Buffalo’s Burgers, Wings & Steaks – Australia

Here’s kicking off our very first review Down Under in Sydney, Australia. Nestled in Liverpool on one of the main streets is Buffalo’s burgers, wings and steaks, which recently opened six months ago.

Buffalo’s pays homage to the theme of serving buffalo wings and a classic American diner with what they describe as a “unique Australian twist”.

The exterior of this 90-cover restaurant has a large sign that is hard to miss and there is private parking for restaurant-goers, which is always an added bonus in the busy streets of Liverpool.

The inside of the restaurant, while being extremely pleasant to the eyes, with the brightly decorated interior, which could be best described as an old American diner with hints of an old western Texas theme scattered throughout the restaurant, working well together, was very spacious, comfortably accommodating for around 100 guests.

All meat served in the restaurant is 100% Halal certified, and there is no pork or alcohol products served therein.

Halal signs can be seen on the store signs and menus throughout the restaurant.

Buffalo Wings (6 per portion) – Signature wings tossed in your choice of signature sauces served with ranch dressing, celery and carrot stix, $7.95

We decided to really put the name Buffalo’s to the test by ordering half-a-dozen buffalo wings, with the recommended raging sauce.

The wings were very well cooked, and served with a side of aioli and salad.

The sauce coating the wings had a nice kick to it with a slight tang that added to the flavour.

It was in the middle of their heat scale and tasted accordingly, however being buffalo wings they could have been saucier.

Buffalo’s Onion Rings – 6 mozzarella cheese sticks lightly breaded and fried, served with sweet chilli sauce, $6.95

The onion rings were very crispy and the sweetness of the onion really came through. It was served with a side of spicy mayo which had an almost sour flavour profile and failed to heighten the experience of the onion rings.

Both these sides were served with celery and carrot, which, despite looking pretty, was of no real contribution or meaning to the dish.

Border Town Nachos – Tortilla chips topped with black beans, queso verde cheese sauce, jalapeno, fresh salsa, sour cream, guacamole, $13.95

Finally we ordered the nachos, which honestly was the best appetiser of the lot. The ingredients used were all incredibly fresh, including the tomato salsa, guacamole and cream, which all worked together fantastically with the crispy tortilla chips and healthy portion of cheese.

Each bite exploded with a unique harmony of the various flavours in the dish, and the only criticism (if it can be called that) which could be made is that there could have been a few more nachos.

Looking at the main menu, there was a relatively diverse range of dishes ranging from burgers to fish, which placed a hint of doubt in our minds if quality could be maintained across the board.

Buffalo Deluxe Burger – Grilled 100% beef patty served with bacon (beef rashers), lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pepperjack cheese served on a brioche bun, $13.95

We started off with the Buffalo Deluxe Burger served with a basket of fries. Housed in a brioche bun was a grilled beef patty, beef rashers, lettuce, tomato, onion and pepperjack cheese.

The cross section revealed a well cooked beef patty and the salads in the burger were incredibly fresh.

However the beef patty was slightly underwhelming in flavour, as the meat did not burst through the rest of the flavours and seemed to be overshadowed by the sauces and other components of the burger. The fries were quite crispy and well seasoned.

The Eye Fillet – 250g of Eye Fillet cooked on a chargrill and topped with garnish, $38.95

At any restaurant serving steak, The Eye Fillet cut is a testament to the quality of meat being served and the skills of the chef.

Indeed, this serving of steak was spectacular, coming with a side of fries, salad and mushroom sauce. The cross section of meat revealed a perfect medium, as ordered, and the steak was so tender, it melted gracefully in our mouth’s. The inside was succulent and juicy. You could tell the quality of the meat was paramount. Later the manager revealed that the owner, owned a butcher which supplied all the meats, confirming the freshness and quality.

The mushroom sauce had flavour; however was lacking a certain creaminess usually expected. As with all the ingredients so far, the salad was very fresh and complemented the dish well.

Beef Short Ribs – Beef ribs marinated overnight in a homemade smoky barbecue sauce served with potato wedges, sour cream, sweet chilli sauce & a side of coleslaw, $38.95

Moving from the steak, we took to the Beef Short Ribs. The ribs were served on a bed of wedges, with accompanied sauces, and a beautifully presented coleslaw.

The ribs were very well cooked and complemented the barbeque sauce, which was not overpowering, very well.

However the meat lacked that slight tenderness one would expect, and unlike many short ribs we’ve eaten before, failed to flake off at the touch.

The wedges were well cooked and crispy and was a delightful contribution to the dish. However, the coleslaw was slightly disappointing, despite having a unique tang to it, as it lacked richness.

Lamb Shank – with herbs, vegetables and broth served with side of cous cous or mashed potatoes & Arabian salad, $21.95

Finally we settled on one of their current specials, in this case the Lamb Shank. The presentation of the dish was superb and really placed emphasis on the lamb leg. The dish itself was served with herbs, vegetables and broth, mashed potato and a side of Arabian salad.

Despite how appealing it looked though, the leg itself was extremely underwhelming. The meat was not tender, and hardly flaked off when cut into.

In terms of flavour, the meat really didn’t seem to have any at all, and the vegetables and broth were reminiscent of a tomato soup rather than a unique combination of flavours it looked to boast.

Nevertheless, the Arabian salad was done well, and no complaints can be made of the mash potato either.

Banana Milkshake, $6.95; MMixed Berry Mocktail, $12

We only managed to sample two drinks from their menu: the Banana Milkshake and their Mixed Berry Mocktail.

The banana milkshake was made with real bananas and had an authentic taste to it, compared to the syrup like taste that occurs in most other places.

And while the berry mocktail definitely had the flavourful punch of berries, we were somewhat disappointed by the $12 price tag.

Granted, had it made us react like the $5 shake in Pulp Fiction, then it might have been justified. This was good, but not that good!