I’ve had Supernormal on my radar since it opened, and have tried a few times to go, but the wait has always been too long. On a boozy Saturday afternoon, we were in the area around 6pm and thought we’d head in and try our luck for a table later in the evening around 7/7:30pm.
ATMOSPHERE & SERVICE
We were told to come back at 7:30, which was perfect for us. Promptly at 7:30pm we arrived back at the restaurant and took a seat while we waited for our table to be ready. We had a drink & enjoyed some very tasty complimentary roasted sunflower seeds until our name was called at 8pm.
From outside the space looks quite small, however once inside, the space is huge! With both a main level and lower private dining space available, there is ample seating both in their open dining room and along the bar with an open concept kitchen.
With a very old school style ceiling, the space was fit out with wooden beams, contrasted with concrete elements. Plants and flowers fill the space to add a more welcoming, fun vibe as well as their feature tree growing in a temperature controlled box at the front entrance.
The service was friendly and attentive throughout the night. The food itself was very slow coming out, however the wait staff did a great job of making sure our group were well looked after throughout the night.
FOOD
Supernormal offers Asian inspired foods, created by the very talented Andrew McConnell, the mastermind behind such successful venues as Cumulus Inc. and Cutler & Co. I wouldn’t necessarily say the food is traditional, but a more fun, modern take on the cuisine.
Our waitress had mentioned for a table of 4, it would be best to order around 12 dishes (all to be shared). After having a quick look through the menu, there were definitely some dishes that stood out to all of us and was easy to choose 12 dishes. We started with the ‘Fried Spiced Cauliflower’, which I was actually quite a fan of. It was simple, sweet tasting and had a slight crunch to finish. Perfect for something to nibble on while we waited for the larger items to come out.
Our next few dishes all came from the raw section of the menu. The ‘Sea Bream’ served with white soy & ginger, the ‘Tuna, Avocado’ with Salthbush & Kombu, and the ‘Smoked Beef’ with mustard leaf & clam mayonnaise were all brought out one by one. Of course I passed on both the seafood dishes as I’m not a seafood eater, however both dishes got a thumbs up from the rest of the table. The smoked beef was amazing, and the clam mayo worked beautifully with the smokey flavour from the beef.
Dish #5 arrived, ‘Sautéed Mushrooms’ with rice cakes and sweet soy. I’m a fan of any kind of mushroom, and these were pretty tasty to say the least. Deep fried rice cakes, served with a creamy puree and topped with a range of different sautéed mushrooms. Yum!
A random last minute order was the ‘Pan Fried Spicy Been Bun’ which I was so glad we ordered. The outer bun tasted similar to a pizza dough, but a more chewy consistency. The filling, to die for! I would definitely recommend ordering this, even if you cut it between a few people and share (or just eat the whole thing yourself, which I wish I did!).
Dish #7 was next. Presentation was pretty blah, but the taste was phenomenal! ‘Duck Bao’ which was a twice cooked duck, served with a vinegar & plum sauce and small buns (Baos) to make your own little sandwiches. This was definitely a stand out dish for me! I am a lover of duck, and this was amazing. It fell apart easily with a fork and the outer skin was crunchy and had some amazing spices to add a bit of kick. The concept here was easy, shred the duck, place the meat in the bao and add a bit of the amazing sauce and enjoy!
These were definitely the highlights of the dishes we ordered on the night. I will admit, the service of the food coming out was extremely slow. Most places you go, you have a few dishes in front of you to enjoy at the same time. Here, one dish came out at a time, so ordering 12 dishes, be prepared to stick around for a while. We were seated at 8pm and didn’t pay the bill until after 11pm. 3hrs for a shared meal seems a bit over the top in my opinion. The food was tasty, so will probably head back when I ready to spend a few hours eating.