Floor to ceiling panes of glass permits natural light to fill the large, open space of the new Hurricane’s Grill location in Circular Quay’s The Gateway precinct. As well as allowing to people-watch as Sydney Harbour and the Ferry terminal lie in view, it brightens up the new restaurant from the popular meat-focused brand.
A selection of seafood dishes grace the menu that is primarily a carnivores dream. Here, meat is not merely the blank canvas on which to expand on, but Hurricane’s consistently make their steaks and ribs ultimate, stand-alone heroes.
The Garlic Prawns ($19) are soft and build to a perfect balance that is not overpowering. Instead, they are the perfect fragrant tease that will eventually make upset that half a dish of garlic butter will go to waste – bread would be a perfect accompaniment.
Pork, beef and lamb… where do you start when it comes to ribs? All were glistening, shiny, sweet, succulent and tender. The beef ribs had a wealth of meat either side of the bone that resembled a steak between bone and then into another steak before another bone. The familiar Hurricane’s baste is deeply sweet and dances on a hint of smokiness.
Upon a light and creamy cloud of mash potato sits a pork knuckle ($40) that looks deceivingly small in the photo. Like a rock formation in the desert that rises above its surroundings, this brown and hardened entity appears unscaleable but as soon as fork shreds pork off the bone and juices drip from the meat, returning for the next bite becomes a necessary and rewarding task. Peri peri jus is dripped sparingly around the mash and it is a beautifully bold and vibrant flavour that cuts through the pork.
With its stacked ingredients, the Challenger Burger ($30) towers over the table as it enters your vision. Two 250g beef patties are housed between a milk bun amongst wholegrain mustard mushroom sauce, caramelized onions, truffle oil, cheese and onion rings. As impressive (and daunting) as it looked, unfortunately the patties were sadly dry, but an addition of the stunningly addictive, earthy mushroom sauce that came with the chips helped moisten the half-kilogram patty-load.
Nestled amongst Circular Quay, aromas fill the air that, whilst familiar to a steakhouse, are perhaps unfamiliar to such a uniquely picturesque location. But Hurricane’s Circular Quay will soon change that as flourishing and hypnotic wafts of grilled and basted meat float on a breeze into the CBD.
Hurricane’s Bar & Grill
Address: L202 Gateway Building, 1 Macquarie Place, Sydney 2000
Website: www.hurricanesgrill.com.au
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