Salads, smoothies and sandwiches – they aren’t a groundbreaking combo, but you’d be surprised to find that Bondi doesn’t have many places peddling the holy trinity of health conscious lunches. Now Side Room has arrived in the Pacific complex, on Campbell Parade, seeking to change that.
It’s from the people behind Potts Points’ Room Ten and Fish Bowl. In fact it’s on the site of the original Fish Bowl, which isn’t gone – it’s moved metres away so you can still get your fresh fishy fix.
Behind Side Room’s glowing glass-bricked counter is a small, fanatically clean kitchen where they’ll blend a very Gwyneth Paltrow approved Goop-style smoothie, like the riberry ripe. The almond milk-based smoothie has macadamia butter in it, which could account for the overpowering plain, nutty taste coming forward over the berries, mango and riberry. You can also order up the smoothies in bowls (because we all know blended fruit looks looks better in a flat lay), and you’ll find ingredients spanning coconut ‘meat’, blue algae, charcoal powder and quandong (or native peaches). At $11-$15 a pop these are the more exxy renditions of pureed nuts and fruit we’ve seen.
Instead of a taking up space with a DIY salad bar, there’s six different formulated ‘whole bowls’ to choose from, including chilli chicken or roasted chickpea and capsicum. The spiced lamb is a winner, with a crumble of soft sumac imbued mince piled on top of nutty quinoa and turmeric-spiked rice, complemented by sour pickled red onion, whole ferny sprigs of dill, crunchy pickles and parsley-laden tabouli. To begin with it’s all killer, no filler, but once you progress past the protein the salad leaves at the bottom of the bowl are a little lacklustre.
If you’re after something that is tasty from first till last bite go with a toastie. Chunky brisket, zesty pickles, and creamy mayo come sandwiched between Brickfields bread, which makes for make for an excellent Rueben-inspired sanga.
At this stage Side Room is only open for breakfast and lunch – but we’d love to see it open a little later (like Fish Bowl does) so on-the-go locals can grab a salad or a sandwich after work or a workout. For now it’s a decent spot to grab a nourishing bowl, an extravagant smoothie or a filling toastie for brekky.