Rabbit Hole Bar and Dining, 17 April 2013

Rabbit Hole is a little bar on Elizabeth Street near Martin Place that is a current favourite of mine. Rabbit Hole is an apt name for this establishment because when you make your way down the stairs to the bar it is like as if you had descended down a rabbit’s burrow .      

Rabbit Hole initially caught my attention when I found out that the Japanese executive chef, Tomoyuki Usui, had previously  at 3-Michelin starred L'Astrance in Paris. Apparently L’Astrance is  one of the hardest restaurants in the world to get a reservation at as they only seat 25 and reservations can only be made 1 or 2 months in advance (I will try my luck in securing a reservation when I go to Europe later this year, hopefully I can get in).

I have been to Rabbit Hole a few times now. My first time was for dinner and it was a highly enjoyable experience with the wagyu tartare entrée being the obvious highlight. It is seriously an amazing dish and an excellent interpretation of the classical French dish. The wagyu and the onsen egg with soft, runny yolk go so well together.

Menu

Rabbit mural

Water in a gin bottle

Bike on the wall

Today I am here to try the wagyu beef burger, which by the way has recently been nominated for the title of best burger in the world in Chowzter World’s Seven Tastiest Fast Feasts Awards (see the following link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-14/world-s-best-burgers-pizza-sandwiches-picked-in-awards.html).       

Wagyu beef burger on a brioche bun with Brie cheese and house made tomato relish. Served with hand cut fat chips

The burger is HUGE! It was too big to be eaten with hands, so I used knife and fork. Also I did not want to get lockjaw from trying to put the burger into my mouth. 

The brioche bun I really enjoyed. It was fluffy and nicely toasted.

The wagyu beef patty

The best part of the burger should of course always be the patty and in this case, it definitely delivers. The wagyu beef used in the patty seems to be of very good quality and had amazing flavour. It was tender, juicy and cooked to perfection. 

The cheese used in this burger is brie and was it delicious! I had no idea that melted brie would taste this good and work so well in a burger. Just yum!    

Even the lettuce I liked. It was not a wilty green thing that I sometimes encounter with other burgers. It was fresh and had a great crunch. 

Hand cut fat chip

I love the hand cut fat chips!  Quite possibly the best chip in Sydney. Crispy on the outside and  soft, fluffy potato on the inside. Each chip was a HUGE chunk of potato. It felt like I ate an entire whole potato.  

The homemade tomato relish was a great accompaniment with the chips. It was sweet and tangy and goes really well with the chips.    

I left Rabbit Hole a very person after I had my burger fix. Is it one of the 12 best burgers in the world? I don’t know because I haven’t eaten enough burgers to make that call. But what I do know is that it is one of the best burgers in Sydney. So long til my next outing at Rabbit Hole, which will probably be for the alcoholic dessert degustation, which  they have recently launched (that is if I don’t come back for another burger fix). I can’t wait to try the alcoholic dessert degustation because it sounds like an awesome concept! Great cocktails and great desserts, who can complain?
                
Verdict
Highlight: All things beefy, especially those in burger and  tartare form
Lowlight: Not much. It does get a bit quiet here, especially during lunch, which is a shame because the food and the cocktails are awesome.
Overall: Rabbit Hole is an excellent bar that does very good and reasonably priced food and cocktails. I have had great experiences here during lunch, dinner and after-work drinks. This makes Rabbit Hole one of my favourite bars in Sydney to catch up with friends or have a meal.  8/10 (Excellent)