lumi interiror

LuMi Bar & Dining, Pyrmont

What’s the weirdest punishment you’ve ever received from a teacher?

I’ve been forced to sit in the corner, put my hands on my head whilst singing the national anthem and even had to come up with a written statement to stupid Mary for calling her a peasant (she stole my lunchbox, I was more than justified).

However there was this one particularly weird punishment that I was threatened with once upon a time that I just can’t forget. My fourth grade primary teacher had finally snapped at me for my lunchtime poker games and threatened to glu-mi to my seat until the cows came home.

Funny I mention that because being able to dine at LuMi is the exact opposite of a punishment, it’s a culinary reward.

lumi view

LuMi Bar & Dining is a restaurant will have you see food in a whole new light. That light is shone upon you from Wharf 10 just a stone’s throw away from the Star (also known as the location of half my life savings due to my ridiculously bad luck when it comes to Blackjack).

Housing a dynamic combination of Italian and Japanese cuisine, I’ve never had quite a dining experience as illuminating as the one I’m about to share with you.

Let’s get it going.

lumi mushroom tartlet
Mushroom tartlet

I’m a fun-gi at heart so there was no way I was ever going to dislike the first snack that graced our present.

Crispy tart shells laced with earthy mushroom flavour was a great way to get the party s-tart-ed.

lumi brik pastry
Brik pastry with ocean trout and pickled radish

I tried recreating this snack at home but it was really hard pulling a brick out of my wall and none of the recipes I looked up online offered me any help on the matter.

If only my brick fencing housed smokey ocean trout and tangy pickled radish. Alas, I’ll settle for the solid insulation and security.

lumi snapper
Snapper with roe emulsion, fermented cucumber and Calvisius Oscietra caviar

Oh snap-per. Now this is a hell of a start and an absolute fish come true.

Look at the glistening caviar perched atop glorious cuts of tender snapper, if you draw your eyes even closer to the screen you’ll see the fermented cucumber hiding underneath it like a hatless kid and a shady tree.

Hmm, weak analogy but don’t let that take away from how amazing this dish is.

lumi oxheart tartare
Oxheart tartare with creme fraiche and sansho pepper

I’ve mentioned this before but I’m going to mention it again, I will forever associate tartare with Mr Bean.

Unlike my main man Bean, I have absolutely no qualms about shovelling tartare in and around my mouth. I loved the sour nature of the creme fraiche and the zest of the sansho pepper as well.

Glad to say I’ve Bean there and ate that.

lumi agnolotti
Agnolotti with porcini, truffle oil and rye dashi

My favourite dish of the night was the agnolotti.

The fragrance of the truffle oil laid the groundwork, sneaking into my nose and implanting the idea that I was in love with this dish before I even picked up my spoon. The first agnolotti entered my eager mouth and I took a bite.

It is then that I knew my life would never be the same.

My teeth broke the skin of the agnolotti and soup leaked out. Yes, I had been hit with LuMi’s take on soup dumplings with absolutely no warning. The dashi, the porcini and the truffles just melted together to send me into a little bit of Heaven.

lumi tagliolini
Tagliolini with zucchini, prawns and calamari

Back to back pasta dishes? Hell yeah.

This traditional pasta was tinged with green. I’m sure it has received a few confused looks before because the waiter went out of his way to explain that the zucchini was the source of the pasta’s vivid colour.

This pasta was cooked to perfection with every slurp featuring the optimal amount of bite. Not chewy, not soggy, just right.

lumi blue eye cod
Blue eye cod with anchovies beurre blanc, and burnt cabbage

The blue eye cod was an optional dish and like a kid who has never owned an Xbox there was no way I was missing out on some COD.

Wrapped in a leaf of burnt cabbage…I…did not think this dish was a marvel, as least not from a visual perspective.

But as the old saying goes, never judge a dish by its cabbage. Encased within the burnt cabbage was the most flaky and tender piece of cod. The fish was just so smooth and buttery, it didn’t matter at all that the dish looked like a Metapod who had gone up against a Charizard.

lumi-short-rib
Short rib with cauliflower puree and mustard

The only bad thing about our last savoury course was that I only got to enjoy it for a….short time.

Heh.

I think short rib might be my favourite cut of beef, it just never disappoints like a new iFat post. It’s like the opposite of iFat’s HSC results (sorry Mum, I’m sure I’m a capable doctor in an alternate universe). LuMi continued the streak of success for its short rib brethren. It was so tender and melt in your mouth like beef flavoured chocolate on a hot day.

It comes with a bit of cauliflower puree and mustard on the side. The two sauces completely change up how the short rib tastes, it’s like having a three course dish as you all three variations (tangy mustard, pure cauliflower and unsauced beef) taste so different from each other.

Three dishes in one? That’s value and quality you can’t deny…like how much a disappointment my HSC results were (sorry Dad, I’m sure I’m a kickass lawyer in an alternate timeline).

lumi mango
Frozen mango with lemongrass and finger lime

Put yourself in my seat for a second.

You have just demolished an incredible cut of short rib and you’re keen to top off your meal with some dessert. You lock eyes with an oncoming waiter and he puts….a piece of mango in front of you.

Look, I love mango but really? Is that all? I thought you were one of the best restaurants in Sydney, I thought

But sir, this is frozen mango with some lemongrass and finger lime.”

Oh, sorry. I jumped to conclusions like every single one of my ex-girlfriends. Whoops.

Imagine mango ice cream with hints of lemongrass and lime served within mango skin and you’ll get the mango dish presented at LuMi.

If this dish was at the end of every meal, then I’d jump to conclusions just as quickly as every ex.

lumi douglas fir
Douglas Fir with rhubarb, raspberry & olive oil

The dish resembles a breakfast dish with a poached egg just waiting to be popped. It continues to resemble that after you’ve navigated the dish as the olive oil slowly spreads across the smattering of rhubarb and raspberry. This wasn’t my favourite dish but eating it was definitely an eggs-perience.

lumi yuzu watermelon
Yuzu Watermelon

The final dish of the night was another one of LuMi’s visually deceptive specials.

Just a couple of slices of watermelon on a plate, I can do that. Once again, I was wrong. The watermelon had been pickled with yuzu; which tastes as crazy as it sounds. The familiar sour tang of yuzu had been absorbed by the watermelon and I devoured it at a pace normally associated with wild beasts.

Someone sitting on the table next to me shot me a look and muttered “yu-zu animal.”

Well then.

lumi sign

Here’s the TL;DR for everyone who thought I’d never write another blog post:

  • Needless to say, Lumi blu-mi away. Go and book a table now.

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LuMi Bar & Dining

56 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont

Opening Hours:

Mon Closed
Tue Closed
Wed 6:30 PM to 9 PM
Thu 6:30 PM to 9 PM
Fri 12 Noon to 2:30 PM, 6 PM to 9 PM
Sat 12 Noon to 2:30 PM, 6 PM to 9 PM
Sun 12 Noon to 2:30 PM, 6:30 PM to 9 PM

LuMi Bar & Dining Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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