Restaurant Review: Fix St James, Sydney

An invite from Simon to join him and a couple of friends for lunch got me away from the usual food court / lunch at my desk to the rather smarter Fix St James. Thanks Simon!

The suits and case files at nearby tables gave away that we were close to Sydney's legal district.

The over sized chalk board / menu on one wall and café style tables gives the place a casual feel. However, the waiters and waitresses are almost silver service. Our waitress was able to talk confidently and in detail about the dishes on the menu, while the manager was able to give a low down on the wine being drunk at the table.

My only gripe would be that I found the menu a bit over stylized and difficult to read. I'm a simple man.

The food was all really good. Simon ordered Pete's famous falafel as a starter. Who's Pete? The chef we were told.

I ordered the suckling pig with white beans, sprouts and pumpkin. It was excellent. There was crunchy crackling and tender pork with a rich flavour. The eye of fat in the middle of the pork melted in my mouth and tasted almost apple-y. All of the vegetables were well cooked and there was a nice sauce that brought them all together. Folded through the beans was a salsa verde which added a light and fresh touch to the dish.

When the Coorong Angus Skirt Steak Tagliata arrived at the table the waitress joked that they like to make you eat your greens. Where is the steak? Again, another top dish. The rocket was lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon and parmesan.

Hidden underneath the mound of lettuce was skirt steak and duck fat roast potatoes. Having cooked a skirt steak recently I know that it can be a bit tough if not cooked well. It's a cut that is never going to melt in your mouth, but it was still tender and had a similar lemon dressing to the salad?

We ordered a side of Shooting Broccoli with Anchovy to share. The stir fried broccoli had an Asian vibe with garlic, chilli, soy and sesame oil (?) dressing. I was a bit surprised to taste such a distinctly Asian dish on an otherwise Mod Oz menu, but yet again well balanced and tasty.

Overall some great company and food. At nearly $35 a main course for lunch it is quite pricey. However, we managed to use two Entertainment Cards at the table (the first time I've managed to use my gold card!) which brought the bill down to a very reasonable level considering the quality of the food.


Fix St James
111 Elizabeth St
Sydney
2000