Jordan's Seafood Restaurant Darling Harbour
While Darling Harbour isn't the culinary centre of Sydney, if you haven't made bookings on Crown Street for a Friday night, the next best option is to try your luck at the Darling Harbour/Cockle Bay precinct.
At 7:30 the most of the more intimate regional cuisine restaurants were full of dinners with more than a few having walk-ins patiently in line.
What to do, settle for Jordan's. A table was ready in minutes and with my friends we were seated outside to enjoy the balmy evening and people watching.
Ambience is surprisingly good. Just the quiet hum of mostly couples enjoying dinner under the stars.
Service on the other hand was frustrating. A hierarchy exists, a waiter that will only take orders. Those that deliver food, will not take orders. Order takers are confined to their own areas and will not cross into a another's space to assist hungry and thirsty customers.
To our surprise, the food we ordered was delivered rapidly. I had ordered a West Australian gold band snapper. It was lightly battered and crispy. The flesh was tender, quite simply it was some of the best fish I had tasted for a while. I was presented with two fillets and along with chips, it made a good meal. I was able to sample my friend's steak. While it was cooked to a perfect medium, I know definitely that Meat & Wine a few metres away serves a better aged steak with a better flavour and more tenderness. My other friend had a soft shell crab. Out of the 3 dishes, this one ran third. It was touch to salty and the batter somewhat masks the sweetness of the crab. It could have been so good.
Accompanying my meal was a 2005 Katnook Riesling. It was a fine partner. Zesty, it complemented the seafood.
Basically a hit & miss. The central location makes it handy. For corporate dinners or larger groups the space and seafood platters will generally please.
In Sydney where seafood is king, there are better options.
Rating : ***
At 7:30 the most of the more intimate regional cuisine restaurants were full of dinners with more than a few having walk-ins patiently in line.
What to do, settle for Jordan's. A table was ready in minutes and with my friends we were seated outside to enjoy the balmy evening and people watching.
Ambience is surprisingly good. Just the quiet hum of mostly couples enjoying dinner under the stars.
Service on the other hand was frustrating. A hierarchy exists, a waiter that will only take orders. Those that deliver food, will not take orders. Order takers are confined to their own areas and will not cross into a another's space to assist hungry and thirsty customers.
To our surprise, the food we ordered was delivered rapidly. I had ordered a West Australian gold band snapper. It was lightly battered and crispy. The flesh was tender, quite simply it was some of the best fish I had tasted for a while. I was presented with two fillets and along with chips, it made a good meal. I was able to sample my friend's steak. While it was cooked to a perfect medium, I know definitely that Meat & Wine a few metres away serves a better aged steak with a better flavour and more tenderness. My other friend had a soft shell crab. Out of the 3 dishes, this one ran third. It was touch to salty and the batter somewhat masks the sweetness of the crab. It could have been so good.
Accompanying my meal was a 2005 Katnook Riesling. It was a fine partner. Zesty, it complemented the seafood.
Basically a hit & miss. The central location makes it handy. For corporate dinners or larger groups the space and seafood platters will generally please.
In Sydney where seafood is king, there are better options.
Rating : ***
posted by sachman at 12:26 AM
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