Rabbit Hole Review

Whether it’s more ammunition for your illustrious food porn and everything-pretty-Instagram feed, a great meal, or exceptional drinks, Rabbit Hole is one heck of a competitor on all fronts. And if you’re trying to pass off as a well-versed food and drink aficionado to someone you want to impress, then you really cannot go wrong with Rabbit Hole. 

Never judge a book by their cover they say. Well at Rabbit Hole, if it looks tasty then you have my guarantee that they taste just as good as they look.

Doug Laming’s Margarita- $14 

Spherified pears of Souza Gold tequila and simple syrup matched with Cointreau Caviar. Finger limes add the sour and a small dusting of salt to complete. 

Watching Doug Laming at work in his natural habitat is a real treat. His dedication and reinterpretation of cocktails is expressed in the wealth of techniques that translates into beautiful and tantalizing cocktails. So delicious and so easy on the eyes, I am just simply in awe of his attention to detail and the meticulous love that he affords each and every drink that comes out of his bar, regardless of whether you’re the early bird or if you choose a Friday or Saturday night to visit. 

So if Doug chose only one drink to put his name to, then it’s a safe bet that that drink is designed to impress. And impress it did. Spherified pearls? Margarita? Caviar? The trio of three different pearls forms the pairing of one very special shot. The blue ones are made of Sierra Millenario Blanco and sugar syrup, the gold Cointreau and finally the red ones at the top are sourced from a special lime called a finger lime (fun fact: they’re native to Australia). And as evidenced from the photo they all sit atop a lime half that has been dusted with salt. 

After marveling at this and a good few minutes of photo taking, put all the spheres in your mouth in one go (it is a shot after all) and then slowly chew them and savour the mixing of the liquids inside the spheres. If you like prefer your foods salty then lick the lime after the shot or if you consider yourself to be sour (like me) then take a bite of the lime to finish. For those curious, the pearls are made using a technique call spherification, which involves adding sodium alginate to the product and poaching them in a calcium bath. Do you also wish that experiments in high school were of a similar nature? I do. 

Best of all, Doug Laming’s Margarita comes in a pair so your dining/drinking buddies can keep their jealously at bay. After all, ‘Sharing is caring’. 

XO Zombie- $19 R(h)um based 

Mt Gay XO, Cointreau and Joseph Cartron Cocody muddled with lime, mint the house-made passion fruit caramel, all shaken with aromatic bitters, pineapple and orange. Served in a bitter, sugar rimmed glass with a flaming passion fruit. 

The biggest and most welcome surprise for me was how quickly I forgot my aversion towards rum. I don’t know about you, but there’s something about that intense taste of rum that doesn’t seem to sit well with me. And yet, for some strange but brilliant reason, I couldn’t get enough of this. Perhaps rum isn’t so bad after all. Or much rather, if rum is always served the way it is at the Rabbit Hole, then I’m willing to forget all those times my stomach, liver and I cried inside whilst drinking rum. As for the drink itself, well you can expect a very distinct passion fruit flavor, it’s sweet but not overly sweet and did I mention a flaming passion fruit. Blow the flame out and then take the shot but just a heads up, the shot is rather intense and the taste of vodka comes through at the end. 

The White Cloud above Mt Gay- $18 another R(h)um based 

A double pour of Mt Gay XO shaken with a house-made black pepper and pineapple caramel, fresh lime and pineapple all of which is then poured through marshmallow foam to enhance its flavor and to give it its signature white cloud on the top. Finally, some toasted coconut tops this off. 

[Guest paragraph] 

For those of you who love your sweet cocktails as much as I do, this drink is an absolute must. How do I even begin explaining the delight that is the experience of having ‘The White Cloud above Mt Gay’? From the start, the marshmallow foam that hits your tastebuds is so incredibly light that it disappears almost immediately, yet it lasts just long enough to leave a hint of marshmallow flavor in your mouth. Added to this is the sweet tang of tasted coconut sprinkled on top of the foam, while the caramel mixed in with the alcohol provides the real punch of sweetness to this drink. In fact, the combination of these three ingredients goes so well with each other that the usually bitter taste of rum is practically eroded away. Finally, the not-at-all-sweet pepper, lime and pineapple kick in to ground the entire drink together and prevent it from being overwhelmingly sweet. It is a cocktail well worth having indeed. 

Shrubbery- $19 Vodka based 

Russian Standard Platinum mixed with fresh strawberries, house made raspberry and strawberry shrubb, Elderflower, lemon, Fee Brother’s Rhubarb bitters and amaranth and then finished with strawberry powder and sorrel. 

Shrubbery- they call it one giant strawberry. 

It sure looks the part with bunches of mint bursting from the rim with strawberries pieces in suspension. They said that this drink is designed for those who L O V E drinks that are fruity and playful, so it is no wonder that this was the drink that I elected to have… twice (shhh).  The vibrant colour is just a testament to the beautiful flavours at work with the mix of berries and alcohol seeming as though they were always meant to be. This is the drink you want to be seen with.

Entrée: 

Scallops, beetroot and mango puree, cashews and cardamom foam- $24 

I know we’re supposed to go down the rabbit hole but maybe the rabbit hole has the power to transport you to the sea. Can I just mention that I was super excited to try foam, you know just one of those gastronomical delights that one looks forward to. I would recommend that you sample the spiced foam first because when combined, the beetroot is the dominant flavor. In saying that, the beetroot puree and scallops were divine. The scallops? Spot on! Exactly as they should be: plump, juicy and sweet. Prepare to be amazed. 

Ocean trout gravlax, sage oil, mozzarella, pineapple and crispy red onion- $23 

The second entrée was another trip to the ocean this time the catch was ocean trout that has been cured in salt, sugar and dill. The verdict? Melt in your mouth delicious; no words are simply the compliment that I choose. Don’t disturb whoever is eating their trout because they need a moment to themselves. To match there is the rich and heavy mozzarella, which is cut through by the slightly acidic and sweet pineapple and red onion. I want to pose a question to you guys, what do you think the presentation resembles? My guess is something like a pond or maybe a Ying and Yang with the two stones. Oh, I must point this out but you the two black objects in the photos are legitimate stones. Yes I know Sepia has a dish called their Japanese stones, which is completely edible, but the ones here are purely for presentation purposes. Please don’t make a fool of yourself by trying to prove otherwise. 

Mains: 

Porcini and bresaola crusted beef fillet, celeriac and white chocolate puree, crispy enoki and wild mushroom sauce- $38 

First off, if you’re on a diet I don’t want to hear from you because those deep-fried enoki mushrooms were sinfully good (goodbye goal of staying in shape when I practically eat for two at places like this). In fact, this is practically a ‘shroom feast with the wild mushroom sauce, mushrooms on the side and finally the porcini fungi crust on the beef fillet. I like my beef medium (story for another day unless you already know the answer), which is why the celeriac puree was the perfect accompaniment making it light, and moist.

Lamb cutlet and slow roasted cubes, mustard buckwheat, cucumber, mint and crispy gruyere- $36

L A M B          L A M B           &         L A M B 

It makes two appearances in this dish and it’s the later that made me fall head of heels in love. I’m sorry lamb cutlet but your companion outshined you and it is for that reason that you will be neglected in this post. Those lamb cubes or should I say triangles could quite possibly be the highlight of the meal (yes it may even give dessert a run for its money as unlikely as that sounds). It is so hard to imagine lamb coming in two different textures but that is exactly what the chef achieved. Imagine a crunchy outside juxtaposed against melt-in-your-mouth tender, stringy lamb meat that is akin to how a lamb shank is when it is falling off the bone. Yes, such a reality exists and I am one fortunate person who had the pleasure of having this. 

Not to be outdone, the mustard buckwheat is something worthy of remembering especially when eaten with the lamb, that lamb…. 

After sampling their buckwheat I feel so inspired to get a start on the buckwheat I bought. This brings me to my next point, is gluten free a thing nowadays? If so, then remember this place because they welcome all dietary requirements and in fact embrace diversity with a menu designed to be able to suit those that are wheat intolerant. And should you require something different then do not hesitate to bring that up either, you will not get a backhanded treatment or resting bitch faces from the staff. 

Dessert 

‘The Toffee Apple” – Toffee sphere, caramelized apple, cinnamon foam, nougat and crumble- $23 

So delicate, but you and I both know that whilst we can sit there and admire the presentation all day long, our stomachs are of a different mind. Not as hard as toffee apple but the toffee sphere can be a bit chewy. In contrast is the ridiculously light cinnamon foam, which appeared to melt into the nougat and crumble and in doing so marrying the two components together. With each bite, pure happiness, one cannot be without the other- a truly well balanced dessert. Warning this one should be reserved for those who harbor an incessant sweet tooth. 

Lemon crème brulee, coconut and basil madeleine- $19 

The menu description doesn’t do this dessert justice. Let me give you my revised version: ‘Lemon crème brulee, SERVED IN A PERFECTLY CUT COCONUT with basil madeleine’. I apologise if you’re tired of me talking about coconuts (sorry not sorry), but I actually had no idea that this dessert was served in a coconut (thank you dining buddy for ordering this!). I have long seen people use coconuts as bowls, but I’m personally not skilled enough with a knife to cut a mature coconut so neatly in half that it can double up as a means of serving food. 

In terms of the crème brulee itself, it was by far the best crème brulee I’ve had so far. Who would have thought that taking the egg out of it would lead to quite possibly the lightest texture imaginable? I’ve said this before, but I have had a lot of (too many) crème brulees this year. After having it here, here and here, you’d think the last thing I wanted was another crème brulee, but I’m glad that I went against my opinion and listened to my friend’s choice. The light consistency and smoothness of the custard, combined with the caramel, SERVED IN A COCONUT, was absolute perfection. So often I find myself sharing crème brulee with others because it is so heavy, or even worse, because it is too heavy and not being able to finish it. But this time was different. Apart from a few sampling here and there, this one was all mine. Oh and did I mention the lemon burnt sugar top, just YUM.

OMG it's a coconut

If you’re stalking Rabbit Hole on Instagram, then you may recall seeing a flaming chocolate skull dessert. The ‘fire’ in the description refers to flaming rum which is poured onto the dessert. Considering the lasting impression this dessert leaves, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were tempted to try this dish. However, WORD OF WARNING: If you cannot handle intense rum, then don’t order this chocolate skull. As mentioned earlier, my palate has no room for rum and I know that I am not the only one who feels this way.  So if, like me, you’re not a fan of rum, then this should be the one dessert you’re running away from. On the other hand, if rum is thing, then you can’t go wrong with this dessert. 

NB: Someone remind me to find friends with two stomachs or remind me to teach my friends on how to grow to stomachs because dessert deserves its own stomach. 

Bar Menu 

I am officially exhausted. I’m going to keep the next bit short and sweet because I still need to make sure my hands are in tact so I can write another 10 posts prior to going overseas this weekend. 

Did I mention that Rabbit Hole does Happy Hour and with each cocktail purchase they will happily provide you with some of their famed hand cut fat chips.  Even so, without such a deal, the chips are stunning- beautiful crunchy outside and a pillowy soft potato center. Dunk them in the tomato relish on the side and I guarantee that you shall relish that experience also. 

I don’t actually have a photo of their signature wagyu burger, it was a case where the camera didn’t eat first so you’ll just have to take my word that they are also not to be missed. 

Tip! If you’re the type that is terrible with directions (admit it) then look for the Rabbit-like hat, you’ll then find a spiral staircase, which leads to the front of the bar. Problem solved. I must say that the interior design is spot on. I am after all a not-so-secret purveyor of toilets and despite fondly remembering the toilets of hatted restaurants like 4Fourteen, Est. and Sepia, a good bathroom completes a great dining experience. Thank you Rabbit Hole for offering the whole package (bathroom included), I have loved it.