Ante is a sake bar on busy King Street in Newtown. There are pages of different types of sakes as well as a tasty Japanese inspired food menu. Find out what you have to order when you're there!
Ante is so subtly signposted and you can easily walk past it. Both Laura and I arrived separately and had to count the numbers on the street to find it (it doesn't help that google maps places it slightly down a laneway). The bar is decked out in shades of black. The owners are Matt Young and Jemma Whiteman and he also co- owns Black Market Sake.
Laura and I wanted to go to Ante as soon as we saw that they had fried potato mochi on the menu but we weren't sure if we could get a table because they don't take bookings. We figure that since it's a Sunday night it will be ok and when Laura arrives at 6:30pm there are several tables free although the bar will become much busier within half an hour. We ask for recommendations - the service is pleasant but not particularly helpful saying that "everything is good" and not much else.
We start with drinks - a cocktail for Laura and a mocktail for me. We both love yuzu so we get yuzu flavoured drinks. Laura's drink is a Heiwa Shuzo Yuzushu and mine is a non alcoholic Yuzu Collins with fresh yuzu juice, lemongrass, shio-koji and Fever Tree tonic. If I were ever to envisage a perfect mocktail this is it. It has a fine balance of flavours that perfectly mimics an alcoholic cocktail. When we try both drinks against each other they taste very similar!
The bread from AP Bakery around the corner is nice, served as four thick slices of seedy bread with kasu (sake lees) cultured butter on the side. Sometimes pickles are amazing, other times they are nice. I'd say that the fennel and carrot pickles are nice. I think we were hoping for more varieties of pickles and not just two.
The next bite to arrive are the fried potato mochi coated in Everything Bagel sprinkles in a square of nori. These are tasty and stretchy, tasting like a cross between a pommes noisette and mochi but with a toasted seed coating and crisp nori for texture.
"I think you should order this," says Laura pointing at the beef tongue sandwich and I nod in agreement because beef tongue is one of my favourite cuts. This sandwich is an absolute beauty. The beef tongue is crumbed and deep fried and then paired with shredded cabbage and a delicious curry mustard on super soft unfancy white bread cut into a circle. I savour each bite slowly even though I have the whole thing to myself.
Laura made an executive decision to order two pastas because this is her birthday dinner and we both love pasta. This turns out to be a good move because we both thought that these were the standout dishes of the night. The tagliatelle pasta has a moreish texture to it, like Asian noodles and is paired with a buttery fermented shiitake mushroom sauce with grated cheese to finish it off. While it is vegetarian, it is so full of flavour that you never think that you're missing out on anything.
The casarecce with prawns, kanzuri and clementine is very different but no less divine. Kanzuri is a chilli paste, less salty and intense than yuzu kosho and when paired with the clementine zest remind me a little of yuzu kosho but perhaps more floral than salty.
The grilled King George whiting looks gorgeous, split in half and butterflied sitting in a pool of cumquat beurre blanc sauce. The whiting itself is a tad overcooked so while the flavours are nice, the fish is a bit on the dry side. We also ordered a side salad of Living Earth lettuce and the salad leaves are super fresh and perfectly dressed. We both love the burnt honey dressing which I will definitely be recreating at home.
We decide to try two desserts because it is a birthday celebration after all. I was also very curious about the creme caramel. It arrives as a log of creme caramel that is very firm but smooth textured. The mirin caramel is a bit of an acquired taste. Laura firmly rejects it, disliking the flavour and we both prefer the bits of the dessert without scooping extra caramel on our spoons.
Freshly baked madeleines seem to be a popular thing in Melbourne but I'm happy that it has come to Sydney. Madeleines are best when baked fresh and these have just come out of the oven as they are soft, eggy and dusted with powdered sugar on top.
So tell me Dear Reader, what did you think of the food here? Do you ask for recommendations from waitstaff or do you just go with what sounds good to you?
This meal was independently paid for.
Ante
146 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
Closed Monday to Wednesday
Thursday & Friday 5 pm–12 am
Saturday & Sunday 12 pm–12 am
https://www.ante.bar/
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