You’ve only got limited time to enjoy the East Asian-centric delicacies at Sydney’s iconic The Bridge Room, right by the city’s world-famous bridge and Opera House.
The restaurant is about to shut up shop after eight years of entertaining both local and international diners alike. But owners, husband-and-wife duo Sunny and Ross Lusted (the latter of whom is also the head chef), promise that it’s not the last you’ll see of them. They’ll be back in 2021 with another venture, the details yet to be revealed.
FOOD
Andrea: We start with the oysters, which you can trickle with a red wine vinegar and white miso dressing. We’re in ocean-and-harbour-drenched Sydney (need I say any more), so it’s pretty hard to go wrong here.
Rex: Next we have the Yarra Valley trout roe with sprouted grains and cultured cream. It’s a blend of cream and crunch, and the pop of the roe gives it some ‘zing’.
Andrea: To continue the fruits-of-the-sea theme, we order the red snapper with chinkiang vinegar, chilli, ginger and shredded omelet, topped with thinly sliced radish. The chinkiang (or Zhenjiang) vinegar, is a rice-based vinegar from Zhenjiang in China’s coastal Jiangsu province, north of Shanghai.
Rex: We cross over to Japan for the mains: the robata-grilled duck. The robata cooking style is essentially grilling food at different speeds over hot coals.
The duck is accompanied by roasted spices, pineapple in muscovado, pineapple butter and canelé, a rum and vanilla flavoured cake that has a tender centre and a dark, chewy caramelised crust.
It’s not every day that you get a canelé with a main. The duck is good, but I have to say the canelé is the best part.
Andrea: I’m most taken by the dessert – and I’m not that much of a sweet tooth. We get the whipped black sesame, with toasted sesame powder, coconut sugar, puffed black rice and melon dessert.
Is this mousse or some sort of sticky ice-cream? Whatever it is, it’s good 🙂
AMBIENCE
Rex: The Bridge Room, a 1930s heritage building, is distinguished by elegant timber tables. It has got a relaxed, warm vibe – although the air-conditioning is a little on the cool side so you might want to keep your jackets close.
Andrea: It’s a little hard to hear each other talk, but like you, I do like the glowy atmosphere. I also like the simplicity of the neutral-toned plates which let the food speak for itself.
The Bridge Room, a 1930s heritage building, is distinguished by elegant timber tables.
SERVICE
Rex: The waitstaff are attentive yet hardly noticeable, and I like that head chef Ross Lusted came out to say hello and thank us at the end of our meal. It’s a nice, personable touch.
Andrea: We spent a few hours here and it is expensive so I’d recommend it for those more special occasions. If you appreciate creativity and good quality produce, it’s worth it.
The Bridge Room has a comprehensive selection of beverages that span cocktails, red and white wines (mainly from Australia and Europe), dessert and fortified wine, fermented and distilled wines, whiskey and beers.
Rex: We’re curious to see what Sally and Ross Lusted do next. Stay tuned to their website for more information.
The Bridge Room | $$$
44 Bridge St, Sydney NSW, Australia
Opening hours
Tue-Sat: 12:00pm-2:00pm, 6:00pm-9:00pm
Sun-Mon: Closed