PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIAModern Asian restaurants have revolutionised Sydney dining by bringing exotic new flavours within super stylish surrounds. Jimmy Liks is one of the forefathers of this trend which has sparked others like Sugarcane and Bay Hong to follow in its footsteps. It’s so refreshing to be able to steer away from a regular a la carte menu of chicken, fish and beef dishes without having to give up a unique and fine dining experience.
Like many of its guests, Jimmy Liks is a sleek and slim restaurant. To one side, a bar serves up a fascinating assortment of cocktails such as the ho chi tea which is a delicious concoction of green apple and mint smashed with bison grass vodka, Absinthe and topped with blackcurrant tea. If it’s just a few drinks and a taste sensation your group is after, choose something delicious from the bar menu, like the steamed pork and prawn dumplings with garlic chive flower and black vinegar dressing. To the left of a dividing wall, three long communal tables dominate the room with designer-esque prayer flags running the length overhead. Once seated, you simply must order what has become a staple flavour explosion in modern Asian restaurants; a betel leaf with smoked eel, shrimp, galangal and chilli. Follow with sharing plates of Mussaman curry made from veal shank with peanut betel leaf and ar-jard dipping sauce, and grilled beef lemongrass and ginger parcels with red nam jim. Match these dishes with Aunty Tao’s grilled chicken with peanut and kaffir lime sauce and a bottle of Pinot and you have yourself a culinary triumph that merges freshness with a bit of zap.
Annabel Wise, July 2008
