King 143, 143 King Street, Sydney

King 143, 143 King Street, Sydney
Tuesday 30 January, 2007

Tonight we were off to see our first Belvoir play of the year - The Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie at the Theatre Royal. We had to think long and hard about a place to eat beforehand......then my Belvoir buddy came up with King 143.

I had heard of this French/ Japanese restaurant but had never dined there so was pleased to add another place to my ever expanding list or was that waist! King 143 seems to be a hidden gem as a few people indicated it was hard to find - it's not really, the only area of confusion is that it is not located on street level but the first floor of the building directly opposite the Theatre Royal.

The best description I discovered online is,

"Japanese chef and owner, Toshi Ishihara has over 20 years of experience as a restaurant proprietor and has also worked at the Hotel Connaught, London, as well as the Hotel Eyler in Basel.

His French dishes have now been enhanced by Australia's multicultural influences. At King 143, light classical French cuisine is complimented by a great wine list."

We arrived for an early dinner as the show started at 7pm. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table in the almost empty dining space. The disappointing aspect to this is that only two tables were occupied during our visit (this is a hidden gem if you are looking for somewhere fast, cheap and cheerful before the theatre).

Their pre-theatre menu offers 2 courses and a glass of wine for $45. I selected the Sashimi salmon with cucumber salad for entree and the Lamb shank on a bed of mash for main. My dinner buddies ordered the French Onion Soup and another Sashimi salmon for entrees and the Beef with hand cut fries and the Tasmanian salmon for mains.

The meals were served promptly and the wine was lovely (there is a choice between chardonnay, reisling, pinot grigio, shiraz, cabernet etc). The sashimi was delightful - fresh, light and just what I wanted. The lamb shank was tender and the mash was creamy.

For a quick meal before a show at the Theatre Royal I don't know of a better offering.

King 143 - 143 King Street, Sydney - (02) 9231 - 0143

http://www.king143.com.au/index.htm