Vicinity - Alexandria

Remember that Saturday where it was absolutely bucketing down? Well that was the morning that my friends and I decided to meet up for brunch at Kepos St Kitchen. For a table of 6 on this miserable day, we were informed that we needed to wait 1.5 hrs. In torrential rain? Nope - we were not waiting. Instead, we decided to give Vicinity - the large restaurant on the corner of Bourke and Collins St a go - thinking that they'd have more room for the 6 of us. And we were correct - not only was there a table waiting for us, there was also undercover parking, perfect for the occasion!

We had, unfortunately, missed breakfast - so we were given the lunch/dinner menu. It didn't look too over-appealing for our unbreakfasted stomachs, but we all managed to choose something anyway. Coffee first - just average. Nothing special here.

Cappuccino

One of my friends and I opted for the fish of the day - crispy skinned barramundi with squid ink pasta, sweet potato, cauliflower puree and mussels ($24). Apparently cooked in their wood fire grill, the skin was crispy and the fish was cooked quite well. The cauliflower puree was tasty, as was the blackened pasta. Not a bad dish.

fish special of the day - barramundi

One of us chose the meat of the day - which in this case was the slow cooked chicken, finished off in the wood fire grill, smoked eggplant and sweet potato puree ($24). Unfortunately, this was not as spot on as the fish. My friend said that the chicken was cold and slightly tasteless.

meat special of the day - chicken

Another friend opted for the pork belly ($28). Big juicy looking slab of pork belly with crispy skin, morcilla, romesco, fennel and orange salad. No complaints from her about the dish - nor were there amazing praises.

pork belly

My hubby got talked into sharing the 38hr cooked lamb shoulder with a friend ($34pp). This massive slow cooked lamb was topped with a tahini yoghurt, sumac and sesame seeds. A hint of lemon to finish it off. Hubby said that is was good - tender (some bits more than others), but there's been better.

lamb shoulder

So all up, the food was alright. It's a great location for a group of people on a rainy day. Try any other cafe and we'd be waiting for hours in the pouring rain. Not sure if the food is 'wow' enough to warrant a return visit though...

Ratings:
Food - 7/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Value for money - 6/10
Overall - 27/40

Vicinity
90-96 Bourke St
(corner of Collins St)
Alexandria
NSW 2015
Tel: (02) 9002 1333