Rainford Street Social: Unconvinced

Rainford Street Social was a dinner choice directed by a recent groupon purchase. And by the end of the meal, that was my sole source of comfort after a tragic following of misfits and uninspired courses.

Decor and ambiance wise, Rainford Street Social scores as one of Surry Hill's assets, an eclectic mix of textures, color,s all  bathed in streaming sunlight, and acquiring a slightly broody romantic swag come night under the gently flickering of the candlelight. That being said, no amount of design effort can distract from the food; which to be honest, was borderline forgettable.

At Rainford Street Social, we started of with the gluten free option, Grilled scallops, apple & orange relish, avocado puree ($21) and the Chicken liver parfait, spiced pear chutney, toast ($17). The former had a strange charring to the scallops, (evidently from the photos), the freezer burn on the less-than-fresh seafood a major crime, the dish screaming for a note of acidity in the form of a simple squeeze of lemon over the top. The latter fared better despite the embarrassing gargantuan servings of pre-toasted bread that had been sitting out for way to long. The chicken liver parfait, a smooth fatty concoction in contrast to the pungently sour spiced apple chutney.

Do the mains fare better? I reached a common consensus that items served on the wooden boards are probably the safer option. Think the Glazed Lamb Ribs, pomegranate and baby gem salad ($29); not the most stellar lamb dish I've had, however, if you're with a partner who yields to his carnivorous tendencies more often than not, you'll fight like a fiend over the last piece. The Pan Fried Barramundi, olive oil potatoes and grilled kale ($31) makes a much more humbler appearance from the kitchen,  the skin crisped to perfection; once again, the seafood fails us, the undeniable fishy taste wafting thru the dish. 

The lacklustre event continued on thru the dessert course with the Lemon meringue sundae, macadamia nut crumble ($17) and the Peanut butter ice cream sandwich, strawberry sorbet ($17). We prayed for a more lip-puckering curd with the sundae to combat the overall sweetness derived from the whipped cream and macadamia nut crumble. The dessert lacking in any form of balance whatsoever. With the ice cream sandwich, the florentine like tuilles clasping the chunk of peanut butter goodness were soggy and leathery in texture; a sign of shortcuts being taken in the kitchen. The strawberry sorbet was a good idea though, its tanginess cutting through the richness of the dish. 

I remain unconvinced on the viability of Rainford, surrounded by many other dining options with marginally better food and competitively more affordable pricing; it had better buck up or risk getting ousted.

Rainford Street Social

500 Crown Street, 

Surry Hills, NSW

02 9357 2573

Website: /http://www.rainfordstreetsocial.com.au/