Summer menu at the Carrington

Wine Bars

Surry Hills’ hot Spanish drinking den welcomes the warm with a change of menu

First published on 8 Nov 2011.

In 2011 we witnessed the relaunch of the Carrington, transformed from a crusty old mens’ pub to a drinking destination with an emphasis on Spanish drinks and snacks.

The bar’s slow roasts and braises warmed our cockles through the lengthy Sydney winter, but now that summer’s finally here the Carrington has tweaked its menu accordingly.

It’s now big on fresh flavours, seafood, sandwiches and salads, taking in the tastes of the Iberian peninsula through the bounty of the Australian coast. Propped up at the bar, it is hard to imagine better friends than fried mussels with aioli and a frosty mug of beer. A salad of chorizo, tomatoes and torn bread will provide some summertime sustenance, while a mound of pickled octopus, fennel and tomatoes offers a squeaky clean taste of the sea.

The Carrington will be serving clams steamed in sherry with jamon and fideo, and Tuna ‘el Scorchio’ -seared and doused in onions, raisins, pine nuts and saffron. There will be salt‐roasted prawns with chilli and oregano and an unadorned chargrilled skirt steak perked up with mojo verde.

A new lunch menu focuses on cheap one‐plate affairs to accompany drinks, whether on a short lunch break or extended daytime feast. There’s a fish burger of fried shark and romesco, a salad of torn salt cod and orange, a barbecued pork mixed plate, and seared tuna with patatas bravas.

There will also be more pintxos than ever on hand for those short on time or just after a bit or two. They’ll change daily, but be it lengths of toast spread with wood‐smoked eggplant, piquillo pepper and anchovy, or a skewer of chorizo, manchego and olive, they’re made with two things in mind: summer weather and a well‐earned drink.

The Carrington remains a watering hole at heart and daily specials are set to please. Tuesdays mean $3 pintxos, while come Wednesday a tenner will buy any of the burgers and some handsome sides. Between 6 and 8pm Friday is happy hour and Single Mothers (that’s red wine, Southern Comfort and ginger beer topped with nutmeg and orange rind) can be had for $6 apiece.

Sundays will see the introduction of the weekend asado. They’ll be firing up the spit roast and for $15 per head sending out hunks taken from the whole beast.

The Carrington 563 Bourke St, Surry Hills 2010. (02 9360 4714)

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