Food Society, Darlinghurst

There are so many new eateries popping up lately that I lost track of what is new and what is worth visiting. 

Food Society was one that has been on my radar but just haven't gotten round to pay a visit. 

So when browsing the net on where to go for  lifeis2mu(n)ch belated birthday / graduation celebration, I came across an offer at Ouffer for Food Society - $49 / 2ppl for shared 3 course dinner + a shot of vodka each (bargain !!)

Food Society began as a catering company and then they decided to open up a restaurant in the backstreet of Darlinghurst, offering modern Eastern European cuisine whilst still stay true to the tradition. 

The restaurant itself was very welcoming and warm as we walked in , love the odd pieces of furnitures and sort of antique decors. 

Semolina Bread Sticks & Pickled Cucumbers

As we had already mention that we will be using the Ouffer vouchers that night, the special set menu for the night was already on the table so all we have to do was sit back and wait for the foods hehehehe...

Not long after we sat, a jar of crispy semolina bread sticks and pickled cucumber were brought over for us to nibble on.

Liked the bread sticks as it has that gritty texture of semolina, the cucumber was pickled with dill and what I think is mustard seeds ?

The Apple Thief's Pink Lady Apple Cider  $8.00

For drinks, 2 of us chose a pink lady apple cider which was so delicious !! It is a little bit sweeter than your normal apple cider but it just tasted better than normal apple cider.

This is one of those time where I really hate my alcohol allergy T____T  I can only drink one bottle and it has to be spread out over dinner (or I'm dead).

Spiced Apple Pie $15.00

The other 2 of our 4 ppl dining crew ordered Spiced Apple Pie, a signature cocktail of Food Society. Zubrowka bison grass vodka, house infused apple juice, cinnamon, star anise & lemon zest shaken over ice.

Had a sip and it does tasted like apple pie, but surprisingly the alcohol is not that strong at all, pretty mild. 

Food Society Bar

Now that we are slightly sedated with the alcohol, let the feast begin !

(Note : thought it may be handy to put prices of each dishes as you would have to pay when you are not dining on deal vouchers - prices are in brackets to distinguish them )

Beetroot & Vodka Cured Ocean Trout Blini, Dill Cream ($4.00 each)

First up from the appetizer line up was a bite size cured ocean trout blini with dill cream.

It just tasted like any other cured ocean trout despite being cured in beetroot and vodka, couldn't taste any of the 2. 

Fried Cauliflower w/ Paprika, Parsley, Water Cress & Red Wine Vinegar ($10.00) - Serves 2 

This humble fried cauliflower dish would have to be the highlight of the night for me.
Chunky cauliflower florets with spiced batter, deep fried to golden perfection was just sooo good....
The crispy cauliflower, the tangy red wine vinegar and the slightly bitter water cress was just such great combo....

X - section of a floret

Chicken Liver Parfait w/ Onion Jam & Toasted Breads  ($18.00) - Serves 4

A pot of creamy chicken liver parfait sealed with a thin layer of fat served with a constructively sound stack of chargrilled gluten free bread, plus condiments of onion jam and pickled cucumber. 

Chargrilled Gluten Free Bread ; Fully Assembled 

The gluten free bread had a funny texture, it's sort of cakey and soft which was interesting.

Doesn't mean it doesn't taste nice, on the contrary it tasted pretty good.

The pate was lovely, but I need to top it up with a decent amount of the sweet onion jam to mask the liver flavour (not a big fan of liver :P).

Daily Artisan Bread $2.50

There was plenty of pate in the jar but not enough bread to go with them, so we asked for more bread and more onion jam.

We were actually quite surprised we got charged extra for the bread and jam (which was around $3 - $5 ?), I think we are under the assumption that we can get extra bread if need be like in other places. I mean , you can't just eat a pate on its own and there was a good half jar left too. 

Moving on to the more substantial dishes ......

Lamb Ribs w/ Slice Potatoes, Tomato, Eggplant & Rosemary  ($ ?? ) - Serves 2

Oh dear lamb...why are you a popular choice on a set menu / degustation menu ? T___T

Had a small bite of the rack...and thought that the lamb taste was too strong, so just started digging into the vegetables underneath it.

Then I thought to give it another go and I'm glad I did ! The lamb ribs was sooo tender that a slight nudge with the knife and the meat will just flake apart.

The lamb taste was still strong, however the delicious baked potato, tomato and eggplant helps to mask the flavour. 

Chicken Breast w/ Potato Dumplings, Mushroom & Paprika ($25.00)
Side of Iceberg Lettuce, Red Onion & Cucumber Salad ($6.00)
Serves 2

After the lamb we were already so full...and then...the chicken dishes came out.....they really are very generous with portion sizes here.

The chicken breast was sooo moist and tender, a little bit bland perhaps but the rich sauces just balanced things out nicely. 

Love potato dumplings and the one here were good, not too stodgy , just right. 

The iceberg lettuce salad was perhaps not an easy one to tackle - seems like it was prepared by simply quartering a head of lettuce, plonk it into a bowl and voila.

We joked at the table that perhaps we should eat the chicken and lettuce ala sang choy bow  LOL

Zoladkowa Orange & Clove Vodka  ($9.00 each)

As part of the deal, we got a vodka shot each before dessert - I think you get a random one as it is not specified on the voucher. Tonight we got the Polish Zoladkowa vodka flavoured with orange and clove, it was deliciously sweet with just a very slight hint of clove.
This was my first ever vodka shot and I vow NEVER to down one again.

Within 10minutes I made acquaintance with the wooden seat toilet - at least the toilet was super clean and pretty. 

Needless to say, I was pretty useless for the rest of the night....couldn't even polish off the dessert !!

Society Signature Pashka w/ Strawberry Compote ($10.00) - Serves 2

Inspired by the traditional Russian dessert served during Easter was Food Society's Pashka, a baked ricotta cheesecake with strawberry compote and broken pieces of shortbread served on a wooden board. 

I agree with other bloggers who had been to this place that this dessert is not sweet at all. But thankfully helped by the compote and the icing sugar.

Liked the extra crunch from slivered almond in the cheesecake, without the texture it would be just a mush of baked ricotta. 

Jar of Bill

The verdict ?

The foods here are no doubt delicious, still quite traditional with a little bit a of twist. Not to mention the generous portion size, definitely food to share.

The atmosphere was great, there was live music playing as the night goes on...a lovely place to hang out with friends over a nice meal. 

The let down was the service, the waitress who attended our table that night probably wished she was somewhere else on Sunday night.

When we asked her for something it was as though we have disrupted her from an important mission, no smile and was abrupt.

Which was such a shame as the other 2 waiters that served us occasionally were friendly and accommodating.