Darlinghurst’s Lucky Suzie is one of the area’s best kept secrets; there’s no doubting that. What chef Zachary Tan (widely known for Devon Cafe) has worked up in his experimental modern Malaysian kitchen is a consistent burst of big traditional flavours mixed into modern, eye-catching dishes with a menu that seems to be changing regularly. Being as it’s winter, that change has landed on the ever-loved truffle, Tan imbuing many of the current dishes with the premium ingredient to really switch things up for customers both loyal and new.
Their current truffle menu is running until the end of this month and has their regular menu sitting alongside some exclusive creations like the mounds of fried Truffle Mushroom ($5 each) which are incredibly creamy on the inside, hiding a mix of rich raclette, duxelle and fresh truffle underneath that textured crumbed mushroom. For those who’d rather a lighter introduction to the menu there’s the Bluepea Cracker ($8 each) which is fresh and vibrant – not to mention highly attractive – with bursts of citrus dancing around creamy scallop and salmon caviar.
Beautiful presentation seems to be a standard here. The necessary choice of Raw King Salmon ($19) is lovingly plated with rolled pieces lined up on one side, set with finger lime dressing and dressed with Thai basil and crispy eshallots. The produce is obviously top-class, packed with plenty of flavour and Tan is clever to use the dressing very lightly the natural taste is dominant. For those who want something a bit heavier, make sure you pair this up with a service of Miso Corn ($8), it’s a powerful slap of almost overwhelming, popping tastes with sweet corn cobs halved and served swimming in miso butter and furikake – just make sure you’ve got a spoon to clean the plate.
Larger tables are best served with a plate of B>Calamari ($16) sitting amongst the spread, sporting large chewy pieces that are flavoured with lemongrass sambal and come with mild spicy dipping sauce. It’s also worth getting some of the larger mains to share, like the exceptional Beef Cheef ($29), soft and glistening with a sweet soy glaze with an extra kick from toasted coconut and crispy eschallots. If a seafood main is more your thing, then the Crispy Skin Barramundi ($34) goes down a treat, swimming around with clams and okra in a light coconut curry.
If you’re quick enough to catch the truffle menu then there’s only really one proper way to end all the palate-satisfaction, and that’s the fluffy Taro Layer Cake ($16) which is – wait for it – bathed in the rich, thick and gooey wonder of house-made truffle custard before being decorated with thin truffles. Tan’s a pro when it comes to creating unique, decadent desserts and this one is certainly no exception.
Lucky Suzie
Address: 78 Stanley St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Contact: (02) 7901 0396
Website: luckysuzie.com.au
Hours: Mon-Thurs 12pm-3pm + 6pm-9pm; Fri-Sun 11am-3pm + 6pm-10pm
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