The Dip

“Junk food”, “Dude food”, “Stoner snacks” – whether you give it a cute name name or not, chances are you’ve noticed Sydney’s recent bromance with Americana. ‘The Dip’ is the newly opened eatery/canteen within GoodGod Small Club – and with a menu chock full of comfort eats, it certainly fits the description.

You’d never know we were in Chinatown. ‘The Dip’ has a crazy “from the town of Bedrock” feel to it – with cosy-looking stone booths. It’s in one of these that I find a bunch of very lovely laydees poring over the short printed menu.

Our menu with all the scribble. Ordering = srs bisness

We start off with a bunch of sides.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Lime Mayo and Chipotle salt – $8

The grilled corn is amazingly sweet and juicy and just the right amount of charred… and I am in love with that lime mayo!! Seriously I want to lick it up. The Chipotle (smoke-dried jalapeño) salt gives it a bit of heat.

Pulled Pork Nachos – $15

The pulled pork nachos are apparently famous, and totally deservedly so. It’s a main, but we decide to share it between us. The nachos are lighter, thinner, and crispier than your usual heavy corn chip – and the pulled pork, salsa and beans topping is smokey, cheesy and delicious. I eat it up with a fork.

Salsa Fries – $6

Salsa Fries are fried to a crisp and covered with fresh tomato salsa, and a smattering of cheese. These go really quickly!

Snow Peas – grilled with coriander and vinaigrette – $8

The snow peas are sweet and tangy, and have a nice bit of crunch left after being grilled. They’re a welcome accompaniment to all the other… slightly less than healthy dishes. When you eat more snow peas, you feel happier to eat a lot more chips 😉

Apple and Cabbage Slaw – $6

This unassuming little dish was actually one of my faves! So light, and refreshing – you can definitely taste the sweet apple in there. Like the snow peas, it helps cuts through some of the heavier dishes.

In fact, for so-called “junk food” – I’m super impressed by how fresh everything is. And I think this is definitely thanks to a strong focus on fresh produce (even the deep fried chips have fresh tomato on them) and deft combinations of textures and salty/sweet flavours.

Now onto our mains,

Lev’s Dawg – $12

Gourmet Hot-dogs are 2011’s new gourmet burgers – and The Dip’s ‘Lev’s Dawg’ is the first thing on the menu, and a popular choice. Named after The Dip’s own Andrew Levins, ‘Lev’s Dawg’ is a smoked kosher dawg in a steamed sweet brioche bun topped with grilled yellow peppers, tomato salsa, spicy chipotle mayo and American mustard. Deeeeee-lish. I think it’s my fave on the menu, and I think plenty of people will agree.

Southern Smoke – $12

The pulled pork sanga is pretty gosh-darn great too. ‘Pulled Pork’ refers to the way the ultra slow-cooked pork shoulder is ‘pulled’ apart into soft shreds, and is a classic American BBQ dish. The pulled pork is smokey and tender, and goes great with the apple slaw, and bbq beans. It’s a tricky one to eat though – and the paper liner on my cute little plastic basket is completely sodden to a pulp by the time I’m through! Maybe waxed paper would help haha.

Of course we can’t leave without trying dessert. Unfortunately the toffee apples are sold out – but we manage to get our paws on the Cookies and Cream:

Cookies and Cream – $10

This dessert may look tiny, but it packs a punch. Salted caramel is basically my favourite thing in the world – and the icecream here is o.m.g. good. It goes great with the chewy sweet molasses cookie and stripes of fudge sauce. So satisfying.

You know what my second favourite thing in the world is though? (after salted caramel of course) Friendly people! As tasty as all the food at The Dip was, the best thing for sure was the super friendly, relaxed people there. Like the food, the vibe here is unpretentious and fun. I hope it stays that way! Because I want to go back already.

(Postscript:
After visiting The Dip once, and having such a great time – I knew it’d be a great place to hold my new job celebration drinks. Bianca at The Dip (also known as Sandwichface!) was so amazingly helpful at arranging a gigantic table for us, and helping me arrange a menu of sides for everyone to share. So I just want to give her a shout-out for helping make everything run so smoothly!)

The Dip (Inside GoodGod Small Club)
55 Liverpool st, Chinatown
For bookings contact do@thedip.com.au
Twitter: dothedip

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