Cotton Duck (Sydney)

The flexible menu was what attracted us to visit Cotton Duck, the new sister restaurant of Dank Street Depot. Specifically my friend was intrigued by the prospect of having 1 main and 3 desserts – one can order any 4 courses from the menu for $85 (2 courses for $55).

The food was as slick as the contemporary dining room. And the unique cocktail list complimented the food well (aloe vera and mint?). We were fortunate to try the special wagyu beef cheek dish for the night. The pumpkin pie and chocolate raspberry tart gave us the right balance of sweetness.

(1 for the beef cheek, 1 for the dessert, 1 for the cocktails =D )

Details:
Cotton Duck
50 Holt Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
http://www.danksstreetdepot.com.au/page/cotton_duck.html

Sailors Thai Ivy (Let's Do Lunch)

Does lunch between meetings with workmates constitute a power lunch? If so, there were many of them at the Ivy as we dined at the new Sailors Thai. As much as I like Ivy's décor, the dining room (formerly Teppanyaki) could do with an update. The communal table reminded me of the boardroom.

The Let’s Do Lunch menu certainly added some spice to the workday: pork belly was still crisp despite being drenched in a well balanced hot and sour Sriracha sauce. Curry chicken was tender and the clean flavours of the curry sauce had us scoffing down extra rice.

Details:
Sailors Thai Ivy
330 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://sailorsthai.com.au
http://www.merivale.com/#/ivy/sailorsthai

Ad Lib Bistro (Sydney)

Fond memories from the now closed Forty-One Restaurant have brought me to this casual French bistro in Sydney’s upper north shore.

Ad Lib’s menu contains all the classic French dishes. While my parents really enjoyed the smooth duck liver pate, my onion soup gratinee was disappointing. The sweetness of the onion was totally buried by the taste of alcohol. Portion size of main courses, consistent with most online reviews, was definitely small. The dessert was a winner. Two giant scoops of rich, smooth chocolate mousse was the delight of the night.

I still miss the old Forty-One.

(would have deducted 0.5 star for the boozy onion soup)

Details:
Ad Lib Bistro
1047 Pacific Highway
Pymble NSW 2073
http://www.adlibbistro.com/

Tea Room QVB (Let's Do Lunch)

My first private dining experience at the Tea Room allowed me to look at the dining room in daylight (previous occasion was a wedding). The high ceiling adds a greater sense of space to the already large dining room, with views of the busy city life through the little windows on top of QVB.

I had the Let’s Do Lunch pastry-wrapped salmon dish. The fish was cooked perfectly but its natural taste was overpowered by the Middle Eastern flavours. My companion chose the blue-eye trevalla red curry which had a better balance in flavour of seafood and spice.

Details:
The Tea Room QVB
Level 3, North End, Queen Victoria Building
455 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.thetearoom.com.au/


Let’s Do Lunch - http://www.cravesydneyfoodfestival.com.au/events.php?intcategoryid=51&linkid=101

Etch (Sydney)

I have always wanted to visit Etch since I dined at its big sister Becasse last year. With its art deco interior and comfortably soft lighting, this French bistro has a warm and casual atmosphere.

We had the 6 course degustation. Highlight for me was the roulade with tender caramelised pig’s head meat wrapped in its crispy skin, complimented by the deep-fried ear providing a surprising crunch. A must have for roast pork lovers. Caramel date tart worked perfectly with the fragrant Earl Grey tea syrup.

Service was very slow though. The entire 6 course meal took nearly 4 hours.

(would have deducted 0.5 star for the slow service)


Details:
Etch Restaurant
62 Bridge Street, Sydney 2000
http://www.etchdining.com

Becasse (Let's Do Lunch)

I visited Becasse for my first “Let’s Do Lunch” experience in 2010. As per previous years the restaurant was packed with diners for lunch. This year they offer a risotto of South Australian prawns and prosciutto as their dish. The seafood flavour of the risotto was intense with the prosciutto providing the right level of savouriness.

To round out the meal we had the Lemon Meringue Pie at $15 each which complimented the main course very well.

Looking forward to dinner at Etch (Becasse’s sister restaurant) later this week!

Details:
Becasse
204 Clarence Street, 
Sydney 2000
http://www.becasse.com.au/


Let’s Do Lunch - http://www.cravesydneyfoodfestival.com.au/events.php?intcategoryid=51&linkid=101