Bang

Bang! That's a cool name for a restaurant - kind of appropriate for a Bangladeshi restaurant, just the first four letters of its national origin. Wonder if this way of naming a restaurant could apply to other types of cusine, I guess it could, but maybe not quite as good. Anyway, this place has been doing its thing in Surry Hills for a while now and we were surprised we’ve never heard of it, nor crossed its path until now. It is know for Bangladeshi street food. Strolling the streets of Surry Hills the restaurant is kinda unassuming, for a name like Bang, they could do with some signage that has some Bang, and some Neon could work. Once inside, you'd be hard pressed guessing this is a Bangladeshi street food restaurant, the place looks more like a fine dining restaurant, it was quite refined, with a suave modern feel. Much like their take on Bangladeshi street food, the menu items, although street food inspired, were refined. With technique and quality presentation. This place also had an exciting wine list that, with some excellent wine from Portugal that paired nicely with the food on offer. Can't say we have visited many restaurants serving Portugese wine. The food at Bang was extremely tasty, not too heavy and not too much spice, just enough to hit your taste buds with a flavoursome spice kick. Upon viewing the menu it was noticed that there was a starter of peanuts for $2 and that all proceeds donated to the Fred Hollow's Foundation. Great to see a restaurant giving back and we happily obliged. Upon further viewing of the menu, the honey roasted paneer instantly stood out as a dish to order and that instinct proving correct, as it was an excellent option. The soft shell crab was another top option with the spicy chilli achar providing that flavoursome bang along with some welcomed sweetness. There were many hits amongst the starters, the briyani arancini another quality option. The Tandoori Lamb cutlets are a must, they were perfectly cooked, the spice and herbs combining for some more bang and amazing flavour. We love a good Korma and the oven roasted, spiced duck was the pick of the mains. The meat perfectly prepared very enjoyable dipped in that rich sweetness of the korma. This was excellent dining experience with tasty food and equally tasty wine and good service. It was enjoyed in a nice setting with great company where_do_i_eat_pete and eatwithmyfoodsafari. Thanks to Pete, who is brand ambassador for Eat Club which allowed for a good discount on our meal, check it out!

Superb service, taste, and atmosphere. Don't overorder - we could barely finish three plates!! Sooooo delicous. The lamb cutlets were some of the sweetest and most fragrant meals I've eaten. The kebab had the tenderest meat (although not a lot of it). Beware the succulent soft shell crab.... that's chilli it's sitting in!!! 😁

Authentic Bangladeshi food? Not under any stretch of imagination. I have read all the google reviews of the people that hail from Southeast Asia and no one seems to have given it 5 stars. Admittedly, you have to adjust your expectations when you visit a restaurant that serves a fusion (I omit the word 'modernised') version of your own cuisine in the middle of Surry Hills, but this has gone a little too far. But perhaps when you overhear conversations from next table with people wondering where Bangladesh is, you wonder that after all, this restaurant is not all that out of place, however out of sync it may be with its claimed origins.

Visited for lunch on a Friday afternoon. The restaurant was empty and staff seemed shocked to see a customer. The waitress then (inadvertantly) shamed me for dining on my own, saying that the menu is designed for at least two people to share. Nice start, I need a drink! I ordered the cocktail Dhaka Attacker: no can do, we're out of eggs; I then ordered an Aperol Spritz: sorry, we've run out of Aperol. Third time lucky, I got my stiff drink. I ordered the grilled paneer and the head chef chatted with me about the origins of the house cocktails and Bengali food. He was the highlight of my visit and was lovely to talk to. The meal was delicious and so different from the usual curry dishes on offer at most South Asian restaurants. Coming in at $39, the paneer dish and cocktail were very good value. Also very filling as paneer has a high protein content. Despite the early glitches with the waitress, I highly recommend this restaurant.

Good ambience and helpful staff, I liked the feel of the place, trendy and well thought out with interesting menu options. However I was disappointed with the food itself - the entrées were okay though not the best I've had. Others were underwhelming, the calamari was tender but a strange flavour combination, the fish curry had lots of bones and only 1 prawn and the wine options were a little strange on the palette