Ah, another day and another Thai restaurant in the Surry Hills precinct to try. Opened in 2008, Sugarcane boasts an authentic South East Asian menu and is headed by ex Longrain chefs Milan Strbac. The restaurant was almost looked over, blending into the walls and street. It's like a lost or closely kept secret.
Dining area was small but only half the restaurant was filled this Saturday night. We were provided dining and drink menus on arrival and asked if we wanted bottled or tap water (really a plus in my books, but also usually a given in restaurants).
Pimms No 1 - Pimms No.1, Lemonade, Lemon, Mint, Cucumber $15
Mojito - Mount Gay Rum, Lime, Brown Sugar, Mint, Soda Water $15
2011 Charlotte Sound Sauv Blanc Malborough, NZ $7 p/gls
The Pimms (one of my favs) and mojito were both very refreshing drinks with the perfect balance of sweetness and between alcohol and ... non-alcohol? I opted for wine (of course) which complimented the savoury meals to come.
Prawn on Rice Cake w Caramelised Sugarcane $4 per serving (i.e for one bite)
This sort of signature dish was all over food blogs and I was excited to see what the fuss was about. Prawn pieces on top of a crispy rice cake disc and topped with mountain of shredded kaffir lime, coriander leaves and chilli. It was difficult to eat it in one bite, especially if you don't have the jaw flexibility of a snake. The flavours were so delish though, with the caramelised sugar giving the needed sweetness, the mountain providing a little bit of needed acidity and chilli providing heat well known to Thai cooking. The rice cake gave it some texture, however I think i would prefer more prawn than salad.
Soft Shell Crab w Mint, Cucumber and Chilli w Sesame Dressing $24
Soft Shell Crab w Mint, Cucumber and Chilli w Sesame Dressing $24
Deep fried golden crispy crab goodness. The batter was well seasoned and the meat was juicy, unfortunately I think Canley Height's Holy Basil does a better version. Still a top dish though with an abundance of salad. The black sesame crisp seemed a bit out of place, but if you eat it like Vietnamese prawn cracker and salad style it makes a lot more sense (a la cracker with salad on top eaten in one bite).
Duck, Asian Celery & Lychee Salad w Black Vinegar & Soy Dressing $26
This was my favourite dish of the whole night, however no one else seemed to agree (#foreveralone). Shredded duck pieces with an Asian salad filled with coriander leaves. I have never been a fan or coriander or celery, however I think it was the tangy vinegar that really pulled this dish together. Was saddened to find that there were no actual lychee pieces, and that the sweet lychee flavour did not stand out at all.
Salt and Pepper Silken Tofu w Mushrooms, Yellow Beans and Chilli $16
This reminded me of the delicious Japanese agedashi tofu done with silken tofu instead of firm. The sauce was incredibly flavoursome, in which I proceeded to pour on my rice sparingly haha. The dish lacked any real heat for me, however a lot of my friends don't eat chilli so it was a compromise to forgive. This dish was definitely the group favourite for the night.
Stir-fry Eggplant w Chilli, Yellow Bean and Thai Basil $12
This was also another favourite, vegetarian at it's tastiest really (who said vegetarian food is bland?). Yum, the eggplant was soft and mush on the inside but had a little crisp on the outside. The sauce was similiar to that of the tofu and made the best dipping companion for the eggplant. One of the girls who has never tried eggplant before said she really like it, and I don't think eggplant is one of those things you can love immediately so I guess that says a lot!
We also ordered around 3 servings of rice and the bill in total was $189 for 6 people including drinks. We had a cake that day, so I had to skip trying the desserts. The service was fast and attentive: glasses of water refilled, plates were taken away and they kindly helped us cut the cake without charging for service (if you don't know by now, that's a big plus in my books). Sugarcane is a nice little place just outside the hustle and bustle of the Surry Hills precinct. Is it authentic South-East Asian as they claim? Although you won't find soft shell crab or rice cakes, in terms of flavour I think chef Milan has done a spot on job.Will definitely go back to try the pad thai and curry (which both sold out that day) to see if it's similar to what I had in the streets of Phuket.
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 2.5/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Interior: 2/5
Revisit: 3/5
Labels: food