Forty Licks - Sydney

**Ginger Pandan Mojito Mocktail: 5/5 Stars** This mocktail reminded me of a Vietnamese preserved lemon drink. It’s incredibly refreshing—sour and minty without being sweet. I couldn’t really taste the ginger; it mostly had the flavors of lemon and mint. **Overall Food Quality** The food overall was delicious, made with high-quality ingredients, reminiscent of a fine dining experience. I highly recommend it! Everything we tried was fantastic, but keep in mind that the prices are on the higher side, and the portion sizes are quite small, similar to tapas. **Pickled Veggies: 5/5 Stars** These were delicious! Perfectly tart. **Beef Skewers: 5/5 Stars** These are the most tender beef skewers I've ever had—juicy and they just melt in your mouth. They come cooked well done, which I prefer, and I have no idea how they achieved such tenderness. They were simply perfect! For an entrée, one person can easily enjoy two or three orders because they are quite small. **Prawn Banh Xeo: 5/5 Stars** The Banh Xeo is taco-sized with a wonderfully delicious prawn on it—just one plump prawn per dish. It’s packed with veggies, making it a refreshing choice. **Rice in Clay Pot: 5/5 Stars** This dish was full of great flavors, and I loved that it was served in a clay pot, which keeps it hot throughout the meal. I felt a bit spoiled by this dish! My only complaint is that the bottom part of the rice was burnt black, but the rest of it was delicious and perfect. **Roast Ocean Trout Salad: 3/5 Stars** If you enjoy poke bowls, you'll probably like this dish. However, I’m not a fan of poke bowls. The fish in the salad wasn’t fried; it was in small bits and appeared to be medium rare, which I didn’t enjoy. I prefer larger portions of fish rather than little pieces scattered throughout. The flavors were okay, but not my favorite. **Banana Sago with Coconut Milk Dessert: 3/5 Stars** This dessert didn’t stand out to me. The peanut brittle was too hard, making it difficult to eat because it had sharp edges, but it did have good flavor. Overall, the dish tasted somewhat uninspired, and I wouldn’t order it again. The highlight was the coconut ice cream, which was delicious but the scoop was too small. I’d rather just get a big bowl of the coconut ice cream since it was so tasty. **Roast Chicken: 5/5 Stars** This dish was superb—very tender and perfectly cooked! **Restrooms: 5/5 Stars** The restrooms were very nice, classy, and clean, with a good hand dryer (though no paper towels). They are located inside the restaurant. **Location: 3/5 Stars** The restaurant is underground, which initially concerned me, but it turned out to be well-lit with a high ceiling, so it doesn't feel cramped. I wish there were windows, but the decor made it feel satisfactory nonetheless. The temperature was comfortable, and I loved the modern, trendy, hipster decor. **Conclusion** This restaurant has a great trendy vibe, and the service was excellent and friendly. I would definitely come back, especially for the drinks! I suggest ordering a 7 to 10 course meal per person, as the portion sizes are small. No dress code is required, but many diners were dressed nicely. We had an excellent and enjoyable dinner, and the food was truly delicious!

I had a wonderful experience at this restaurant last night. The interior is beautiful and has a trendy vibe without being too flashy. The food was a delightful surprise, featuring creative Vietnamese dishes. We particularly loved the chicken main course and the dessert, which was banana served with coconut milk sorbet—absolutely delicious. A special thanks to the staff, who were charming and took excellent care of us.

**Dish 1:** Radish cake skewers **Dish 2:** Shark Bay blue swimmer crab tapioca crackers **Dish 3:** King prawn crispy pancakes **Dish 4:** Scallop and king prawn dumplings **Dish 5:** Half a BBQ chicken **Dish 6:** Steamed whole pink snapper **Sides:** Clay pot rice and wok-tossed greens **Dessert:** King bananas, coconut milk tapioca with coconut sorbet **Drink:** Teq-Ting Cocktail Overall, I had a wonderful dining experience and look forward to returning!

I really love this place. Food is great, atmosphere is great. But this time, i was little disappointed. The clay pot rice wasn’t as good as my first visit though. It was more dry and burnt this time. The tapioca dessert felt less flavourful and soggy this time too. It was almost like a different dish. I’m still giving this 5 stars because between my 2 visits, it has still been fantastic overall and I will return for a third visit. I hope it will be as good as my first.

I absolutely love this place. The service is warm and genuine and the ambience is very chilled. All the food was so tasty, the prawn pancakes were my favourite. The Wagyu skewers were extremely tasty and the right texture. The pickles were a nice touch. I loved the claypot rice and thought the signature chicken was stunning. Save room for dessert!