Hotel Bondi, Bondi Beach

Back in Jun, MSG Cafeteria was approached by Hotel Bondi to drop by and sample some of their new bistro menu. So on the date of our booking, Whitty and I made the trek out to Bondi from the city after a brief stop by Zero Degrees to try their puffer fish. As we arrived at Bondi Beach early, we ended up walking along the promenade so that Whitty could go Pokemon hunting - apparently there were a lot of "rats and pigeons" around, as well as an occasional Psyduck if you're lucky.

Outside of Hotel

Whitty and I met up with the manager of Hotel Bondi, Ralph, who explained how the hotel had been renovated back in Dec 2015 - complete with new floors, paint job, new furniture and lighting. It certainly looked worth it! There were some awesome LED chandeliers at the main entrance for the hotel and more interesting lights spread throughout the bistro and bar area to provide dim lighting for guests. There was ample table seating inside as well as a pool/TV room. Apparently, Hotel Bondi previously leased out their kitchen but took the kitchen back in Mar 2016 so they're now serving their own food, complete with a new bistro menu.

Left: Inside Facing Kitchen
Above: Interior

We were given a choice of any available seat in the restaurant - after strolling through the place for a table with bright(er) lighting (ok, we skipped over the high table that basically had spotlights shining on it), we settled for a table outside facing the main street underneath a canopy of fairy lights and artificial vines:

Canopy of Fairy Lights

Courtyard

Courtyard

The courtyard was enclosed by glass (I was so tempted to walk up, press my face against it and wave at pedestrians on the other side... must refrain self...), in way mimicking a fish tank, but fortunately blocked off the harsh wind that was blowing outside. Hotel Bondi appear to have invested in some high-tech heaters that I haven't seen before - ceramic glass heaters were hung up from above around the courtyard and they were these small portable heaters that were designed to be at table/seat height, rather than being head height when standing. The heaters had ran out of gas in the pictures above but once the gas bottle was changed, the heaters made us toasty warm despite being 2 metres away.

Pimm's No. 1 Classic ($15); Lemon, Lime & Bitters

For drinks, Whitty ordered the Pimm's No.1 Classic (consisting of Pimm’s, equal parts lemonade & dry ginger ale, cucumber, orange wedges, strawberries and mint) whilst I ordered a good old Lemon, Lime & Bitters. The Pimm's cocktail got the tick of approval from Whitty with its ample fresh fruit.

We were given a few food recommendations from Ralph so we ordered two of those - the arancini and the Tasmanian salmon fillet main - as well as their roast pork burger, as I had a craving for something savoury after a dessert-filled day.

Table of Food

Arancini ($10)

The arancini was really good - balls of cheesy soft rice with golden crunchy exterior, and dusted with dried herbs and more cheese. The bowl contained seven arancini balls, which was a decent entree serving, and they were served with a tomato salsa/sauce, which I thought was a little bland.

Pan-Fried Tasmanian Salmon with Cauliflower Cream, Watercress,
Asparagus, Heirloom Tomatoes & Radish Salad

The Tasmanian salmon was cooked well with a crispy skin and moist, juicy flesh except for thinner edge of fillet - usually that part of the fillet would have some natural fat (from the belly section) but surprisingly the fillet was devoid of it, which probably explained the dryness. The accompanying salad was fresh with the asparagus being soft and tender. When eating, Whitty and I initially thought the salmon came with some potato mash but the taste and texture was all wrong - turns out it was cauliflower puree.

Roast Pork Belly Burger with Asian Slaw and
Sweet Ginger Mayo, served with Thick Cut Chips

Unfortunately I found the pork belly burger to be sadly disappointing - the highlight of the burger should have been the roast pork belly but it was actually rather dry. The flavour was there in the meat and there was crispy pork skin but it seemed like the pork belly had been taken too far. There was ample moist slaw/salad in the burger, as well as some sliced roasted capsicum, but it wasn't enough to rescue the pork belly. Otherwise, the burger size was big (held together by a skewer with a cute little gherkin and onion), had minimal juices coming out of the burger when eaten, and the thick cut chips were crunchy.

Burger in Hand

My recommendation would be to fix the pork belly, add another layer or two of it to the burger to balance out contents of the burger, and to perhaps toast the burger bun (minor detail). If they could achieve all this, then the burger would have potential but alas.. *sigh*... so close to a perfect night! Internally I was wailing nooooo.... because aside from the pork belly, the night had been going so well.

Hotel Bondi is conveniently located across the road from Bondi Beach - the building is unmissable with a massive clock tower and sign that can be seen from a mile away and appears as a PokeStop for the Pokemon players out there. There is minor bus stop diagonally across the road and most buses from Bondi Beach to Bondi Junction stop there, except for the 333 bus - you'll need to walk to the next (major) bus stop down the road.

Disclaimer: MSG Cafeteria was invited as a guest to Hotel Bondi and all food and drinks consumed was paid for by the cafe. Thanks to the team at Hotel Bondi for hosting and serving up some yummy food!