Obviously in my excitement I forgot to hold my phone still...
Don't fret, this won't just be a post about me eating chocolate and chips. (Although would that really be so bad?) Much to my taxi drivers disappointment, I was not hitting the clubs of Sydney, this was a food trip, after all, so after my chip feast it was off to bed so that I would be rested for the big weekend of eating that would come.
Saturday! My delightful travel companion, AP, and I hit up Pitt Street Mall, as all Sydney trips dictate, and eventually made our way to Westfield for some lunch. It was off to the Becasse Bakery for me, where I gave a confit chicken baguette and lemon tart a try. The baguette was nothing to write home about, but I was sold on the lemon tart which was completed with a fleck of gold, and the perfect amount of lemony goodness.
Glam.
Next stop was a ferry trip to Manly, where we enjoyed exotic Copenhagen icecreams. Just for something different! To make up for that boring food experience, here's a nice picture from the ferry.
Guess where?!
Dinner was a visit to Mr Neil Perry's establishment, "Rockpool." After much internet research, I was looking forward to seeing if the service really was as helpful and friendly as promised. I am happy to report that everyone was very helpful, and professional, so well done to them. The setting was also really lovely, we were seated near the kitchen, so luckily for me, I got to watch a bit of the action, whilst sitting on a comfy cushioned bench seat. As for the food, here comes the blow by blow account.
First up, the canapé, a crab, toast, mayo combo. As far as canapés go, it was fine.
"Queensland spanner crab, toast,
Tabasco mayonnaise, peach leaf jelly"
Starter time! My dining partner (who also happens to be the aforementioned travel companion- what a spooky coincidence) chose the crab congee from the first course offerings, which from all reports was very nice. I chose the goat's cheese and beetroot assortment, which was, once again, fine.
"Blue swimmer crab and corn congee, almond tofu,
star anise scented peanuts, fried bread and chilli oil"
"Goat’s cheese lasagne, beetroot, leek,
endive and roast eschalot"
The main event. After much internal debate, I had finally settled on the seafood combo plate. Also known as mullet with squid and assorted other goodies. Man, I should really get into menu writing with such eloquent descriptions as that. I think you can guess what I thought of my meal. It was fine. AP selected the beef, which while tasty, did have us both wondering if a trip to the old golden arches would be required after dinner to make sure that he wouldn't be left hungry.
"Coorong yellow-eye mullet grilled over rushes, squid,
iceberg lettuce, pearl balls and red date infusion"
"David Blackmore’s Wagyu beef rib cap,
black sesame, parsnip, enoki and pear"
And now, for the course that really counts. I was sold on the chocolate, hazelnut, quince plate, and I am happy to report that it was the best course of the night. Thank goodness! AP opted for the passionfruit soufflé, which I was quietly thrilled about because in an ideal world, I would have ordered two desserts, and the soufflé would have been the second. I really liked this dessert too, and would be my pick of the dishes we tried. Oh! Except for the bread! Goodness me, I almost forgot to mention the bread. It was uh-mazing. I worried for the tables of more than two in case they had to split their bread between them, because one loaf was nearly not enough for us. Go there for the bread.
"Five layered variations of chocolate, hazelnut praline,
poached quince and cocoa nib ice cream"
"Passionfruit soufflé, passionfruit ice cream"
That brings us almost to the end of the meal. Just some petit fours to wrap it all up. And our thoughts by the end of the meal? It was okay, but strangely disappointing. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice enough meal, and the company was wonderful, but I just didn't love the food. Go there, or don't go there, it wasn't a life changing meal.
Baby eclair, pineapple jelly and a
chocolatey, nutty, caramel bar.
My description, not theirs, surprisingly.
Sunday was Zumbo day. An adventure to Adriano Zumbo's new dessert train at "The Star" casino in Pyrmont with some fellow Adelaideans who happened to be in Sydney was planned. It had come to our attention that happy hour ran from 12pm until 2pm, so it was effectively a dessert lunch, but hey, all the best lunches are. With plates of dessert at only $4 each, we went to town.
Chocolate coffee brulee
Violet Crunchie
The fondant of the day- chocolate with
peanut icecream and banana anglaise (in the syringe)
Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get a photo of all of the treats that we enjoyed, so here's a picture of the macaron piping machine instead.
Serious business.
As if we weren't feeling sick enough at the end of our sugar overload, we then took ourselves to the Sydney Fish Market just to check it out. Of course, this lead to us eating way too much cray and other assorted fried creatures of the sea, but it was a good place to visit.
Crustacean overload.
After our little excursion it was time to head back to our hotel so we could travel to the airport and return back to the city of churches. The airport food that we had for dinner really doesn't need to be mentioned. I will, however leave you with a picture of my zumbarons after their trip back to Adelaide.
Appealing! Popcorn, Hendricks G&T, Annunziata, Salted Butter Caramel,
Passionfruit and Tonka Bean, Blackened Vanilla Bean.
So ends a wonderful trip to Sydney. Luckily for me, I arrived back in Adelaide for the start of Tasting Australia. As a TAFE student, I got to help out with setting up the event and preparing food for the chefs who were running classes or demonstrations. Such an intense week deserves it's own post, so get ready for that one folks! Until then, happy cooking! xx
The quince chocolate plate looks amazing Sare! Very jealous! -sc xox
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