Rubyos
18 - 20 King St
Newtown, NSW
Rubyos is a modern Australian restaurant worth the stroll away from the hustle and bustle, to the city end of King Street in Newtown. From the moment we walked in, the friendly greeting from the owner, Badrul and waitress Kate, complimented the warm, comfortable and stylish décor of the restaurant.
With a menu designed to share from the middle of the table, we left the choice of what to order with Badrul, to ensure we experienced his restaurant the way it was intended. The dishes arrived from lightest to heaviest and proved to be an absolute delight from start to finish. The recommended serving is two dishes per person, with dessert if you can manage it – we were going to give it our best shot!
First to arrive was the balsamic baked beetroot salad, which was a fresh and tasty way to start the meal. The crispness of the apple, deep baked beetroot flavours and the sweetness of the apple cider caramel vinegar which paired perfectly with walnuts, for a salad that was anything but boring.
Our favourite dish of the evening was the panfriend haloumi. Watermelon, mint, and chili oil – what more could we want? This unique combination of flavours just worked, and while the chili oil packed a punch, it didn’t overpower the dish.
While salt and pepper calamari is a well-loved dish in many restaurants and cafes, the zesty flavours of the chili lime aioli and the subtle addition of lemon myrtle was what set this dish apart from the rest. The calamari was cooked perfectly and the substantial sized serving was a great addition to our menu.
The final savoury dish of the evening was the seared kangaroo fillet with blueberry and red onion chutney, we were both surprised by how much we enjoyed it. A risky addition to any menu, the team at Rubyos pulled it off, balancing the sweetness of the chutney with the rare kangaroo fillet and potato mash to create a dish that we would happily swap out our Sunday roast for.
Finally, we managed to fit in a dessert platter for two which boasted chocolate baklava, rosewater panna cotta, coconut semifredo and assorted gelato (mixed wildberry, mango and blood orange). Duke and Duchess came to heads about which was the best on the plate (although all delicious). Duke insisted the rosewater panna cotta was the clear winner, with its smooth creamy texture and just enough rosewater, while Duchess loved the chocolate baklava, loving the bitter cut though of the chocolate on a classic dessert.
Our experience at Rubyos is sure to be the first of many, with a delicious and filling menu showing appreciation of simple, yet impactful flavours to create an experience, rather than just a meal. Rubyos also offers a number of banquet options for groups, (including some great vegetarian and vegan options).
A big thank you to Badral and Kate for welcoming us to your restaurant. Also thanks to ompty.com for organising our visit. Ompty have great deals available at Rubyos, you can check them out here.