Me Meet Meat @ Foveaux

Happy New Year to my dear readers - May your 2012 be filled with lots of love, laughter and good food! I had the pleasure of dining at Foveaux earlier last year with my family and the question I had after my visit was why did this restaurant ever lose its hat? I am happy to hear that it regained its hated status in 2012 and it rightfully called for a revisit. My friend K had also dined at and loved Foveaux, so we booked ourselves in for a lovely catch up dinner.

Foveaux is a place that suits a particular type of modern, adventurous, romantic diner. There you will find unconventional and unusual mix of flavours and textures that push your culinary boundaries. Chef Darrell Felstead’s cuisine is vibrant and creative using foams, jellies and purées to awaken diners to new textures. Dishes showcase innovative features such as light seafood flavours of prawns contrasted with caramelised venison tongue and ultra-rich cauliflower cream for entrée. Not only is the food impressive, the combination of dimly lit atmosphere with the exposed brick walls and sandstone cellar bar create a comfortable, intimate setting. The cosy dining room seats about 45 people. The kitchen is visible through openings in the wall at the end of the room. However, minimal noise from the kitchen makes it into the dining area as the barista’s bar is in between.

Complimentary white bread

I just love it when bread is served warm with a crunchy crust. 

Chilled cucumber and yogurt soup

The cucumber soup has an unusual creamy, sour taste. It is the combination of black olive vinaigrette and yogurt in the soup that didn’t quite make sense for me. This is only dish I did not enjoy tonight. Mind you though, this is a complimentary amuse bouche and it is probably a personal taste issue as my friend K found it to be delicious.  


My boy holds a constant belief that I don’t eat enough meat. He also believes that meat is the solution to most if not all my health problems, including headaches and lack of sleep (whereas I believe the desserts are my cure to these). These myths are yet to be proven but tonight I promised him it will be all meat and no veg :P 

L Loves... Smoked duck, confit duck spring roll, 

tamarind puree, charcoal oil, orange and watercress salad

The duck breast is succulent and the confit duck is incredibly flavoursome inside the delectable, flaky spring roll.

L Loves... Caramelised venison tongue, nham pla prawns,
crispy pork skin, cauliflower cream, cashew, shiso and mint

This is such a creative dish with each element of the dish bursting with its own flavours and the wonderful cauliflower cream bringing it all together. The venison tongue is sweet and pliable, with each bite releasing a lovely, intense flavour. Ohhh I want more!

Wakame roasted lamb rump, squid ink, 

salt and pepper tofu, miso puree and fennel

It is rare for me to order lamb because lamb is usually gamey and chewy. However with the interesting combination of squid ink, miso puree and salt and pepper tofu, I decided to give it a try. It is a playful dish and the miso puree gave the dish a special touch. But you’d have to eat this dish quick as the lamb gets pretty hard when it gets cold. I couldn’t really taste the wakame or the squid ink, perhaps they are there more for the presentation. 

L Loves... Braised brisket, sirloin, pea puree, paysanne jus and wasabi cream

This is the dish of the day that blew our minds away! The brisket is superbly slow cooked locking in all the aromas and flavours. The wasabi cream and pea puree matched very well with the wonderfully tender meat. They have a tendency of serving their meaty dishes swarming with yummy sauces and purees here. Although presentation wise they may look a bit of a overflow, but taste wise it makes these dishes extra tasty! 

L Loves... English Breakfast Tea and Peppermint Tea,
served with Petit Fours (Mini Raspberry Jam Scones and Rocky Road Bites)

The meaty dishes we ordered are surprisingly filling so we glanced over the desserts menu and decided to go for the tea and petit fours for a sweet and harmless finish. This is certainly the right decision for us as we are head-over-heels to see the cute baby scones served with Estate Grown Organic Teas. We felt the kitchen and service staff worked brilliantly together to bring to us an utterly enjoyable evening :)

L's Verdict:

•   Taste: 8/10 
•   Ambience: 4/5
•  Value: 4/5
• Service: 4/5
• Creativity and other WOW factors: 3/5  

Overall rating: 23/30

Foveaux Bar & Restaurant 

65-67 Foveaux Street  

Surry Hills NSW 2010

Ph: (02) 9211 0664

Dinner: Tues – Sat 6pm till late

Lunch: Thur noon till 3pm  

Visited January 2012

Friendly advice: If it's your first time there, I'd recommend trying their 6 course tasting menu (also available for vegetarians). It gives you two choices for each course and ultimately a memorable experience.