Low down on Sydney – weathering the recession . . .
Posted: 9/12/2009 5:10:31 p.m.
We land last Friday night after a day's shoot with TV Program Hotel SOS in Auckland. Beautiful hot balmy day, cruise boats of all sizes chewing up the water ways and the city a lot cleaner than I have ever seen. Just to do a Christmas shop in David Jones and stop for some noodles in the food hall was a sight of hustle and bustle. Yes New Zealand, the land of more population seems to have an spending impact in the retail sector.
We set about walking to Greg Doyle’s Pier Restaurant, a 3 hat, Top 100 in the world located in Rose Bay. After dropping off some Heilala vanilla to inspire Grant King (who indecently will be cooking at Huka Lodge and Arrowtown’s Saffron Restaurant next year) were seated in the protruding glassed in area over the pier with Catalina restaurant and its seaplane seen in the near distance. Once seated, it took a little time for service to first decide out of the five that gathered round us at the start to ascertain we didn’t need aperitif, needed a menu and a dedicated waiter, which I must say was a Dutchman who first had spent sometime waitering around NZ and was very attentive. With the coloured glass showplate removed, it was time to view the menu and wine list. After settling for Ocean Eight Pinot Gris, we discussed dishes that were in the outstanding cookbook (which I am sure most foodies have) and the recent entries. The amuse of a homemade wonton cornet of a fresh fish with lemon, olive oil, chives and sea salt was probably the best dish the three of us had. Just oozing of the sea, fresh clean flavours preparing us for what was to come. What came was nicely presented, sparsely positioned dishes that in all fairness needed a flavour boost added to all of them with mains ranging between $52 - $59 AUS. Intricate sizing of components on well selected stark white crockery, just needed a little zing or a punchy note to complete the dish. With the pastry chef Katrina Kanetani already vacated to Hawaii to be with chef husband Karl, the dessert’s presentation didn’t have the WOW factor like in the cookbook, with my chocolate foam, chocolate jelly and a tonka bean panna cotta that resembled a squiggly pipied line of white mousse. It didn’t really seem to make sense until I ate the sphere of orange ice cream with a thin coating of chocolate - this let loose with flavour, it was damn good! We ended our experience with rose water marshmallows and a chat with Ex-Invercargill kiwi Grant King who after six and a half years at Pier looked tired and ready to take on his own brand in the near future. Well done Grant, you habe done us proud thus far . . .
The next port of call after dim sum at Zilver in Hay Street with my ex puretastes staff was a pre-dinner drink at habourkitchenbar, which offered nice tapas style treats and service looking out past the harbour bridge. Then onto 3 hat, 46 in the world, Quay Restaurant who has won both Good Food Guide and Aussie Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year for the past 2 years. Peter Gilmore’s food is original and with a growing room just across the road from the overseas passenger terminal is close by to cut herbs and edible flowers for that night’s service. The service was slick, and the layout of the restaurant reminded me of Martin Bosley’s in Wellington. The menu is offered as a four course $155AUS picking from a selection of four in each page or a seven course dego for $210. I started with Poached Western Australian marron, seaweed jelly, cucumber, fennel, lime crème fraiche, a beautiful nest presentation of fresh clean flavours with baby nasturtium leaves; Confit of shaved South Australian squid, garlic custard, baby radishes, flowers, roasted squid consommé, the image featured on their website. The roasted consommé poured at the table was damn tasty. Crisp pressed duck confit, kabu turnips, winter melon, hasuimo, garlic scapes, sea scallops, duck juices offered a pressed block of duck sitting on baby vegetables and slices of scallops and a light jus. White peach snow egg, a sphere sitting on poached snow egg and peach granite sitting in a stemless reidel glass. The dessert of raspberries, violet, almond, vanilla cream was a match made in heaven – theme on raspberries, just letting them offer their natural mouth bursting flavour with a lotus root type white chocolate stencil. From a very extensive wine list, a bottle of 2008 William Downie, Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir at $118Aus was produced and just lasted so effortlessly to the close of the evening. Like Tetsuya’s (17 in the world) expensive but just one of those experiences you have to discover, from a chef who lets the food naturally talk with out all the molecular interfering and leads with his own food style.
My Overview~ its seems that some restaurants who have had 1, 2 or 3 hats have lost them in abundance this year, and upon reflection, for these restaurants to compete with the recession dining, have had to peel back costs in their businesses and risk losing a hat in order to survive. It seems that maybe 2 hat restaurants are ones to visit who are cooking at their peak like Bentley’s and Sepia. But with four million population, fine hot 30oC weather, these restaurants will survive into 2010, and on the outside it looks like Australia isn’t in a recession!