Bondi Road

Fashionista's birthday was back in May and planning started in mid-April. I know, it's September, but the yummy seafood pictures got lost in my iPhoto and after their rediscovery, I couldn't just let them or our feast slip away unnoticed. Thanks to her friend Miss Q's recommendation, we kicked off the week of celebrations with a dinner at Bondi Road.

That's how we do it here in New York. Birthdays become birthWEEKS. There's a night for an intimate dinner with your closest confidantes, there's a night for a crazy dinner with a large posse of friends and friends of friends; there's a night for a happy hour with co-workers, there's a night for drinks with your crew; and finally, when it comes to us girls, anyway, there's a night for dancing. I expect to go broke, financially and physically, the week of my friends' birthdays.

I don't eat seafood very often in the city, but when I do I'm reminded how much I love it. Regardless of living in a cement paradise of skyscrapers and potholes, crowded streets and sticky subways, far away from any oceanside dining, this city has some really great seafood options. I still want to try Mary's Fish Camp and Pearl Oyster Bar, but I am psyched I can now be a staunch supporter of the Aussie seafood dive Bondi Road.

We showed up and I felt like I'd walked off the boat. There were surfing videos playing a la Jack Johnson concerts, the staff was all speaking Oz, and there were ocean scenes plastered on the walls. I've never met an Aussie I didn't like and those at Bondi were no different. From the bartender who bought us our first round of free shots --a fruity blue concoction called a "Surfs Up"-- to our friendly server, it was clear they aim to please and ease your night of partying at Bondi. Our server was bubbly and extremely excited to take care of us on Fashionista's birthday. You'd think we were her friends in town visiting from Perth. One round of shots on the house wasn't enough -- we drank another round with her.

I can't pretend to remember what each person ordered individually, especially since dinner was followed by more drinking, but at least you can glance over the smorgasbord of things we ordered, and maybe the pictures and my abridged comments will sway you enough to go and try this Lower East Side unburied treasure.

New Zealand Mussels-- the mussels were big and juicy but it was a little difficult soaking up the buttery and garlicy sauce.
Baby Scallops--I think my friend ordered this for her entree. She definitely has a smaller stomach than me. They were baby all right. They were meant to be an appetizer, so I'll let the small portion slide.


Bondi's tuna tar tar, as they call it, was one of my dinner favorites. I wish it came with more crisps. We were all fighting for a crumb of the crisp to dip in the tuna juiciness. The slivers of ahi tuna on top were a nice touch. They weren't skimping on the tuna.


Fried Barramundi--ever since eating fried catfish at a restaurant in Tokyo called Bourbon Street, I've been on a mission to find something comparable. This dish blew me away. Sohan's catfish is one of my all-time favorite restaurant dishes and this is the closest I've found to it. Barramundi, as I learned, is a delicate white flesh, mild-flavored and relatively boneless -- the perfect combo with a little batter. Just looking at the picture makes me want to head there at some point this weekend.

Tasmanian salmon -- not my favorite of the dishes, but if you're an avid reader, you'll know I'm just not a big fan of salmon. It's just not a very exciting dish and I have yet to see a presentation or preparation that excites me.


Aldo's Steak Diane -- this was the first I'd seen or heard of this dish. It was juicy and tender and if I ever see it on another menu, where fried Barramundi isn't an option, I will order it. My favorite part was the mushroom and garlic topping. It was like juicy bruschetta on a steak.


Soft-shelled crab--it used to be one of my favorites, but my love affair with the bony crab has slowly faded. I'm not sure what drew me to it originally, maybe it was a night out with my uncle in Sag Harbor. Done well, soft-shelled crab is a delicacy. But one small thing can throw this dish from being delish to de-yuck. Bondi's was an interesting mix of both -- the batter reminded me more of a fennel cake batter than something you'd want on seafood. It was a special that night and it was more average than special.


Besides the atmosphere being warm and relaxed -- what I imagine Sydney to be like -- the reasonable prices also impressed me. If you're craving seafood, but not the tab that comes along with it, Bondi is your place. Everyone was just having a good time, even the people that were working that night, and that says a lot about a restaurant.

We had a saying in swimming: "Go hard or go home." The owners of Bondi Road have one of their own, and as a wannabe Aussie, I think I'm going to start adapting it into my own daily life: "Get wet or get burnt."

153 Rivington St., between Suffolk & Clinton St.
212-253-5311