Another one down, and it's name was EST

I got a 2013 SMH Good Food Guide for Christmas. It was my friend’s way of saying: ‘Welcome back. Now, here’s what’s been happening on the food front.’ A lot happens in a city with good food culture like Sydney over four years so it’s been a good resource and I’ve made some headway working through it.

Last night I went to Est for dinner with a group of friends. It’s one of only seven 3-hat restaurants in Sydney. We arrived to attentive service and restaurant decked out in white tablecloths, candles and a lovely white flower on each table - the usual fine dining trappings. We uhmmed and ahhed over an appealing menu to the professional amusement of our efficient waiter before choosing the chef’s menu: any four courses. What did I choose?

sashimi of ocean trout, dashi, tapioca, ocean trout roe, puffed quinoa, white soy, lime
Who can resist ocean trout sashimi? And it was lovely - fresh with wonderful textural contrast between the roe, tapioca balls and that little crunch from the quinoa. A very Sydney dish.

moreton bay bug, wombok, coconut, ginger, chilli, kaffir lime, coriander
I’m also a sucker for moreton bay bug, which in this case came out covered in white froth and smelling like a rich asian broth. The broth was lovely, as was the beautifully cooked bug. Once again very Sydney - a fusion of Asian flavours, French/Western techniques and fresh Aussie ingredients and sensibility.

lamb rib eye, trompette mushrooms, broad beans, goats curd beignets
I have a funny relationship with lamb. I almost never eat it, and only ever order it when I expect it to blow my mind. I also love trompettes. And the goats curd beignets had me intruiged. I found this dish rather underwhelming though. It was all good and no wow.

passionfruit souffle,  passionfruit sorbetI wasn’t feeling particularly moved by the dessert menu so I let the waiter choose for me. Unfortunately I should have eliminated this dish since I’m not a huge passionfruit fan, and will only order souffle if I can’t resist the flavours suggested (e.g. if it’s dark chocolate)
I did not enjoy this souffle at all. It came out looking pretty, a 1-2cm rise rise off the rim of the ramekin , accompanied by a scoop of cream and of passionfruit sorbet. However putting by spoon into it I was disappointed by the lack of texture. I realise souffle is supposed to be airy and light but I was still expecting a sense of light crust to the top, of which there was none. The texture was more mush than air, and when I prodded it with my spoon looked more like babyfood. The taste was unspectacular too. Paired with two accompaniments that are also soft, one also passionfruit flavoured and this dish had neither textural contrast nor memorable flavour.
I may just not like souffle or passionfruit let alone the two together…

Overall? This was still a lovely meal. It’s unfortunate that I disliked dessert so since it’s almost the last impression a place gets to leave. They were really generous with their petit fours though, which were gorgeous. Service was polite, attentive, personable. I wasn’t such a fan of my wine recommendation - I asked for a whilte that would satisfy a sweet tooth but would still be good with food, e.g. something with a slightly sweet, honeyed smell and top note but a clean finish. We were recommended a wine that was a lot sweeter than I had desired, and that sweetness collected on the palate. Not a great food pairing, nor what I had thought I asked for.

But three hats? Really? When Tetsuya’s has been two-hatted for years while remaining a consistent Sydney audience favourite? If the argument is that a three hat restaurant should push boundaries and generate excitement, which Tetsuya’s no longer does, fine. I get it. I’ve not been there in years but I can imagine that if I did and received the same dishes I wouldn’t be as impressed as the first time around. And I get that somewhere like Quay is comparatively fresher and more exciting. But EST? That was a well-executed meal with excellent service but it wasn’t exciting. I got more thrills from a Mecca Shakshuka or the fries with alioli from Ash St. Cellar or … well lots of other places, some white table-clothed and others not.

So. Would I go back? On one hand I’d be curious to try the degustation (I’m a sucker for degustation). On the other hand…why would I, when I can go somewhere else?

P.S. Yes I have photos. I’m just don’t think they’re worth sharing.

P.P.S. This was supposed to be short. Oops. This is why I avoided blogging for a long, long time…

A saturday night on Oxford Street

The mission:  
Have a fun, low-key night out in Paddington with a flexible group of at least 5 persons. Try out some new places, namely The Wine Library and 10 William St (both small wine bars that do food and don't take bookings).

The outcome:  

• All persons accomodated, but not at the same time. =\
• 10 William St - success!
• The Wine Library - stays on the hitlist. 
• Pocket - unplanned, unexpected and a total find.

Lessons learned:

• Trying to get five persons into a small, popular bar at 6:40pm on a Saturday night is nigh on impossible.
• Trying to do so on game night is basically asking for trouble.
• Rule out the sports fans and the Paddington/Darlinghurst crowd is eerily homogenous. Same age range, same ethnic make-up, same dress sense, same body language.
• The top knot is 'The' hairstyle trend of the moment. Not sure what I mean? Go to Paddington/Darlinghurst. The top knot has also been spotted in *gasp* Sydney's South-West suburbs.
• Sometimes you just gotta wait it out.
• It helps to have friends that know places.
• 1am?? Really Sydney??

10 William St:

Food: Gorgeous. The smell of the cavatelli bolognese had me writhing in food lust. A bite of a friend's orecchiette cime di rapa was excellent, wonderful texture and clean flavours accented with a lovely light chilli bite. The procuitto was so melt-in-your-mouth in a heavenly dose of pork salt and fat, the gorgonzola so oozingly creamy and delightfully highlighted by the fig and honey that we ordered both twice. The tiramisu could not complete with tiramisu from Tiramisu, Taormina, Sicilia but was good nevertheless. The savoiardi needed to be soaked a little more espresso as the coffee taste was barely detectable, but the marscapone mixture was divine - silky and airy and practically perfect.

Wine: I deferred selection of the wine to one of the staff after describing to him what I was after. [Me: I want something not fruity, not dry, so quite clean but still a little something... Him: Sexy? Me: Yes!] Despite a small miscommunication (I said white, he heard red) we tried two gorgeous wines. The Sicilian red (probably the Cerasuolo di Vittoria) was the wrong colour and yet exactly what I wanted. The Piedmont white had enough depth to be drunk after red. We finished with an Australian Cab Sav. Familiar territory and very good.

Service: They like their South-Italian staff at 10 William St, and those guys sure had Personality. I like the south of Italy, based on what little of it have experienced. I Like Personality, especially when accompanied by competent wine recommendations. I like people that will tell you a joke - like 'we don't serve water here, only booze. That glass on someone else's table filled with clear liquid? That's not water, it's vodka!' *cue laughter*

Half an hour and another bottle of wine later I leant over at the bar to charmingly (I thought) re-request water. A nod and six glasses were plonked down at our table. Short measure of clear liquid was poured into said glasses from a big fat bottle. *cue more laughter* What funny, clever gag escalation! *sniff* *recoil* Oh...

Verdict: I'll happily go back. Perhaps earlier. Or on a week night. In a smaller group. Prepared with a water bottle...

Pocket:

Definitely my kinda bar. Cosy eclectic decor, blues and funk music playing, specialising in cocktails. Packed, with a friendly security guy standing guard. Once again, I'll happily go back at a less busy time. But I get nostalgic. I sure miss Dave and Enza and 24-Volt-Cobblers and Bloody Marys from Bar Nightjar when it was an open til 3am 8 minute stumble down the road from home...