Acacia restaurant, George St, The Rocks

Acacia restaurant, George St, The Rocks
Thursday 8 June, 2006

A work buddy and I were on our way to lunch at an old favourite in The Rocks when we noticed the '$10 lunch special' sign outside The Russell Hotel. This sparked our curiousity, so we decided to check out the menu options.

I did not know the Russell Hotel existed, let alone their restaurant, Acacia. The Russell Hotel is described as boutique, however it looks a little tired from the exterior and it doesn't help that The Rocks end of George St is undergoing a serious re-vamp e.g. the pedestrian paths are being widened so there is the 'pleasant' buzz of jack-hammers in the background.

The interior of Acacia is yellow with wooden floor boards, tables and chairs and crisp white tablecloths. The chairs have yellow velvet seats and padded backs that are starting to look and feel as if they need to be replaced. We were invited to sit wherever we pleased as there were only 2 other tables occupied. The staff were friendly and provided us with the lunch menu which included salads, fish & chips, lamb, steak and a range of pastas. I selected the crumbed calamari with hand cut chips, salad and garlic sauce and my work buddy selected the lamb with pide bread, salad and a dish of Middle Eastern sauce (Baba ganoush - I think).

The service was relatively fast however one meal was served before the other. With only three tables occupied in the restaurant, surely they could have bought our meals out together? That said, we were both pleasantly surprised with the food. My calamari was really good, however I wanted the garlic sauce to have more kick to it. The hand cut chips were great and you could almost visualise a staff member out the back peeling the potatoes and carely cutting them into perfect chunky fries.

After we finished our meals, the owner/ chef/ waiter (everyone is on the floor) shared a story with us about the gentleman that had eaten at the table next to us. Apparently he had found a mobile phone at the Sydney Fish Markets that belonged to one of the chefs. So, today he travelled from his Wollongong home to hand deliver the phone to its rightful owner. The restaurant offered him a complimentary meal and drinks to say thanks. Restores the faith........

For $10 Acacia is a bargain.

Acacia restaurant - 143 George St, The Rocks - (02) 9241 3003

http://www.therussell.com.au/