Brooklyn Social, Surry Hills

The initials you see on that burger bun is not what you think it means. It doesn't mean "Bull Shark" I swear! hahaha. It's the initials of a newly opened bar and dining joint called Brooklyn Social. The Surry Hills dining scene just got a lot tastier with the addition of this establishment.

Brooklyn Social is a bar restaurant influenced by American diners with a rock and roll theme. Some remnants of the old Mexico restaurant are still around. But the transformation that Brooklyn Social made has utilised the space well. It gave the place better lighting and some industrial hipster vibe. There's a huge gin and whiskey based cocktail list and a menu full of milk bar/American diner classics. After seeing the photos of food taken by Alana of Alana Bread a few days ago, I knew in that instant that I needed to visit this place. A lunch with JB Jose and The Heart of Food paved way to this visit.

Uptown sour cocktail

I tried one of their cocktails, which was the uptown sour ($17). It had monkey shoulder whiskey shaken with Lairds applejack, lemon juice and cinnamon syrup served over a cider block. If you like a citrusy cocktail that does not hold back on whiskey, then this baby is for you!

Southern fried chicken

The Southern fried chicken ($10) is one classic one shouldn't miss when ordering. The rippled batter was full of glorious crunch and it also had that sweet-ish Southern spice blend with strong notes of cayenne pepper, garlic and onion. It also came with a delicious truffle aioli dip.

Onion rings

The onion rings ($6) had a perfect light crisped batter and soft sweet onion on the inside. It was nicely seasoned and super addictive!

1/2 Rack beef ribs with sticky bbq sauce

They also have beef ribs ($17 for half rack) in the menu that came with some basic slaw and a little jar of extra barbecue sauce. The sauce had some nice sweet and tangy flavours with a very light note of bourbon. Even if the meat was not as tender as I thought it would be, I still really enjoyed it.

Hell's Kitchen dog ($8) - pickled jalapenos, smoked ancho-chilli and tomato salsa

Meat-packing district burger (1/4 pounder)

I must admit that when I was about to dive in to the "meat packing district" burger ($14), I could hear DJ Snake and Lil Jon's "Turn Down For What " song playing in my head. The monster burgers are not normally my thing but this was an exception. It was both monster in size and taste! The double wagyu beef patty was absolutely flavoursome and juicy. I couldn't help but adore the sexy melted American cheese, which also provided a nice texture to the burger. The tomato, pickles, onions and the Brooklyn Social special sauce were the other components that complete this burger for me. The soft sweet bun used makes the handling of this burger much easier (phew!).

I saw a lot of other awesome items on the menu that I would love to try! I would definitely go back to try their caramel-injected donuts. Another good thing about this place is that it's just right across from Central Station!

Brooklyn Social

17 Randle St

Surry Hills NSW

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/brooklynsocialsydney

Instagram: instagram.com/brooklynsocialsydney

Trading hours:

Daily 12pm to 2am