poly

whilst the food at poly was good, i was extremely disappointed by the service received at the restaurant. we ordered the set menu on an early saturday evening. at this time, therestaurantwas at around 1/3rd of its capacity. the food that was served to us started from the middle of the menu, so we were quite confused. when i notified the waiter whom was in charge of our service, she simply replied by saying, "oh, really?" without apologising nor offering an explanation, then walked away. when the food eventually arrived 20 minutes later, they all came at once, and we felt quite pressured to eat quickly for the remainder of our seating session due to the time limit. this meant that we were unable to full appreciate the food. we also asked a different male waiter about the the bread dip (as i wasn't sure we had received it due to misunderstanding the female waiter) and he gestured 'it's here' with his chin, and walked away. finally, i wanted to make this dinner special as it was my partner's birthday, and had specified this in the reservation notes when i called to make the reservation. however, this point was not acknowledged during our dining experience as there was no candle serviced at any point. i probably won't be returning to dine here again

poly is the sisterrestaurantof ester, a brilliantrestaurantin chippendale. both restaurants are high on our list of sydney favourites. poly is located in a great spot on the border of surry hills and the southern end of the cbd. you will find it in a large converted industrial space part of the paramount site on commonwealth street. the restaurant’s bar is large and very prominent, which could give play to poly’s vision to be a bar, which also serves food. although the kitchen is small, they utilise the space well and the food is superb, making this an all round top dining experience. there are many different table configurations, great for groups, our favourite tables are by the kitchen and the mesmerising wood fire.

this is the sisterrestaurantto ester (which i’ve visited before) so have a guide to what to expect. the food is quite similar in a way and the service is top notch.

we came as a group to celebrate a belated birthday. the menu is divided into breads, raw and pickled, salads and vegetables, fish and meat, and cheese and sweet. it is pretty much a sharing menu so order as much as you can eat as a group and definitely no fomo here.

we ordered heavy on the bread side of things getting the sourdough rolls with a super delicious whipped sesame. if you’d given me a bag full of those rolls and a tub of the whipped butter concoction i would’ve been happy as a pig stuck in mud. there were two types of toast, one with anchovy and the other with nduja. as i’m not a fan of anchovies i steered clear of them but happily consumed the one with nduja and honeycomb. slightly spicy it was mellowed by the honey. really delicious combo. the waiter mentioned specials of john dory and prawns that weren’t on the menu. as their was limited quantities of each we ordered both. i didn’t try the prawns as not a fan of them but the john dory was tasty. could’ve done with more meat on it but the sauce was absolutely wonderful. the other dishes we had were lovely too.

my favourite of the evening was the sticky date donut. a coil of heavenly sticky date smothered in caramel sauce and served with cream it was the perfect ending to the evening. i’d highly recommend trying this.

thisrestaurantis worth a detour for. the food and service are on point.

got to experience longrain as part of a work function. such a lovelyrestauranti’ve always wanted to go to. the food was amazing! i was super lucky my table didn’t like oysters so i got a whole heap. such an intimate restaurant, service was extremely accommodating, as my friend had a but allergy and he got all his own dishes.

poly in surry hills is part of the paramount hotel with a much more casual wine bar vibe than sisterrestaurantester but is equally as delicious. i’ve been a few times- once for the amazing scarlet prawn dish and the light comte donut but both times i’d forgotten my camera so a birthday dinner with isaac rectifies this!

this is a really greatrestaurantfor food and drinks. my favourites were the sourdough rolls, raw beef and fried cheese, steak sandwich and cheese dumplings. definitely stay for dessert because the sticky date donut and the hazelnut stracciatella icecream were really really good too!

most dishes are easy to share but i think it’s best to share anyway so you can try a bit do everything. the venue gets quite crowded during peak times but the place is not very loud so it’s still easy to hold a conversation. bookings are also recommended

how can you not love poly? ester’s sisterrestaurantdid not disappoint. let’s start with why it didn’t disappoint. first, the subterranean fit-out is light filled and the wooden communal tables make it easier to accommodate bigger groups. second, it’s shared plates style and the waiting staff are knowledgeable and helpful if you are unsure where to start. third, the food is just beautiful and showcases seasonal and interesting ingredients. fourth, the wine list is 12 pages long and is filled with organic wines. i didn’t know there were so many. i can’t wait to go back! #poly #surryhills

our first dinner date after the arrival of our baby at the newrestaurantpoly. we had for mains:
*clams.white gazpacho
*baby octopus.squid ink.lardo
*fatoush
*prawns.xo sauce
*crudites.labneh
*garlic bread.smoked butter

cocktail: beachside, wildflower ale, yuzu shu, archie rose vodka and passion fruit

cheese courses:
waikato gouda donut, it was amazing, shaped like a churros and deep fried, i can have a few of those! not a big fan of the brillat savarin with blood plum wrapped with witlof though, everything was too soft for me, need some savory crunch

ended off the night with a smoked milk ice cream with whipped honey. yum

following ester's successful opening in 2013, the team behind it has now opened a sisterrestaurantpoly. having dined at ester before, mr piggy and i could not wait to check out what poly has to offer. the menu is concise and the place aims to deliver food in a casual "hands-on" manner. the dishes are small in portion, and this gave us a good chance to sample a variety.

definitely the same quality you’d expect from the ester team, and overall we were again blow away over this lunch.

the scarlett prawns are definitely highly recommended as well as the ricotta nudies.

any chance we could get some pasta with the pippies and bottarga oil? otherwise, do save some bread for dipping cause that’s the real main event..

anotherrestaurantthat we could fault very little and definitely recommend those that want to develop a sophisticated palate cause a lot goes on in every dish :)

maybe another 5er in the near future...?

despite looking more like arestaurantthat a wine bar, one look at the menu and you are immediately reminded of the age old saying “looks can be deceiving”. a robust looking drinks menu is presented with a single page of 15 tapas options. the menu borders on perfection with a vast number of different proteins on offer that makes you regret you are here with just your partner and not with at least another couple of friends.

now, remember this is really a wine bar. so all of those tapas are designed for the main event; drinks. the food is heavily seasoned, which is why it must be accompanied by copious amount of liquid. from the haystack, to the tongue and the famous blood sausage, every dish was really good but is prepared to be washed down. fortunately poly has a glorious drink list with a minor let down. wine from numerous regions, sakes, whiskey and the liquors. but just one beer?!

overall, a great new addition to the sydney dining scene. worth a visit. order the prawns.

run do not walk to this amazing new space. everything is fun and unique. the potato cigar was so good we ordered a second. therestaurantmakes its own soda making for tasty mixed drinks!

friendly bar staff, hope this place takes off

beautifulrestaurantwith a nice cosy feel and atmosphere. we were greeted by friendly staff who started us off with a buckwheat popcorn starter.

oysters were next up and they were light and tasty!

grilled bread with whipped butter! if i could get this bread every day i would. so soft and buttery and tasty! one of our party order this again for desert it was that good!

i wasn’t too sure about the onion haystack when i read it on the menu, but once i had my first bite, i was like, i’ll have another one of them thanks! :)

the potato cigar was the best, i could eat them forever. i mean how can you go wrong with cheesy fried goodness.

the beetroot labneh dish was next. the beetroot was roasted and had a nice smoky flavor. great pairing with the creamy labneh.

the octopus. words can not explain how much i enjoyed it.. so melt in your mouth deliciousness.

first time trying ricotta gnudi and i’m sold. this one was so smoky that when you leave dinner you still get the hints of smokiness. and let me tell you, that’s a good thing.

the quail was next. oh boy, i really didn’t get behind the presentation.. not sure if it was my psychological taste but i didn’t love it.

ended with two deserts. the tulumbi and chantilly cream as well as the blood orange sorbet were great.

thanks very much poly, had a great night.