Underground CBD favourite Burrow Bar moved from its original home in De Mestre Place to 96 Clarence Street with big plans to expand into two levels and open a restaurant above the bar. Those plans are now a reality with the opening of Cash Only Diner, a Vietnamese eatery serving up dishes with roots in owner Chau Tran's family heritage and the dishes of Hue, Vietnam.
Tran has taken dishes she learned from her mother — a classically trained chef who studied at a French finishing school in Hue — and with the help of co-owner Bryce McDonough and the Burrow Bar team, has put together a menu that bursts with flavour and showcases the cuisine of the coastal Vietnamese city, which takes culinary elements from both north and south Vietnam.
"Our team has worked for months to create contemporary versions of dishes that have decades of tradition behind them," says Tran. "We want this to be a place where people who love authentic Vietnamese food [will] come to, but we also want to share these new flavours with all Sydney foodies."
Highlights of the menu include the cá kho tộ, caramelised and braised salmon served in a clay pot and dripping in marinade; the giò thủ, a pork and mushroom terrine; and C.O spring rolls filled with prawn and minced pork.
Cash Only Diner sits above Burrow Bar, meaning you can bet the drinks are just as exciting as the food. Pair your Vietnamese feast with a selection from the cocktail menu that includes a green mango negroni, a pineapple and gin creation called Napoleon's 2nd Vice, and a boozy Vietnamese iced coffee, a creative twist on the espresso martini.
The award-winning Burrow Bar team includes Rockpool, Spice Temple and Quay alumni, with the bar being named in the finalists of Australian Bartender Magazine's Bar of the Year, Bar Team of the Year and Small Bar of the Year. Tran has also claimed her fair share of accolades, winning Host of the Year at this year's Bartender Magazine Awards and being listed in the Top 25 Bartenders by DrinksWorld.
Cash Only Diner is located at 1 Barrack Street, Sydney. It's open midday–11pm, Wednesday–Saturday.