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The Butler in Potts Points Goes Iberico

The Butler in Potts Point has introduced new changes with newly appointed Head Chef Amber Doig and the opening of a brand new bar, Juanita’s.

The Butler Potts Point
The Butler

Located along Victoria Road in Potts Point, The Butler is part of the Applejack Hospitality venues which include Bondi Hardware, Della Hyde, The Botanist, SoCal and Endeavour Tap Rooms.

Step inside The Butler and you’ll arrive at the new Juanita’s bar in what was the lobby area of the venue.

The Butler Potts Point
Juanita’s

The fitout features lush plantation style and along with a cosy fireplace and a short, seasonal menu with for pre-dinner and post dinner libations. Refer to our review of Juanita’s here.

The Butler’s new Iberico menu is simply a delight, a listing of share plate dishes that make choosing a difficult task. Simply put, you’d be tempted to try everything though the recommendation is for 5 dishes between 2 people.

The Butler Potts Point
Head Chef Amber Doig (Photo Supplied)

Keeping the share plate ethos, Head Chef Amber Doig has brought an Ibero-American influence to the menu using traditional Central and South American cooking techniques, recipes and methods using her experience working in New York City to learn Mexican/Ibero-American cuisine. Originally from New Zealand, she moved to Sydney when she was 17and has since worked with James Viles, to name a few.

The Butler Potts Point
Ruby Tuna Tartare

The Ruby Tuna Tartare ($25) with tomatillo, Pasilla chilli and turtle beans, combines the freshness and creaminess of the tuna with bright citrus notes and a touch of heat. Shards of black quinoa tostada serve to scoop the cubes of tuna, adding a textural element.

The Butler Potts Point
Smoked Cod Croquettes

From the warm entrees come the Smoked Cod Croquettes on sauce gribiche ($16). Don’t mistake these for arancini. The balls of smoked and salted cod have a crispy shell but melt in the mouth. The dish a crowd pleasing option while sipping on an aperitif.

The Butler Potts Point
Sopa Seca

Listed under Greenery, Sopa Seca ($20) deserves a category of its own mid way between small plates and large plates. It’s a pasta dish but not as you know it. The pasta is fried at first then cooked in broth which gives it a good bite and texture. Other ingredients include roast tomato, Swiss chard, Cotija and a smoked cashew cream which combines all the flavours. Big flavours make up this dish which packs a lot of heat offset by the creaminess of the cashew cream.

The Butler Potts Point
Achiote Chicken

The aromas from the Achiote Chicken ($32) with Beluga lentils, pickled red onions and ají amarillo act as a prelude to the succulent chicken with a touch of spice and smoke. It’s a delight to bite into the tender and moist chicken pieces coated with the spicy pepper sauce.

The Butler Potts Point
Lamb Barbacoa (Photo Supplied)

The signature dish at The Butler is the excellent Lamb Barbacoa ($69), a generous serving of 1200gm lamb shoulder slow-cooked in banana leaf with adobo, green olives and coriander. Traditionally cooked over fire, the lamb is rubbed in adobo then cooked sous vide with banana leaves for 8 hours which tenderises the meat. The lamb is then finished in the oven and grill and served with tomatillo and yoghurt.

The lamb is presented like a piece of art, crowned with crisp radish, discs of green olive and coriander. Beneath the aesthetics is meat that falls off the bone with the slightest tug.

The Butler Potts Point
Chocolate Flan

Leave room for the Chocolate Flan ($15) with a Cognac Caramel scattered with Coco Crumb and crowned with a Coconut Tuile. It’s very rich, decadent and utterly satisfying, and we recommend sharing it between two persons.

When you’re a seasoned diner and you have trouble choosing from a menu, it is a good sign that you’re tempted by the offerings. From small plates with big flavours to the more substantial dishes with the excellent Lamb Barbacoa, the new Iberico food menu at The Butler delights and urges you to make another booking on your way out.

The Butler
123 Victoria Street, Potts Point
butlersydney.com.au

About the author

Corinne Mossati

Corinne Mossati is a drinks writer, author of GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN, SHRUBS & BOTANICAL SODAS and founder/editor of Gourmantic, Cocktails & Bars and The Gourmantic Garden. She has been writing extensively about spirits, cocktails, bars and cocktail gardening in more recent years. She is a spirits and cocktail competition judge, Icons of Whisky Australia nominee, contributor to Diageo Bar Academy, cocktail developer and is named in Australian Bartender Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential List. Her cocktail garden was featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and has won several awards. She is a contributor to Real World Gardener radio program and is featured in several publications including Pip Magazine, Organic Gardener, Australian Bartender and Breathe (UK). Read the full bio here.

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