Let's Do Lunch: Fix St James, Sydney CBD

One of my favourite events of Good Food Month was the Let's Do Lunch specials. It is where you get to sample a dish at the participating restaurant for only $38 including a glass of Brown Brothers wine, Coopers beer, sparking or still water, tea or coffee. More than 70 restaurants were involved in Let's Do Lunch this year so you have a wide range of choices on where to go for a decadent lunch feed. So sad that it's over for another year but at least you get an idea on what dishes to expect when you head to one of these restaurants between now and next year's event.

At Fix St James, the crowd is predominantly corporate office workers, lawyers, business people and the like who are working nearby. Don't expect to rock up here in casual gear. Still, the vibe is more casual and social than your usual hatted restaurant like Quay, Rockpool, Sepia with its minimal decor gearing towards modern and contemporary dining. Bonus points for friendly and attentive service.

For starters, Fix St James offer a slice of foccacia bread. While the texture of the bread was slightly tough, the highlight was the garlic flavour on top as you bite into it. Would have been nice to have a small bowl of extra virgin olive oil as a dip.

Complimentary foccacia bread

Fix St James' offering was the duck confit with new season carrots and boozy prunes which showcases the restaurant's focus on delivering European cuisine (with a focus on French and Italian) with a modern flair and bold flavours. This was certainly displayed in their prunes delivering a strong fruity flavour. The veggies were well-cooked and ripe while the duck was seasoned and gamey with a slight crispiness in the skin. I can imagine this hearty dish would be perfect for one of those cooler days and you don't want to resort to carbs for a warm feed. Overall, the serving was enough to get you full and satisfied for a few hours until dinner. 

Duck Confit with New Season Carrots and Boozy Prunes ($32 on the regular menu)

My choice of complimentary beverage that day was a Brown Brothers red wine (think it was Shiraz if memory serves me right) to match with the duck. It had that rich, full, intense and fruity  flavour as you taste the wine for the first time. Quite nice to have while digging into your main dish. Since the restaurant is also a wine bar, it's no surprise to discover that they stock at least 200 different types of wine! With the owner, Stuart Knox, knowing a thing or two (and much more) about wines; you know you are onto a good start for your alcoholic beverage needs.

Brown Brothers Red Wine

There is heaps of other food that I'm keen to try on the regular menu including the beef tartare, the 'Ode to Fergus', and Coorong Steak Tagliata. Will definitely be making more visits since it's close to work. The prices are leaning towards the more expensive side but at least the substantial portions for most of the food makes up for it. Definitely recommended if you are looking for a place to dine for a business meeting or having fun with your colleagues for lunch or after work. 

Fix St James

111 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000

(02) 9232 2767
http://www.fixstjames.com.au/
Lunch: Monday - Friday 12pm-3pm
Dinner: Monday - Thursday 5:30pm-9pm, Friday 5:30pm-10pm, Saturday 6pm-9pm