devon by night, surry hills

Being a huge fan of Devon Cafe, you can probably imagine my excitement when news of 'Devon by Night' reached my ears. At the same time, you could probably also picture my jealousy when I scrolled through Instagram on the night of its pre-launch! The lobster roll, chicken wings, beef short ribs - I had to get my hands on them ASAP.

And so two weeks after its launch, I found myself dining here with Isaac from iFat Food Chronicles on a Thursday night.

I was never one of those students who meticulously prepared for my next class or anything in general so I had no idea what to order. Luckily, they offered a banquet menu ($60) which included a couple of entrees, mains and a dessert! (I didn't know what was on that menu either but I did like the feeling of not knowing what was coming and then being surprised.)

First up were the oysters!

Oysters with Passionfruit Yuzu Granita

These oysters were fresh, plump and oh so smooth but the passionfruit in the granita was a little too strong for my liking.

On a side note, it was pretty funny watching Isaac eat one of these, immediately taking a huge gulp of water, which then led to his confession about disliking oysters.

King Salmon Sashimi, Avocado, Tomato Jelly Ikura and Chives

If you've ever had the eggs blini here, then you know that this dish cannot go wrong. The beautifully presented salmon sashimi lies on a bed of translucent tomato jelly, smooth avocado puree, topped with chives and beads of giant salmon roe that just burst in your mouth.

Char Grilled Baby Corn, Coffee and Miso butter

Next up was a wooden board of char grilled baby corn which lay in a husk on top of freshly ground coffee. There was no denying how fragrant the scent of the char grilled baby corn was when it arrived. It was buttery, sweet and there wasn't enough of it!

Devon's Lobster Roll
Lobster, radish, tatsoi and kewpie.  

The lobster roll was definitely my favourite part of the whole course! A fluffy brioche bun is generously filled with buttery poached lobster tail, kewpie mayonnaise, spinach mustard and baby radish. It was everything I've ever wanted and more. There's a reason why it's one of the most Instagrammed Devon by Night dishes!

Satay Babi
Penang Hainanese style pork sate with a sweet potato sauce.

These tender char grilled pork skewers are Devon's take on the popular Malaysian street food, satay babi. They're served with a nutty sweet potato sauce. I loved it and any leftover was soaked up with the toasted bread served with the skewers.

KJI Fried Chicken
Korean style chicken wings, go chujang and peanut sauce.

If you're a fan of the KJI burger, you'll love these wings too! They're battered, deep fried until golden and crunchy, served with a sweet and tangy gochujang sauce. The tender chicken was encased in a batter that formed an ultra crisp and bubbly crust. If I wasn't feeling nice, I would have probably taken both for myself!

Wagyu 6+ Striploin, Ponzu, Garlic

To end, the last savoury dish of the meal,was a mouth-watering wagyu 6+ rating striploin served with ponzu, fried garlic chips and a generous side of steamed broccolini. The wagyu was pink and marinated well with the perfect balance of salty, sweet and tangy. With that being said, you should also give a similar amount attention to the broccolini! They're perfectly cooked and the best accompaniment to the rich melt-in-your-mouth beef.

So after the table was cleared, it was time for dessert! The waitress placed two dessert spoons on our table and inside I knew it had to be the the guava sorbet or the fried ice cream with kaya jam. Cheering! But then she appeared around the corner with a full tray of Tamarind and Chilli Popsicles and I died a little inside. They kind of reminded me of a combination of dried Chinese preserved plums and haw flakes with a tingle of chilli in the aftertaste. It was definitely an interesting flavour but I think I would have preferred some of the other desserts.

And now that I've actually done some research, I know I have to be back for the pork buns, pig ear katsu, short ribs and the egg custard!

Devon By Night
76 Devonshire St
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
f: https://www.facebook.com/Devoncafe
t: (02) 9211 8777
w: http://www.devoncafe.com.au/