Grolla Sydney, Neutral Bay
From creative starters to daring desserts
Located 256 Military Rd, Neutral Bay NSW 2089
There are few restaurants willing to invest the time and creative energy into redesigning classic European dishes. Grolla is part of this minority. It’s a modern fusion restaurant serving some of the most inventive dishes that the residents of Neutral Bay have ever seen. Experimenting with curing and smoking techniques, Grolla Sydney delivers a versatile range of tapas and a selection of daring desserts.
Paolo and Leklek entered Sydney’s food scene with a catering business then later moved to test pop up desserts. The crème brulee tarts made headlines and the adorable breakfast tart was prominently featured on Instagram. Since then, this creative couple have opened up a permanent establishment along Military Road in Neutral Bay.
“It’s a modern fusion restaurant serving some of the most inventive dishes that the residents of Neutral Bay have ever seen.”
The restaurant itself seats around 20 guests and is fitted with a bar. Most of the space is occupied by the kitchen — which is really testament to the priority this pair give to the artistry of their food. The whole place evokes a sense of warmth and intimacy, making it ideal for dinner dates. Candles flicker on the tables and the wall installations illuminate ambient orange light.
I went with a group of foodie friends to sample Grolla’s signature dishes. We started off a series of antipasto each very reasonably priced at $7. At this price, we were astounded that such high quality food could be so affordable. My personal favourite dish was the Grilled Octopus Carpaccio. The octopus was dressed with a lovely pine nut and olive oil truffle pecorino. It wasn’t overly tough but registered a slight chewiness. The garlic prawn was served in an adorable cup of crispy egg pastry. The cup was stuffed generously with a tangy avocado mousse alongside the fresh seafood. Other dishes included the Smoked Kingfish Carpaccio, Smoked Salmon Carpaccio and the Fritto di Mare. One of the foodie guests thought the Fritto di Mare was one of the best starters as the batter coating the calamari was super crunchy but at the same time didn’t taste unpleasantly greasy.
The Spring Salads were all very healthy and beautifully presented. Some of the salads had an Asian twist with the incorporation of miso dressing and yuzu. Unique in combination, the flavour profile was exemplary. The only downside was that there wasn’t enough salad to share amongst all the guests. That being said, just order a few more salads and you’ll be on your way to whetting your appetite before the mains officially kick off.
The mains were absolutely stellar with the taste matching with each dish’s aesthetic appeal. All the meats had been cured and smoked — enhancing the flavour by tenfold. I was rendered speechless by the smell of the pork ribs as they were arriving at the table. The ribs were both large in scale and in flavour. Each rib had been coated with a lovely marinade, though I wish there had been more meat on the bone to enjoy. The beef short rib was another impressive dish of the night. It was incredibly juicy and was infused with so much complexity of flavour from hours in the smoker. The rib itself was paired nicely with the side of Truffle Fries. The truffle fries had a decent helping of Parmesan cheese and the scent of the truffle was potent. The Smoked Pork Cheek Carbonara, too, had been garnished with delicious Parmesan cheese. Since the carbonara came out steaming hot, the cheese quickly melted to give it that stringy bounce.
Along with these mains, we sampled the special Grolla Burgers. These burgers are not available at the restaurant but rather feature as a special on their Foodora menu. For the uninitiated, Foodora is a food delivery service that sends restaurant-quality meals straight to your door. One of the burgers, the Beef Rib Burger was super snazzy with a gold leaf atop the brioche bun. It was a one-of-a-kind creation that looked spectacular in photos.
“Who knew burgers could be made to look luxurious?”
The other burger, the Smoked Pork Cheek Burger, did not look quite as fancy but was nonetheless comparable in taste. The house-made coleslaw gave it that refreshing kick that worked well with the smokiness of the tender pork cheek. Not to mention, the folks at Grolla were not stingy with their fillings. Check out that thick slice of pork belly loaded in this brioche bun. Yum!
We ended on a high with the specialty desserts arriving in all their splendid glory. The most beautiful dessert was the Mango Lime Curd in Chocolate Mini Cone and the Chocolate Mousse in Chocolate Tulips presented in a green bottle filled with coffee beans and pink salts. The chocolate variety was adorned with a miniature eye dropper that spurted out a sweet shot of strawberry syrup. The chocolate tulips delivered double the chocolate, making it ideal for all the chocolate lovers out there! The Cardamom-Orange Fried Ice cream was an interesting dish given the use of this exotic spice. It did not work to everybody’s palette as cardamom doesn’t normally find itself in desserts. I personally loved the Mascarpone Semifreddo as the smoked salted caramel on top delivered incredible flavour. It’s one thing for the mains to have been cured and smoked, it’s a whole other experience when the dessert sauce has been smoked.
Overall
Grolla is a trendy restaurant in the heart of Neutral Bay that redefines modern cuisine. Introducing both curing and smoking techniques to its dishes elevates the flavour to new heights — especially in the most unlikeliest of places. Service is friendly and both Leklek and Paolo are known to go above and beyond when it comes to celebrations. Patrons are free to chat to the head chef to make any dessert of choice memorably plated up. What’s more — Grolla is offering all guests with a complimentary mocktail upon arrival! So if you want to be spoilt, look no further than Grolla Sydney.
Rating: Yummy in my Tummy
Service: 5/5
Gourmet Gumbo dined as a guest of Grolla.
