bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Susan Jung

G/F and 1/F Onfem  Tower

29 Wyndham Street, Central

Tel: 2894 8010

Anybody who dines at Wooloo-Mooloo with expectations of modern-Australian cuisine will be disappointed. There aren't any pan-Asian dishes on the menu (which is probably a good thing) and no  witchetty-grub pates (which is definitely a good thing).

The menu  could come from a generic steakhouse in the middle of anywhere: seven variations on steak, a few fish dishes, rack of lamb and chicken breast. The starters and side dishes are also typically steakhouse: oysters on the half shell, prawn cocktail, crab cakes, creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms.  There's little that will appeal to vegetarians such as my guest.

We decided to split a Caesar salad ($65) because it was  one of the more vegetarian-friendly dishes on the menu. The waitress warned  us about the anchovies,  but didn't mention that the salad would come sprinkled with bacon bits  (a 'classic' Caesar doesn't contain bacon).  Apart from that, we both enjoyed the salad, which had a creamy dressing lightly coating the romaine lettuce.

The menu doesn't offer any vegetarian main courses, but the  waitress said the chef could put together a platter of side dishes: mashed potatoes, asparagus, sauteed mushrooms and creamed spinach. I  sampled  what my companion got. Just because she's a vegetarian doesn't mean she doesn't like flavour. Nor is she on a diet. More salt, pepper, garlic and butter would have been welcome.

I ordered the 340g rib-eye steak with Bearnaise  ($210). Although the menu says it's prime, grain-fed Australian beef was aged for two to three weeks, it wasn't as tender or as well-marbled as I  expected. The meat was well cooked, but a little beyond the medium-rare I'd requested. Still, it had a nice, not-too-thick charring.   The steak and side dish of potatoes with rosemary  could have used more salt. One nice touch is that a selection of four sauces (besides the Bearnaise) was served in small dishes on the side.

Desserts were the highlight.  The pavlova with passion-fruit sauce ($50) was a huge, light pillow of meringue that was crisp on the outside and soft within, piled with whipped cream, fresh fruit and sauce. The Hell's Gate chocolate cake ($65) was a good, rich version of the  liquid-centred cake,  with a touch of white chocolate.

Also excellent was the service.  The atmosphere is lively and fun, and probably better for larger groups than for an intimate meal.

Dinner for two, including one vegetarian platter ($150), two glasses of wine ($55 each), bottled water ($60), tea ($38) and a 10 per cent service charge was $894.



Wooloo-Mooloo Bar and Grill