District Dining...neighbourhood style

And it appeared...

District Dining, Warren Turnbull's neighbourhood diner was the site of our February adventure. What a find. Up a set of stairs to a beautiful open space. Huge glass windows, dark furnishings, pale walls, District Dining oozes New York loft.

Share plates seem to be the Sydney 2011 plat de jour. While District Dining allows both shared and individual plates our waiter explained that the menu is designed to share, and who was I to turn down the opportunity to try several dishes rather than one or two!

I'd have never thought that I would be writing about ordering chicken nuggets. But well, we did. District dining style. "Jouzed" up nuggets with coleslaw and chilli aioli. I wasn't convinced and am still trying to understand their place on the menu, but that aside, tasty they were.

Other entrees included a delicious porcini mushroom, pecorino and caramelised onion pizza and as if Ms G's did not provide our fill of prawn toast, a fresh and modern prawn style cocktail, peppered with prawn toast was also amongst the offerings. A loaf of rustic hand made bread infused with roasted heads of garlic accompanied the entrees.

For mains we shared ras el hanout lamb rump with pumpkin hummus and honey feta along with crisp pork belly served with watermelon, cashews and pickled daikon. Both were divine.

As Adventurers recently returned from visits to Melbourne's Press Club and a birthday dinner at Quay, we lived vicariously through their menu choices.

Adventurer E, bemoaning a broken oven and cook top, was offered menu solutions. And I was challenged to embark on my 2011 cooking resolution...the macaron!

After all that talking it was time for dessert. I could not go past the meringue. A crumbling, sticky sweet mess, served with raspberries, delicate flower petals and a vanilla cream. With the exception of Adventurer K, who opted for the buttermilk pannacotta served in a jar with spiced peaches and mint, it was meringue all round- we can thank Terry Durack for that, Yum!

While the menu left me somewhat confused and pondering its place, what I can say, is that District Dining is well worth the visit. A gorgeous and welcoming space. Make it your local.