*I dined as a guest of Jones & Co, however all opinions are my own.
A group of us foodbloggers and media were invited to attend dinner at the newly opened Jones & Co in Kingston. Jones & Co replaced Me and Mrs Jones, and is a revamped version of its predecessor. Gone are the casual staff uniforms. Instead there’s a little bit of glamour with staff dressed in crisp black and white vests, shirts and ties, intimate booths and a private dining room hidden behind a black velvet curtain.
After everyone had arrived, we were provided with our signature set menu for the night. It looked very impressive. Wine was poured, however half of us at the table requested mocktails instead. I was happy to discover a mocktail menu. Though there were only two options both priced at $9, our waiter advised he could take any requests for flavours. He brought out a guava and orange juice, lemonade, ginger and mint concoction (not on the menu).
Jones & Co have a raw bar serving all three species of oysters grown in Australia – Pacific, Rock and Angasi oysters. One foodie pointed out that Jones & Co are doing $1 oysters Monday to Friday from 5-6pm. We tried all three species of oysters and there was a bit of debate about which one was everyone’s favourite (rock seemed to win).
The Kingfish ceviche (usually $15) had bold Vietnamese flavours covered in nahm jim, herbs and a dab of coconut cream. I loved the mild and quick chilli burn at the back of my throat (maybe because I still had a dry sore throat and the burn felt better than a soothers lolly).
The steak tartare (usually $20) with cognac and black truffle was surprisingly good stuffed with herbs and spices which really lifted the dish in my opinion. I went back for seconds and thirds. The accompanying grilled sourdough was also divine. (I’m told Monster’s steak tartare is what sets the bar for Canberra, so I must try that next).
The burrata (usually $22) with heirloom tomatoes, house grown basil and garlic crostini looked fabulous and tasted just as good. You can’t go wrong with this combination of silky smooth and creamy burrata cheese and juicy fresh tomatoes!
The zucchini flowers (usually $15) with poppy seed tempura, goats cheese and manuka honey were next. The tempura was light and crispy while the flower was filled with the hot goats cheese that oozed onto my plate.
The crispy confit duck (usually $22) with soba, pickled cucumber and a ginger and shallot relish was a little hard to share but I loved the crispy duck! It was very easy to eat but classed as a ‘small plate’ so there was only a limited small portion provided.
The Wagyu skirt (usually $30) with black truffle cream was one of my favourites of the night. The Wagyu was still pink, so very tender and juicy! I loved the slightly charcoal grilled flavour to the outer edge too.
The lamb shoulder was huge (usually $65) and glistened in the soft light. I was surprised to find the meat pulled away so easily with the tongs. Although the meat was very tender, there needed to be more sauce (there was some at the bottom of the pan) to give the lamb a bit more flavour.
The truffle mash (usually $12), buttered green beans and New York wedge salad (both usually $10) were good sides to the roast lamb. Though I didn’t think there was anything special about the wedge salad.
The dessert platter consisted of three of the four dessert options available at Jones & Co. The platter was not available on the regular menu, but I believe it is part of the signature set menus. Starting from left to right, a warm rhubarb tart topped with lavender mascarpone and hibiscus syrup, a caramel popcorn mousse with layers of banana custard, popcorn mousse, popcorn dust and popping candy and a dark chocolate pave with chocolate truffle. My favourite was the caramel popcorn mousse which had intricate elements that worked effortlessly well together. That caramelised banana custard at the bottom was ah-mazing.
We were all treated very well during dinner. The chef and co-owner Dan McConnell would come out to explain a few of the dishes and was willing to take on constructive criticisms.
Thank you Jones & Co for the wonderful dinner!
Jones & Co is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. It’s also open for weekend brunch both Saturday and Sunday.
No scoring as it’s been open less than a month (and to be fair we were treated extremely well). I’ll head back another night to do an unbiased review.
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