horror, but I am actually yet to try Alaskan King Crab.

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  12. A lovely beef wellington really hits the spot. :-D

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  13. alaksan king crab! gimme gimme gimme!!

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  14. Wow, that beef wellington.. why haven't I had it more often!!!

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  15. Hey Simon, so sweet, so tender, and so easy to extract from the shell!

    Hey Helen, suspect I may have eaten more pastry than beef! =p

    Hey chocolatesuze, you'll have to fight me for the burrata, haha!

    Hey Adrian, I need more Alaskan king crab in my life =D

    Hey Ellie, that crab! *swoon*

    Hey Shellie, haha, CARBhouse would work too in my world!

    Hey Mark, haha, oh yes the crab was good indeed!

    Hey FFichiban, I want to see Ninja fall off a chair again =p

    Hey John, I should really work up the courage to try a tartare...

    Hey Simon, a great meal indeed!

    Hey Sara, something to put on your 2011 resolution-eats then? =D

    Hey Joey, felt bad that I couldn't finish it!

    Hey sugarpuffi, but don't forget the gorgeous burrata!

    Hey Thang, must admit I don't have beef Wellington all that often either, come to think of it...

    Hey Maria, and it's in a beautiful location to boot =)

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