Kiln

Sydney’s rooftop bar scene is like a simmering cauldron of potential that’s often thwarted by Melbourne’s famed rooftop bars, in recent years there’s been a resurgence of Sydney’s rooftop bar/restaurant scene which holds its own. In today’s blog we are exploring Kiln which sits pretty on top of the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, let’s get eating.

Kiln is a rooftop restaurant and bar led by Chef Mitch Orr and located 18 stories above the Ace Hotel overlooking the concrete jungle of Surry Hills, it’s a self-proclaimed contemporary Australian cuisine forward restaurant with a dash of Italian-ish and nods to Japan and Southeast Asia peppered throughout the menu. I was keen to try Kiln as it came highly recommended by a work colleague and I’ve always been intrigued by the recent trend of Italian-Asian fusion, how was the food? Let’s dive in.

A La Carte

At this stage of the blog, I don’t see any need to reinstate my love of carbs - especially in the form of warm, soft, perfectly baked bread paired with delicious whipped butter. Kiln’s bread is a work of art: soft and tender in the middle with a crispy, golden-brown crust that’s the perfect accompaniment to soak up any sauces or condiments from the other menu items. Koji is a Japanese ingredient used to make fermented foods and the addition of Koji to the whipped butter elevates the salty umami of the butter. If you are a carb lover definitely start with this bread - you’ll thank me later.

Grilled scallops

Grilled abrolhos island scallops, preserved lemon butter (gf/df) $26

One of my favourite seafood to enjoy when dining out or at home are scallops - when cooked well these are buttery soft with a hint of ocean lingering on your tastebuds. I loved how Kiln used the natural sea salt of the scallops and enhanced its flavours through the use of lemon butter which provides a nice balance of zest and buttery smoothness to the scallops. These scallops were swimming in the lemon butter sauce and were an absolute flavour bomb - another bullseye dish, highly recommend!

Stracciatella with tomato and peach

Stracciatella, tomato, peach with shellfish vinaigrette ($28)

It’s a shame that Kiln has a seasonal menu as this salad was available when I visited during summer however the new seasonal menu for Autumn now features strachiatella with fuyu and pistachio. Either way - this was a surprise hit, I’ve never imagined peach and tomatoes to be such a delicious pairing but the sweetness of the peach offset with the savouriness of the tomatoes and creamy goodness of the straciatella was simultaneously refreshing yet satisfying. However the autumn straciatella salad also sounds interesting so i would give it a go!

Tuna tartare

I recently watched a reel on Instagram where someone calculated that if you bring lunch to work your total savings per year adds up to around $2,000! I’ve been meal prepping for work but my bank account must be crying as all the money I’ve saved gets redistributed to eating like a Queen on the weekends including splurging $34 on this beautiful tuna tartare. I’m a huge fan of seafood and any form of tartare will always get my heart racing - this tuna tartare was perfectly spiced, delectably melt-in-the-mouth tender, and the spent bread is a crispy wafer floating on top of a masterpiece. This was a definitive win in my books and I will get it again on my next visit.

Cucumbers and honeydew melon

Cucumbers, honeydew melon, almonds ($26)

This is a deceptively simple yet refreshing dish - there are only three components, cucumbers, honeydew and almonds as garnish but it was a fantastic palate cleanser for the next course. My golden rule is usually that vegetables do not belong on my bill but every once in awhile I see a unique combo on the menu and just have to give it a go. I have never imagined honeydew and cucumber to be in the same dish but this is a genius summer salad, simple, refreshing and peckish.

Southern Calamari

I’ll be honest - calamari is not my usual preference for mains but I was curious about the Italian salmoriglio served with the calamari. Salmoriglio is a Southern Italian sauce based on olive oil, lemon, garlic, and herbs (traditionally oregano), it’s usually served with meat but works quite well with the smoky flavours of this grilled calamari. The highlight was the addition of fennel seeds, roasted garlic, and shio kombu which added an umami, ocean-like Asian twist to the dish. Although not my favourite out of all the dishes you would enjoy this if you’re a fan of calamari and intense flavours.

Rating: 4.5/5

Address: 53 Foy Lane, Sydney NSW 2000 (Level 18 on top of Ace Hotel)

Instagram: @kilnsydney