Dining | LL Wine & Dine
Plonked between a Malaysian restaurant and Massetti’s Juiceria (est. 1997, thank you very much), LL Wine & Dine is, according to its website, “inspired by the bustling Hong Kong bar scene.” Situated on LLankelly Street - an easy stroll from Kings Cross Station - the restaurant does indeed look like it would be at home in Lan Kwai Fong.
But dig a little deeper into the building’s history and you’ll find that this used to be an adult bookstore: a front for the illegal gambling den and brothel it once ran, complete with hydraulic doors to keep the crooks in (and the cops out!). All that is gone now, and what you’ll find is chic Asian-inspired décor in dark reds and blacks. The only visible aspect of the building’s dirty days of corruption and sleaze are the nudie ladies lining a wall situated towards the back of the restaurant. The owners found a stash of vintage 70s porn and decided it would be a real talking point to use the posters as wallpaper. And boy, if these walls could talk …
What the building that houses LL Wine and Dine has to offer now though, is great Asian fusion style food that will leave you feeling like you’ve just treated yourself. The menu’s dishes are designed to be shared with your party, but you won’t if you’re greedy (and you probably will be here!).
Try their signature cocktail, the Botanical Fling ($18), a refreshing mix of Hendricks gin martini and kaffir lime and lemon. Goes down well – maybe too well – if you’re waiting for the rest of your party to arrive, or just chilling out after a hard day.
The food on the entrée menu will get you geared up for the mains to come. We had the Calamari ($17), Crispy Tofu ($14 – if you’ve never had crispy tofu try it!), LL San Choy Bau of Chicken ($18) and the Pan-fried Prawn and Scallop Dumplings ($22). Hints of spice and chilli made up the flavours of these dishes, but they weren’t overwhelming so don’t worry if you’re not too great with spicy food. The standout entrée was the Roasted Lamb Cutlets ($29). Created with a Massaman curry-flavoured crusty marinade and eaten with mint jelly, this serving of 4 was a great twist on a classic dish.
The mains were equally as tasty, but before you start on them, settle back a little and order a glass of wine from their extensive range. Perhaps the Whittmann Pinot Gris ’09 ($68 per bottle) – crisp and light enough to enjoy with the flavour sensations provided by the punchy menu.
For the mains, try the Crispy Pork Belly ($29), dressed in palm sugar, kaffir lime leaf and rice vinegar syrup, or the Steamed Barramundi Fillet ($33). The Barramundi is a fantastic dish and, with coriander salsa and sichuan pepper oil, goes down really well with a side of Wok Fried Rice ($15).
If you’re after the sort of Asian food you can find in any of Chinatown’s restaurants, then LL Wine and Dine is not the place for you. If you want to dine on Asian food with a twist, where the staff are friendly and the residents have made their local, then this will not disappoint. You will be back for more.
LL Wine & Dine is on 42 Llankelly Place, Potts Point. Open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 5pm – 11pm, Fridays from 5pm till late, Saturdays from 11am till late and Sundays from 11am to 10pm. Yum Cha is available on weekends, and bookings are recommended for groups of over 4 on Friday and Saturday nights.
By Erica Enriquez
For more information visit: http://www.LLwineanddine.com.au
