When I was planning my trip to Australia and decided to visit Sydney, I knew there was only one place that I wanted to go for dinner… Buffalo Dining Club.
The Darlinghurst restaurant is tucked away on Surrey Street and looks pretty unassuming with it’s black decor and small cosy interior. But it’s one of those places that people ‘in the know’ flock to. Now don’t get me wrong this isn’t one of those wank places in Shoreditch that attracts all the knobheads, it had nice, friendly clientele. Glad we got that straight.
But because it’s so small and so popular, there’s normally a wait and you can’t reserve tables for parties smaller than 7 people. When we went it was pretty early, around 6pm, and we had a half an hour wait. During the wait we went to Bloody Mary’s over the road for some pre-dinner, you guessed it, Bloody Marys…
By the time we had gone back to Buffalo Dining Club, the wait was up to a hour. So I reckon the earlier the better.
So wait, what’s deal with this place?
Ok, first up, it’s a Mozzarella Bar. Yep, that’s a thing apparently. And I’m so glad it is.
That means the menu doesn’t really work the same as a normal restaurant. You are supposed to order a cheese with two sides (to share), followed by a plate of cured meat (to share), followed by a main meal each of pasta or salad. Basically, all the best things.
For my cheese choice, I went for the Buffalo Mozzarella figuring the name of the restaurant must hold some weight. It did, it was amazing. For my sides, delicious Sicilian olives and perfectly marinated field mushrooms. It was all served with rustic bread and a lush tapenade.
It was basically a plate of heaven.
We skipped the meat plate purely because we were on a backpacker budget and this isn’t the cheapest of places. But to be honest, I was here for the main meal.
I had heard all about Buffalo Dining Club because of the ‘Cacio E Pepe’ dish. This is their speciality dish and the reason most people visit. You see, this is spaghetti in olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper, which sounds pretty basic. But what makes it different is that the whole thing is presented in a half wheel of pecorino cheese. The waiter tosses the spaghetti in the wheel mixing in big chunks of pecorino.
Do you see why the title says ‘cheese heaven’ now?
So how was it? The Cacio E Pepe was actually a little salty to be honest but if you like pecorino cheese, you’ll love it. And how many restaurants give you this kind of experience, seeing your food mixed in a half wheel of cheese before indulging in it?!
Overall I had a really good night here. I love a restaurant that’s a bit different but not pretentious, and that’s exactly what Buffalo Dining Club is. The staff are friendly and chatty and it’s full of nice couples and families, but it is still effortlessly cool.
Like I said, Buffalo Dining Club wasn’t exactly backpacker-budget friendly but for a cool night out it’s doable, it’s not ridiculous. For one mozzarella dish, 2 pasta dishes and 2 beers, we paid $78 AUD (about £46).
Perfect for date night if you’re with bae.
Would you eat spaghetti out of a wheel of cheese?! Let me know what you think in the comments below or tweet me @HeelsInBackpack!
