Kelly's Bar and Grill - Miranda - Sydney, Australia

Another visit to Westfield Miranda, another restaurant to tick off the list. Kelly’s Bar and Grill is a recent addition to the dining precinct, originating from the eastern suburb of Bondi. They are well-known for their steak and ribs, following a similar concept to Hurricane's Grill.

After completing the hike from Bundeena to the Wedding Cake Rock, deciding on what to have for lunch was a difficult one. It was either try something new or eat at a restaurant we’ve been to before, and the votes went both ways.  We all knew we were starving and exhausted, but no one could make a decision. After suggesting Kelly’s Bar and Grill in Miranda, we all came to a mutual decision and Kelly's it was.

Surprisingly, for a Sunday lunch it was a full house and we had to wait for a table, albeit not very long.

The contemporary space is nicely decorated with wooden furnishings. Their style of cooking is based on the African style of cooking where the meat is basted in a special sauce for many hours then grilled to perfection.  

There are an array of dishes to choose from not just grilled meat but also vegetarian and seafood options too.

We started off with ‘Complimentary House Bread’ served with a side of butter. A huge loaf of freshly baked brioche style bread sat a top of a wooden board. 

When slathered with the side of butter, it melted within the warm bread and tasted like a sweet, buttery croissant.  For us hungry people, it was like heaven.

The ribs are available in either lamb or pork in a full rack only. What I like about Hurricane's Grill is the option to choose the half rack of ribs if you’re not very hungry, but here you aren’t given that choice. All items from the grilled section come with either a choice of chips, mashed potato or baked potato.

The ‘Pork Ribs 500g ($36.95)’is a delicious full rack of ribs basted in Kelly's special sauce. It sounds like a lot but it isn't really as it mainly consists of bones. 

The ribs were grilled nicely with a perfect char texture, leaving the soft and tender meat falling off the bone. The marinate was just right in terms of saltiness and sweetness.

The ‘Sirloin Steak ($26.95)’ is not your normal pub steak. It’s marinated in Kelly’s special sauce which makes the meat moist and gives it that extra flavour without the need for a side of sauce like you would usually need for a regular steak. Here it is ordered with a ‘Peppercorn Gravy ($2.95)’ which gives it a nice spice kick. The baked potato is soft and creamy on the inside and comes with a side of sour cream.

The ‘Grilled Chicken with Peri-Peri Sauce ($19.95)’ is served as half a chicken with the bones still intact and a side of peri-peri sauce. While the chicken was nicely grilled and the meat was still moist, it would have absorbed more flavours if it brushed with the sauce. The chips were deliciously golden and crunchy.

The ‘Side of Corn Cobs ($8.95) wasn’t really a side for one but more a side for four people as there were four decent pieces of steamed corn cobs. We asked for a side of butter which we thought would have been standard with corn. The corn was ultra-sweet and bursting with juices. Well worth ordering if you like eating corn.

The food is tasty and the ingredients used are fresh. Prices are on the steeper end but for the occasional event here and there it’s a good place to meet up as the food is generally liked by the majority and there is plenty of space. 

Where?

Level 3, Westfield Miranda

Kiora Rd

NSW 2228

Australia

Phone no: 02 9540 9447

Opening Hours

Lunch

Monday – Friday: 12:00pm to 2:30pm

Saturday – Sunday: 12:00pm to 3:30pm

Dinner

Monday – Sunday: 5:30pm Onwards

Website

www.kellys.net.au

The Italian Kitchen - Miranda - Sydney, Australia

The Italian Kitchen is open as part of Westfield Miranda's multi-million dollar redevelopment. Popular restaurants such Mejico, Braza, Kazbah, Grill’d and Din Tai Fung have also established their presence in this precinct. 

Restaurateur Con Dedes, the owner of famous restaurants such as the Flying Fish and Watergrill, has teamed up with renowned chef Danny Russo, opening The Italian Kitchen in the Shire. A modern Italian restaurant in the south boasting a casual and sophisticated dining space. 

The open courtyard is filled with plenty of natural light and fresh air.

The concise menu showcases traditional Italian food, providing an assortment of options including antipastis, entrees, salads, mains and desserts. Pizza is cooked in a woodfired oven and pasta is made fresh on premises.

What grabbed our attention was the ‘Shoestring Chips ($8.50)’ with a truffle mayo. Who could say no to that? The fries were deep fried to a nice golden yellow and balanced with the right amount of salt. The accompanying truffle mayo was brilliant. 

The ‘Pollo Pizza ($23.00)’ is topped with chicken, mushrooms, roast peppers, ricotta cheese and a heap of rocket. A fluffy and light base with the right thickness and loaded with an abundance of fresh ingredients. This was delicious and a good portion size. 

To balance out our meal, we decided to order a lighter dish. The ‘Margherita Pizza ($20.00)’, while simple, was packed with a lot of flavor from the delectable tomato sauce, basil and buffalo mozzarella cheese. 

The ‘Seafood Linguine Pasta ($29.00)’ is made using freshly made linguine with prawns, calamari and mussels in a garlic and butter sauce. We enjoyed the overall creaminess and textures of the dish but the seafood must have shrunk during the cooking process and the portion was smaller than expected.

Photo courtesy of K

A must visit for those who are looking for authentic Italian food in a wonderful locale with a lively atmosphere. The perfect restaurant for a special occasion or gathering as it won’t break your budget. I definitely recommend this restaurant and will be visiting it very soon.

Where?

Level 2, Shop 2203/2204,

Westfield Miranda

Miranda NSW 2228

Phone no: 02 9188 2981

Opening Hours

Monday - Sunday: 11:30am - 9:00pm

Website

www.theitaliankitchenmiranda.com.au

Dainty Dumpling House - Miranda - Sydney, Australia

Dainty Dumplings 

With the makeover of Westfield Miranda in process, a number of new eateries have started to open or are due to open soon. Stage 1 of the renovation is now complete and it looks amazing. Westfield Miranda has been in need of a restoration for a long time as it has been a while since it was last re-done. I would imagine that the rent for shop or restaurant spaces would be exorbitant, hence the higher prices for the food that is charged to compensate for the rent.

Dainty Dumpling House is well, a Chinese dumpling restaurant. An unusual name I would probably associate with a tea house of some sort.  Located on the lower floor of the complex, this restaurant occupies a large corner space with an open kitchen and fresh dumplings prepared daily.

They also have items other on their menu such as handmade noodles and roti, but as they haven't been open for long, these are yet to be made available. There are a substantial number of items on the menu but they have been tagged 'coming soon' unfortunately.

From the outside, you could see the chefs busy preparing and cooking. Can you see those colourful dumplings? It's one of their speciality items.

On a Sunday morning, we arrive before 12pm and the restaurant is at full capacity. We join the queue and get a table shortly.

We notice that service is slow and disorganised as there are only two waiters to take the orders. I find myself having to go to the waitress to ask her if I could place my order as she is preoccupied with other things. The patrons on the tables next to us look frustrated as their orders haven't been taken, having arrived way before us. The main problem here is the restaurant is new and they are adjusting to the new environment, so do give them time.

I do like their cutlery.

We start off with 'Xiao Long Bao ($10.80)', described as steamed pork dumplings with soup. The dumplings are made in house so they are as fresh as they can be. Eight morsels of delicate, nicely pleated skins encloses a glorious soupy and juicy mince pork inside. We ordered two trays of this and it still wasn't enough.

'Shaomai stuffed with Abalone and Pork ($10.80)' sounds fancy doesn't it? It's the usual Shaomai you would find at Yum Cha restaurants with the addition of a thin slice of abalone on top of each. We found the prawn and pork mixture to be tough and dry.

'Fried Rice with Chinese Mushroom and Diced Chicken ($13.80)' is last to arrive. A mound of rice is stir-fried with Chinese mushroom, diced chicken, egg and shallots. We liked that it wasn't bland but we felt the rice was ultra soft and lacked that wok flavour one would usually associate with cooking fried rice.

The 'Xiao Long Bao' was delicious but the other items weren't as good in comparison. Service can be improved as a lot of diners were left angry at the slow and at times, non-existent service. It's not a cheap place to dine but for those living in the Shire, it saves having to travel to Hurstville or the City for a fix of dumplings. I can't wait till Din Tai Fung opens in Miranda, one of my favourite dumpling restaurants in Sydney. Do give Dainty Dumpling House a chance as I'm sure once they're open longer, service will pick up and more menu items will be available.

Where?
Shop 1012/600
Kingsway Miranda NSW 2228
Australia

Phone no: 02 9188 2589

Opening Hours
Contact restaurant for opening hours.

Website
http://www.daintydumplinghouse.com.au/