Memento Bar and Kitchen(Inside the Mantra)
2 Bond St (Cnr George St)
Sydney CBD
Memento is the new bar and dining experience at the Mantra in Sydney CBD. It spreads out over the large foyer area there and looks out over the hustle and bustle of George St in the heart of Sydney.
It's a relaxed space with views outside as well as into the open kitchen.
They have an extremely diverse menu here too - with plenty to choose from across all three courses - providing tastes from around the globe.
The street food influences of lunch time drift away as the more complete evening menu takes hold for dinner.
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We started with a few drinks while we perused the menu trying to decide what to have - as you do. The two white sangria's were certainly tasty and a specialty of the house - and great for a warm day too. The clear liquid showcased the slivers and swirls of fruit that bathed in the glass - soaking up the sangria for Mlady to eat later!A bowl of what seemed to be Bhuja Mix was a nice side snack as we then started eating our way through the menu.
We were then ready for ....... another drink. We had two Raspberry and Rose Collins made from vodka, lillet rouge lemon, raspberry, rose water and soda. It was great to sip on these drinks and watch the world go by outside. A bowl of mixed olives in Sambuca marinade was another nice accompaniment!
The mushroom arancini here were really lovely - with a nice crisp outer crumbed coating and a soft tender filling.
They came served with Manchego and caramelised onion - completing a great dish.
Oysters are a great start to a meal and they come in two ways at Memento – natural with vinaigrette or grilled Kilpatrick. What's your favourite? Mlady used to be a Kilpatrick person but she seems to be converting to natural these days. Sir eats them any way they're served.
A rich and smooth chicken liver pate with cornichons, mustard fruits and crostini won us over - we loved this and would happily eat it several times a week.
Some people don't like quail - we know a few of them - but we're not those people.
The tasty roast quail was served tender and juicy in garlic pan juices and micro herbs with a lightly crisped skin.
The tasty roast quail was served tender and juicy in garlic pan juices and micro herbs with a lightly crisped skin.
A sampler of the seared butterfly prawns was next. They were cooked perfectly in chervil butter and served with a simple side salad.
Another of the house specialties are there Italian meatballs which come served in tomato sauce with a side of sourdough. They were hot, rich and delicious. It was easy to see why they are so popular!
A Greek style salad with Kalamata olives, vine ripened tomato and feta was very nice as well. Again it was simple but effective.
A couple of fresh and very tasty fish dishes followed.
We had a nicely pan fried snapper with sumac and coconut that had nice delicate flavours that combined really well.
We also had a favourite of Mlady's - crispy skin salmon with cherry tomato and verjuice - her love affair with crispy skin salmon shows no sign of ending!
We had a nicely pan fried snapper with sumac and coconut that had nice delicate flavours that combined really well.
We also had a favourite of Mlady's - crispy skin salmon with cherry tomato and verjuice - her love affair with crispy skin salmon shows no sign of ending!
A simple mixed leaf salad served with a raspberry vinaigrette went well with the tasty aged grain fed beef.
The beef was served sliced, with a crisp and extremely tasty herb and Parmesan crust that was a real winner.
Throw in a couple of glasses of red, one a Pinot from New Zealand and the other a Malbec from Argentina and it completes a lovely course.
The beef was served sliced, with a crisp and extremely tasty herb and Parmesan crust that was a real winner.
Throw in a couple of glasses of red, one a Pinot from New Zealand and the other a Malbec from Argentina and it completes a lovely course.
Sir loves pork belly - in fact a lot more than Mlady does.
The twice cooked pork belly and scallops was both an interesting and very good combination. It came served with a beautiful white bean puree and salsa verde. Just great!
The twice cooked pork belly and scallops was both an interesting and very good combination. It came served with a beautiful white bean puree and salsa verde. Just great!
Again more for Sir was the tender braised lamb shoulder served with labne, pumpkin and vanilla. It was a dish he devoured eagerly.
One of the tangiest dishes of the night was the portion of butterflied half chicken that arrived. The full serving is half a chicken so we were glad it was a smaller portion as we were starting to fill up.
The chicken was beautifully cooked with tender and juicy meat beneath a crisped skin and all slathered in a sticky BBQ sauce.
What a winning combination!
The chicken was beautifully cooked with tender and juicy meat beneath a crisped skin and all slathered in a sticky BBQ sauce.
What a winning combination!
Are you a cheese eater after a good meal? We love a nibble of cheese - usually with a dessert wine! This cheese plate had lavoche, candied fig and truffle mascarpone together with some fresh honey. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
The passion fruit semi freddo looked spectacular in a high glass with a drizzle of summer coulis adding colour and style.
A pretty wild berry pannacotta was next as we rapidly filled up! It came with chocolate and biscotti and Mlady devoured most of this.
Another finale we have had quite often, particularly over the last year or two, is Affogato. This version was served with Frangelico, vanilla bean ice cream and of course the obligatory espresso shot. We were so full by now!!!
Memento Bar and Kitchen is quite an open place - sitting on the ground floor of the Mantra. It's a pleasant venue where you can watch the busy world of Sydney go by outside while you enjoy an extremely varied menu of tasty food with great service. It's well worth trying.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Memento Bar and Kitchen. A big thank you to Timo Lorenzen for arranging our visit. Thanks also to Charlotte and Mikalea for looking after us so well too.
