not your standard fish & chip shop

If you're looking for an ordinary fish and chip shop, Flippin Fish is not your place. However, if you're looking for a seafood restaurant with a difference, then make your way to Dural to try out this new restaurant. Opening in March this year, owners Domenic Lombardo and Inge Pirrie have brought a new concept to the area - a fish market come seafood 'cafe'.

Flippin Fish lives at the back of Dural shops - it's not exactly something you would normally walk or drive past and has had some pretty harsh online reviews, so I was interested to see what it was like. Especially on Mothers Day, with a fairly large group. Unfortunately we had to wait outside (lucky it was a beautiful day) for at least 30 minutes while they sorted out our table. Very disappointing seeing as we made a booking, and were with a group of 13. We eventually made our way inside, and to be honest, felt a little bit like sardines squashed in a can. There was so many people in there!

As it was Mothers Day, we had a three course set menu to choose from (choosing from three dishes within each course). I chose the Port Kenny King Prawns with alfalfa & mung bean salad for my entree and it was really yum, fresh and light. Slightly on the bigger serving side for entree, but I still ate it all. The entree ordered by majority of the table was Spanish style squid with chorizo, corn & garlic. This was slightly heavier from a meaty and flavoursome perspective, but was delicious.

  

For my main I ordered the Crispy skin Barramundi with tahini yoghurt and spiced carrots. I love ordering white fish (and can never say 'no' to Barramundi) and it didn't disappoint. Cooked perfectly with the right balance of flavours. Also, how can you go to a 'fish and chip' restaurant and not order seafood as a main!? Not me! Another favourite main on the table was the 300g grass fed sirloin with roast portabellos & parsnip puree. This was cooked to perfection with great taste, but unfortunately had so too fat on the steak (felt like 30%)....

Sides were ordered separately, and at $6 a pop. We ordered the Kale and Pear Salad (fresh but overrated) and the chips (ah-maz-ing)!

For my dessert I genuinely couldn't decide... Cadbury Milk Chocolate mousse with shortbread and honeycomb or Classic Sticky Date Pudding with butterscotch and vanilla gelato. What to choose....!? I left it up to the waitress, and she nailed it. The chocolate mousse was a winner and worked perfectly with my entree and main. It was creamy, light, more-ish and the perfect serving. Although I definitely could have nailed another one. The sticky date serving was quite big, but looked a little dry and didn't have enough sauce in my opinion.

Would I come back? Yes, I honestly would. You've got to give them a little slack. The fit out is great (if you don't mind walking up stairs to the restaurant), the service was fantastic and friendly, and the meals were tasty and on the larger size. Do I think the prices were expensive for the area? Yes, but it's a fantastic restaurant. And I certainly would pay the same (if not more) if it were located closer to the city. Would love to come back in a couple of months time to see how they've progressed... On a side note, they interestingly have some of their recipes on the website. I shall pass these on to my husband :)

Restaurant: Flippin Fish
Price: Food approx $65pp; Beverages approx. $35pp
Hours: From 11.30am
Must order: Crispy skin Barramundi with tahini yoghurt and spiced carrots

three words: man. eating. tiger.

I've got to say, I've never tried nor have I had the desire to try Bangladeshi cuisine. That was... until BANG Restaurant came along. Opening earlier this year, owner Nicholas Gurney and Bangladeshi-born Head Chef Tapos Singha (ex Est., Gowings Bar & Grill, Lucio's) have created a walk-in only bar in Surry Hills which uses local produce to recreate Bengali street food.

A little tricky to find (even though it's on the main street), but if you follow the red light it leads you to a 60-seat restaurant with a vibrant atmosphere, loud music, exposed brick, open-plan kitchen and communal tables. With an all-Portuguese wine list and a portion of food takings going to Bangladesh relief aid, Gurney claims "the restaurant pays tribute to the energetic blend of art, intellect, passion and poverty, love and hate that line the streets of Bengal".

I came on a Friday night with three of my girlfriends. We got a table fairly easy, arriving around 6.30pm. We started the night with the insanely delicious cocktail called Man Eating Tiger - Rum, apple brandy, Bangali spice and lemon juice. Easily one of the best cocktails we've ever tasted. To say we had a few rounds before starting dinner is an understatement. We also ordered a couple of bottles of Beyra Branco.

We started our meal with the Dal Puri - Fried roti, spiced lentils. To me the roti was nice, but I absolutely hated the dipping sauce. Tasted like the smell of a mens urinal, needless to say I only dipped once. I need to note that this was my own experience, the other girls loved everything about this dish. Next up we had the Fuska - Spiced potato, coriander, green chilli, shaved egg, tamarind water, which had the perfect balance of puffiness to crispiness. We also had the Honey Roasted Paneer, eschallots and peas which was... nice. It's Bangladesh's response to haloumi, but for me that can never be replaced. Kind of tasted like a condensed (and tastier) version of tofu.

For the larger share dishes we ordered the BANG Routi Kebab - Hanger steak, paratha, daikon and watercress; Wagyu tri tip curry, chicory, satkora and the Lamb shoulder blade, okra, mint yoghurt, black salt. Each of these dishes come extremely highly recommended, however the crowd favourite was the kebab. We also ordered the side of Snake beans, sultana and almonds.

Being a sweet lover and trying a new cuisine for the first time, we ordered the Kulfi - white chocolate and hazelnut. This was nice, but I probably wouldn't order it again. It's not really a standout, and not on par with the rest of the dishes.

Provided I had no expectations I was absolutely blown away. The food was delicious and lived up to the street food niche. Incredible flavours, perfect serving size, great combination of textures (and not too oily - which is what I was expecting). The waitress we had was a little odd, but she got the orders right and was fairly prompt so I can't complain too much. And that cocktail!!! We ordered another for good measure, and to finish our dining experience on a high.

Restaurant: BANG Restaurant
Total price (for 4 ppl): Food: $163; Beverages: $250
Hours: Tue - Thu 6pm - 12am; Fri - Sat 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 12am
Must order: BANG Routi Kebab; Man Eating Tiger