Not feeling so hot after last night’s proceedings? Here are the best hangover cures Australia’s restaurants have to offer.
A hangover? Oh no – you’ve never experienced one of those. That head-pounding, mind-numbing sickness and dread afflicting your colleagues after the office Christmas party isn’t for the likes of you. You’re the guest others aspire to be, all modest thimbles of sherry and erudite discussion. That’s because you understand the fine line between a tipple and a triple. You’ve never been found face-down in a bowl of noodles or making a beeline for the exit with your takeaway burger and chips. No, this list of Australia’s best snack-based remedies for the dented and terminally hung definitely isn’t for you. But, just in case…
SYDNEY
Spice I Am’s nam khao tod
Your sore head will be the least of your worries after braving the death-defying spice in this Lao-style salad. Crisp fried rice, Thai pork sausage, spring onion, peanuts and mint are complemented by whole dried hot chillies. While you’re at it, add some four-chilli som tum and “Thai-spicy, please” jungle curry and you’ll really be in for a good time. Spice I Am, 90 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills, (02) 9280 0928
Marigold’s yum cha
It might seem counter-intuitive to position yourself in a noisy, crowded room full of clinking trolleys and aggressively unhappy waitstaff when you’re feeling delicate, but once dumplings, fried noodles, and sweet and spicy sauces hit the table, the noise will fade, your aches will soften and everything will start to look a little brighter. The point-and-nod method of ordering works wonders when words are a bit harder to come by, too. Marigold, Level 4 & 5, Citymark Building, 683-689 George St, Sydney, (02) 9281 3388
Sean’s Panaroma
A little TLC goes a long way. Nurse your throbbing brain and careworn soul with some of the warmest service in the land, complemented by honest flavours and cleansing ocean air. Everything is going to be okay. Sean’s Panaroma, 270 Campbell Pde, Bondi Beach, (02) 9365 4924
Mary’s fried chicken
Unable to part with your shades? Though you can now get the burgers at the Castlereagh Street store and rebooted Unicorn in Paddington, the original Mary’s in Newtown offers a deliciously dark place of refuge for night-walkers. We prescribe a bacon and charry cheese-topped Bloody Mary and baskets of fried chicken. See your doctor if pain persists. Mary’s Newtown, 6 Mary St, Newtown, (02) 4995 9550
Chaco Bar’s ramen
Forget chicken soup for the soul. A well-seasoned bowl of supple noodles is precisely what you need after a 10-Negroni dance floor session. Chaco Bar’s warm and cloudy sesame-scented broth is resuscitation at its best. The two-item daytime-only menu helps the decision-making process, and you can dress up your bowl of fat pork or fish salt as you like with julienned leek, seasoned egg, sprouts, nori or black fungus. Chaco Bar, 238 Crown St, Darlinghurst, (02) 9007 8352
MELBOURNE
Belle’s Hot Chicken’s fried chicken
Of course, fried chicken. Particularly when it’s this crisp and juicy, and you can get it with waffles (on the weekends), coleslaw and ranch dressing. Those with tender stomachs should probably stick to the Southern and Medium end of the chilli spectrum. There’s also wine. Lots of wine. Do not let the cure become the cause. Belle’s Hot Chicken, 150 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, (03) 9077 0788; Shop 1, 109 Swan St, Richmond
Rockwell & Sons’ double patty smash burger
There’s a reason that this burger – super-tasty flattened patty with a double helping of Kraft singles slices and all – is considered among the best in the country. Teamed with tater tots served with shichimi togarashi and konbu mayo, and a craft beer, its effect on a hangover is like garlic to a vampire. Rockwell & Sons, 288 Smith St, Collingwood, (03) 8415 0700
Marios’ beef lasagne
One of the major attractions of Marios over the last 30 years is that it can be relied upon to deliver exactly the same lasagne you were craving the last time you were hung. This is a classic cure – a hefty serve with a salty, powerful beef and tomato filling and, if you’re lucky, crunchy bits around the edges. Marios, 303 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, (03) 9417 3343
Ruyi’s duck and tofu soup
This might be on the healthier end of the spectrum, but it’s still efficient at curing what ails you and can have you feeling slightly smug and virtuous too. With clean, full and gorgeous flavours from the roast duck and spring onion, the comfortingly thickened broth, plus the gentle slip and slide of the tofu, it’s like someone holding your hand and telling you that it will be alright. Ruyi, 16 Liverpool St, Melbourne, (03) 9090 7778
Bar Di Stasio’s piccolo fritto misto
Just walking into Ronnie Di Stasio’s ode to Harry’s Bar is enough to make you feel better about life, but teamed with a glass of Champagne or a Zucca Rabarbaro and a little paper cone filled with perfectly fried, perfectly salty seafood – crab, prawns and fish in beer and vodka batter – you’ll soon forget you were ever hungover in the first place. Bar Di Stasio, 31 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, (03) 9525 3999
TASMANIA
The Standard’s chicken burger
The road to recovery may seem long and winding, so stick to choices on the straight and narrow. The Standard’s fried chicken with mayo, tomato and pickle in a toasted seeded bun is a sight for sore eyes. The Standard, Hudsons Ln, Liverpool St, Hobart, (03) 6234 1888
Tricycle’s rice bowls
Nurse your wounds with a kosher brown rice bowl. The blackboard menu changes daily, but there’s always a little something fermented and a generous helping of spice in the mix. Pork with ginger and kimchi, perhaps? Tricycle Café & Bar, 77 Salamanca Pl, Hobart, (03) 6223 7228
PERTH
Mary Street Bakery’s schnitzel
Enter the schnitzel – the hangover’s greatest foe. Mary Street’s version with crisp fried pork, spicy kimchi, creamed corn and an egg packs just the right punch. You may need a nap afterwards, but that’s probably for the best. Mary Street Bakery, 507 Beaufort St, Highgate, 0499 509 300
Osaki Sushi’s katsu and curry
Katsu or curry? Osaki Sushi gives you the best of both worlds. The sauce is thick, the chicken is golden-brown and there’s no skimping on the portion size, either. Recovery chicken and rice, Japanese style. Osaki Sushi, 17c Wanneroo Rd, Joondanna, Stirling, (08) 9242 4408
BRISBANE
Kettle & Tin’s Korean beef burger
The East-meets-West breakfast-meets-lunch Korean burger at Kettle & Tin features a thick wagyu patty and generous toppings of kimchi slaw, chilli sauce and a fried egg. And if that doesn’t cure you, their list of hair-of-the-dog medicine is sure to do the trick. Kettle & Tin, 215 Given Tce, Paddington, (07) 3369 3778
Harveys’ breakfast tortilla
Take one no-nonsense breakfast fajita with spicy minced beef, a poached egg, avocado and sour cream. Add some fresh juice and you’re on your way back into the swing of things. Harveys, 4/31 James St, Fortitude Valley, (07) 3852 3700
Mizu’s loco moco
This sweet little Teneriffe favourite offers a weekend breakfast menu packed with hearty Japanese hangover killers such as bento boxes and seafood okonomiyaki, but it’s the loco moco that really hits the spot. The miracle combination is steamed rice, grilled beef patty, fried egg, salad greens and sesame sukiyaki. Mizu, 2 Macquarie St, Teneriffe, (07) 3254 0488
ADELAIDE
Zen Kitchen’s noodle soups
Drown your cares in a big bowl of medicinal chicken broth with vermicelli, barbecued pork, prawns and quail eggs. Zen Kitchen makes the best bowls of nourishment in town. Zen Kitchen, 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide, (08) 8232 3542
Bar Torino’s Bloody Caesar
The cousin to the Bloody Mary hasn’t caught on much outside Canada. Maybe it’s the clam juice, the key ingredient alongside the healthy mix of vodka, spicy tomato and celery salt. Be brave. Think of it as kill-or-cure. Bar Torino, 158 Hutt St, Adelaide, (08) 8155 6010
Red Door Bakery’s pork and sage sausage rolls
The magic of a sausage roll is its ability to play both the party-food favourite and the post-party saviour. The pork and sage number at Red Door is the one to beat. Red Door Bakery, 19 Grenfell St, Adelaide, (08) 8221 5889; 22 Elizabeth St, Croydon, (08) 8340 0306; 54a King William Rd, Goodwood, (08) 8272 2773
CANBERRA
Monster’s yabby jaffle
Cheesy, golden and delicious is our mantra for getting through a shady morning. Throw yabbies, horseradish and crème fraîche into the mix and you’ll be seeing sunshine through the clouds. Monster, Hotel Hotel, 25 Edinburgh Ave, (02) 6287 6287
NATIONWIDE
Bunnings’ sausage sizzle
A mystery supermarket snag, burnt onions, ultra-sweet tomato sauce, pillowy-soft white bread – all the food groups are covered here. Beautiful in its simplicity, the Bunnings sausage sizzle has become a signature saviour for the ragged souls trawling the timber aisles of a Sunday morning. The thought of your dollars going towards the local under-eights axe-throwing squad might give you a welcome case of the warm-and-fuzzies, too. bunnings.com.au
