Nomad seats 180 people and on a recent Thursday night at the first dinner sitting every table in Nomad is full. The fact that it’s so busy 5 years after it opened in the very fickle dining hood of Surry Hills is testament to how good it is.
The venue
It’s an old warehouse and it retains that industrial feel with exposed beams and distressed timber. When you walk in the first things you notice are the two giant wine barrels and the mouth watering smell of smoking meats.
At the centrepiece of the space is a large open kitchen surrounded by a counter which gives a front row seat to watch the food preparation. Equally as entertaining is a seat at the window where you can watch the passing parade of people.
The food
I’ve been quite a few times and have tried both the a la carte menu and the Feast menu. Both options are good but now I usually stick to the $69 Feast menu. It’s such good value it sways me every time. Even better is the Saturday lunch option where you can get the Feast and bottomless (good) rose for 2 hours.
There is also a $95 Bigger Feast menu which includes all of the food on the $69 menu plus a few other dishes. Unless you have a pretty big appetite you’ll probably struggle, so I’d recommend trying the regular Feast menu the first time.
The first course on the Feast menu is the cannelinni bean hommus with house made sourdough and pickles. I’m not usually a huge fan of hommus but this stuff is to die for, beautiful and smokey. Even if you go a la carte I’d definitely recommend ordering it.
Next up is a charcuterie plate which is again made in house in the glass maturing cabinet and comes with more of the very moorish sourdough. It’s followed by zucchini flowers with pecorino truffle honey.
When I first saw the zucchini I thought it was going to be overwhelmed by the cheese as it seemed like there was so much, but it so light and airy and the sweetness of the honey adds another dimension.
Just in case you think you’ve narrowed down the menu to at least Europe, kingfish ceviche arrives. The fish is very fresh and lightly marinated with finger lime. The coriander cracker adds some crunch to a dish that often doesn’t have a lot of texture.
By the time the spatchcock arrives both my partner and I are feeling full but it and the accompanying BBQ cauliflower are so good a little while later there is nothing left on the plate. The meat is tender with a great smokey flavour (there is a theme here) and the harissa adds a nice punch without being overpowering.
When we’ve convinced ourselves we can’t possibly eat any more, out comes the dessert, an ice cream sandwich with olive oil partfait, halva, pistachio and honey and a few minutes later we somehow find ourselves discussing whose going to have the last spoonful.
The service
Another drawcard for Nomad is the service. Our waiter is very friendly but professional, always there to refill water and wine glasses, provide an explanation of each of the dishes and regularly check in to make sure everything is OK.
Great food and wine, good service and really good value. What more could you want in a restaurant.
16 Foster Street Surry Hills
LUNCH
Monday- Saturday
Noon – 2:30pm (kitchen closes)
DINNER
Monday – Wednesday
6.00pm til late
Thursday – Saturday
5.30pm til late