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Crown Street

Terry Durack
Terry Durack

Go-to dish: quail and ginger steamed buns with hoi sin sauce.
Go-to dish: quail and ginger steamed buns with hoi sin sauce.Marco Del Grande

12/20

Modern Australian

They call it The Pork Bun That Ate New York. Since David Chang first served his pork belly steamed bun at the original Momofuku Noodle Bar in 2004, it has inspired countless clones across the world - and bemused the northern Chinese, who have been eating steamed buns (mantou) for close to two millennia. New York magazine recently named the bun ''cheap eat of the year'', noting it had now reached critical mass and crossed over from the Asian market into the mainstream, stuffed with everything from tempura broccoli to lobster or Caribbean jerk veal tongue. Here, too, it's on menus all over town, from Momofuku Seiobo (of course) and China Lane to the soon-to-roll modern-Asian food truck Tsuru.

So, of course, it's at the new Crown Street Assembly, where the current darlings of contemporary dining have been called to assembly, from wagyu sliders and warm lobster rolls to slow-roasted lamb shoulder. In fact, it's a worthy addition to the repertoire; the sweet, floppy white bun packed with tender master stock-cooked quail ($13 for two), with a swab of hoisin and ginger sauce.

Crown Street Assembly comes to us courtesy of Erez Gordon, of Balmain's Bistro Bruno, and chef Paul Cooper, who worked with him at The Botanical in Melbourne. Apart from the lead-lighted shop-front windows, little remains of former occupant, the long-serving Tabou French bistro. On the ground floor, designer Debbie Grant has installed an over-sized bar lined with streamlined stools, leaving only enough room for half-a-dozen tables. Lighting is dim and noise levels are high. Seriously high. When a rowdy, happy-birthday table for eight gets into full swing, we have to decamp, first to stools at the bar, then upstairs to the large dining room. It's quieter, although the upstairs lighting feels a bit flat.

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Dumplings and charcuterie make up most of the starters, with more substantial things such as pan-roasted calamari, chorizo, chermoula and roasted pepper ($18) coming as somewhat bitsy tangles of finely sliced squid, quinoa and red pepper with toughish chorizo.

Cooper is a fan of whole-animal cookery and gets sides of wagyu delivered from the Lennon family's Gundooee Organics in the Central Tablelands of NSW. From these he produces a special all-wagyu three-course menu, at $65 a person, starting with tri-tip carpaccio, going on to braised shin and culminating in a mighty porterhouse on the bone with mash and salsa verde. It makes a special point of difference for the place that the please-all menu doesn't achieve.

The wine-savvy Gordon has put together a fairly user-friendly list, with most bottles running between $35 and $60. A savoury, nicely balanced 2010 Curlewis Bel Sel Pinot Noir comes in at $59.

He has more ideas on the wine side, including ''guest curators'' of the wine list, although it all sounds a bit complicated.

A dish of rich, fried potato gnocchi tossed with broccoli, spinach and quite strong blue cheese ($18) arrives, unsolicited, proving yet again that restaurants should not send out comped dishes to restaurant critics. It upsets the balance, throws out the timing and, instead of being a kindness, is just a little insulting. I'm not that easy.

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It's a relief - after a goodly time - to get stuck into a 200-gram wagyu rump ($36), with its clean flavour notes. Charred outside, pink in the middle and simply seasoned with sea salt, it comes with a cute aioli-dressed knitting ball of cabbage and horseradish salad.

Roast suckling pig ($36) is a trip back to Fussyland, with a log of roasted pork belly and a fried disc of under-seasoned pressed pig's head served on celeriac puree with beetroot and calvados jus. A lot of work has gone into it but that's not really the point of eating, is it?

For dessert, an Almost Pavlova is a deconstruct that tastes at various times like almost meringue, almost sponge cake, almost custard and almost milk ice cream ($13). It's almost delicious.

There are some good ideas - possibly too many - and a raft of good intentions but it all feels a bit of a muddle.

The staff are bright but still finding their way, the menu is a bit all over the shop and surely the large tables should be accommodated upstairs rather than down. The concept of an ''assembly'' - a group gathered together in a common cause - is a nice one but in truth a more single-minded approach would work harder.

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tdurack@smh.com.au

The low-down

Best bit The commitment to buying in whole sides of beef.

Worst bit The decibel overload.

Go-to dish Quail and ginger steamed buns with hoisin sauce, $13.

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Crown Street Assembly

 

Address 527 Crown Street, Surry Hills; phone 8065 7223, crownstreetassembly.com.au.
Open  Lunch and dinner daily.
Licensed Yes.
Cost About $110 for two, plus drinks.

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Terry DurackTerry Durack is the chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and Good Food.

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