Lox Stock & Barrel, Bondi Beach (21 December 2014) - The Return
Friday, December 26, 2014My initial visit scored a resounding 8/10. Logical progression - head East again and try lunch. Highly recommended by running mate Mike C.
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| Same place, different menu (lunch), new company (Mike C) |
Does lunch really trump brunch?
Menu has six amazing sounding salads - thankfully no farcical names or puns. Just a list of the key ingredients with solid protein add-ons (hot smoked trout, chicken, egg). We chose three, and added a very hip-unfriendly caramel dulce de leche milkshake!
The birds-eye shot was taken beforehand...magic.
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| Cauliflower (left), Trout (top), Pumpkin (right) |
It's not normally my style to eat such dishes in sequence, but we did so nonetheless. Key issue is deciding which dish first? All three looked equally good so my 'save the best for last' strategy didn't work.
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| Cauliflower Salad plus Smoked Trout - avocado, chickpeas, corn, radish, fennel, almond & rocket - $18 + $7.50 |
Dish one is cauliflower with hot smoked trout. The trout is hides ever-so-discretely below the dressing, but is praised in on dish two below. The hero here was actually little crunchy cauliflower pieces in a spice rub. Cute to look at, even better to eat. Double-edged sword - need more cauliflower next time.
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| Hot Smoked Trout Salad - beetroot, freekah, rocket, shaved fennel, mint, zucchini, walnuts - $18 |
Hot-smoked trout ... very very addictive. Crumbled pieces leave a deep woody flavour on the palate. Rest of the dish was really an afterthought, but I did like the candied walnuts and crunchy greens.
I liken a chicken and pumpkin salad to a Happy Meal at Maccas. Happiness guaranteed but maybe too predictable! This was excuted well and tasty with moist chicken and a crunch-factor on par with a tub of Pringle's. May prefer the roast vegetable salad next time.
Difficult to pick dish of the day...I'm pretty sure my last supper would be the Cauliflower. It's borderline criminal not to have it with wood smoked trout.
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| Pumpkin Salad plus Chicken - kale, quinoa, red cabbage, cucumber, carrot, spinach - $18 + $5 |
I liken a chicken and pumpkin salad to a Happy Meal at Maccas. Happiness guaranteed but maybe too predictable! This was excuted well and tasty with moist chicken and a crunch-factor on par with a tub of Pringle's. May prefer the roast vegetable salad next time.
Difficult to pick dish of the day...I'm pretty sure my last supper would be the Cauliflower. It's borderline criminal not to have it with wood smoked trout.
100km running, salad and satisfaction should very seldom be found in the same sentence.
How could today possibly be the exception? Well it comes down to simple maths and compounding returns. Three salads, meticulously split in thirds for three to share. In addition, a half sized wife with (thankfully) an appropriately sized stomach. To my glee, on all three rounds my plate became my third plus 50% of her third.
Pat on the back for being the lucky bloke that married her...
No surprises on my ratings below.
Food - 9/10 - good enough that even those with a 'no-greens' policy would enjoy.
Value - 7/10 - mid $20s for a salad with protein? Priced to be a treat, not an every-day choice.
Other - 8/10 - hard to get a table but we were prioritised. 30 min from order to service (again).
Overall - 8/10 - happy to return even for a third time.
Finally, back to the original question - lunch vs brunch?
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| Bowlarama - $18 |
Both options stand above the crowd and frankly it is splitting hairs. Whilst breakfast has some real duds (e.g. granola), it is cheaper and the Bowlarma is a quality pick. In short, I'll be back for brunch.
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