Tis the Season of the Wine Bar

In the leafy backstreets of Surry Hills, Jane sings in a palette of dark ochre walls, camel browns and apricot candlelight. These hues articulate the mid-century modern home of the 70s, an interior reminiscent of  the restaurants namesake, Jane, who is the grandmother of the owner-chef Tristan Rosier.

Past the bar, the secondary dining room is narrow. An airplane aisle space, on the right-side are dining tables and on the left are consecutive trailing booths. I feel with my hands the textured white walls, speckled with paint, the crevices crackling like hearth. The lower third of the wall is panelled with vertical white wood. The brass fixtures, shrewd custom glassware with the chimney of the cups round like bellflowers make me recall the sly opulence of Art Deco. In terms of cuisine, Jane plays a seeming cultural crisscross that remains heavily anchored in the Australian palate. Charismatic and weird ingredients such as green ants, saffron, pistachio and jersey milk are common sights on the menu ᧖(• ᦢ •)ᦣ.

Alas, here are some highlights of what my hot date and I ordered, to share:

Raw scallop + prawn, curry leaf vinegar, mango, bread cracker

• Genius medley of textures in the form of glossy tidbits. Fleshiness from the scallop, silkiness from the prawn, ripeness from the mango.
• The bay leaf vinegar dressing adds the perfect summery tartness that collaborates divinely with the hefty crunch of the cracker.

Pickled mussels, sweetcorn, saffron chilli oil

• Perhaps inspired by a Spanish classic – mussels escabeche – these delights were more-ish and plump with a delicate acidity.
• Of course, this acidity shines even brighter against the backdrop of the sweet daffodil yellow corn purée.
• The chilli oil! Addictively spicy and cannot be underestimated. She’s strong. Could give Guizhou’s darling Lao Gan Ma a run for her money.

Kangaroo tartare, harissa, potato crisps

• A Hindu baddie like me is always fiending for non-beef alternatives to decadent classics. At Jane, I found my most daring bet.
• Like what I imagined a classic tartare to be, the diced kangaroo had a creamy, slightly iron-y and bloody bite. It’s mature, brutal and delicious. Might I add that the slithes of slutty pickle were also great.
• The hand cut, skin on crisps were f*cked. The coated chicken salt mix is a can-never-do-wrong classic.

Lamb dumplings, saltbush, chilli, yoghurt

• Here, I immediately thought to myself – Turkish manti. But using native Australian produce. So clever! And so, so toothsome…
• The saltbush element took form in an imitation of sambal, a faultless accompaniment to the wonton wrapper-esque exterior of the dumpling.
• The lamb itself – a small juicy sphere, its warmth subdued by slicked mild yogurt.

Desserts (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ Rockmelon sorbet with green ants and Daintree chocolate cake with espresso cream

• Green ants fizzle with a dull crunch like cotton candy. And nothing feels more true than shovelling your face full of chocolate cake whilst knee-deep into one and a half cocktails.

Neoteric and unfeigned. Old-school and smart. Where everything is a specialty – and where everything is a favourite – scrounge up your coins and dress in your Sunday best for a night at Jane.