Birthday Degustation @ Cottage Point Inn

A few weeks back I received a little surprise in the mail. It was a postcard from Cottage Point Inn wishing me a happy birthday and that they are giving me a free 7 course degustation (valued at $140) any day in the month of May. Having had a wonderful meal there last year, Mr M and I decided to take on their wonderful gesture and give them another visit, and oh am I thankful that we did! :)

We booked in for Sunday lunch, advised them of my dietary requests which are duly noted. Throughout the week we had heavy rain in Sydney which got me a little worried. But just like last year, the weather turned out to be beautiful on the day. Note – the drive to Cottage Point involves a lot of turns and swirls, so even if not for the view, you wouldn’t want to go there on a wet day.

The view from our table 

Once we are greeted and seated, we saw the degustation menu on our table. They have taken out from the menu fish and raw beef just as I requested. We started off with a choice of rye bread roll or sourdough bread. It is noted on their menu their bread mother is 6 years old. The bread roll is very tasty but would have been even better if it had been warm. We are served small cups of sweet potato soup (for me) and salmon consommé (for Mr M).

Our Degustation Menu

Rye bread roll 

Our first course from the degustation is an amazingly fresh salad. It is not easy to excite with a salad but they have certainly done it. I loved the interesting textures: the crisp root veges, the toasted and crushed hazelnuts and the wonderfully creamy house made feta. Our second course is the lovely little pillows of spring onion and thyme gnocchi, served with pumpkin, goat cheese, burnt butter foam, pumpkin puree and pine nuts. The goat cheese tasted like cream cheese with a citrus tang. The rich pumpkin puree is so delicious with its natural sweetness. This dish is pleasantly balanced as the pumpkin cubes had a slightly citrus taste to counter the rich and aromatic burnt butter foam.

L Loves... “Field to Feast Farm”, Vegetable Salad, 
House Made Feta, Hazelnut Dressing

L Loves... Spring Onion & Thyme Gnocchi, Goats Chèvre, 
Burnt Butter Espuma, Pumpkin Puree, Pine nuts

The next three dishes followed through with the same high standard. They are delicately prepared, cooked and presented. The twice cooked quail legs and duck breast are cooked beautifully and just right for a lunch degustation that is nourishing and not too heavy. All the dishes look vibrant and spectacular as if they are made to match the enchanting waterfront view.

Rangers Valley Beef Cheek Ravioli, 
Horseradish Cream, Braised Leeks, Sherry Foam

Twice cooked Quail Legs, Pickled Coleslaw, 

Mushrooms, Grapes, Spiced Jus   

Hawkesbury Valley Duck Breast, 

Orange, Smoked Fennel, Spiced Jus

As we watched seaplanes arriving and departing (amusing really!), our waiter came with the most delicious white peach sorbet with tiny bits of white peach on top. Just as we thought things cannot get better, we are each served a gorgeous caramel apple soufflé. The soufflé is perfect in terms of consistency – it is light and fluffy, and not too sweet. Whoever came up with the idea of serving soufflé with apple compote and macadamia crumble is a genius, it is in essence combining two delicious desserts (apple crumble & soufflé) on one plate! What really got me hooked is the moreish cinnamon anglaise... mmm I want more!!! I finished both my and Mr M’s jugs of velvety crème anglaise!

Here they come again!

L Loves... Pre dessert - White Peach Sorbet

L Loves... Caramel Apple Souffle, Apple Compote, 
Macadamia Crumble, Cinnamon Anglaise 

At this point I looked at the menu and said to Mr M: “I don’t think we need the last course, the degustation would have ended perfectly with the soufflé”. It turned out Cottage Point Inn managed to prove me wrong again, and I love it when they do this! I am not normally so fond of cheese. Don’t get me wrong, I do like cheese, but sometimes you meet the odd ones that are too pungent or too salty or too overpowering or just bland. Today’s degustation encouraged me to explore more in the world of cheese. I adored how they used the different types of cheese to add flavour and texture to the three dishes (salad, gnocchi and this final cheese course: they happened to be my favourite three dishes today aside from desserts). The manchego and radicchio salad is so delicious and refreshing and IS the perfect ending of our three hour lunch. Thanks for a wonderful birthday meal Mr M & Cottage Point Inn :)

L Loves...  Manchego, Radicchio Salad, Walnuts Pedro Ximenez Sherry

What a peaceful hideout!

Cottage Point Inn - perfect for a Stressless Sunday Lunch!

L's Verdict:

•    Taste: 9/10

•    Ambience: 4.5/5

•    Value: 3/5

•    Service: 4/5

•    Creativity and other WOW factors: 4/5

Overall rating: 24.5/30 (updated rating from last visit)

Cottage Point Inn

2 Anderson Place

Cottage Point NSW 2084

Ph: (02) 9456 1011

Lunch: 7 days from Noon to 3pm

Dinner: Fri-Sat 6.30pm to 9.30pm & Sunday 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Visited May 2013

Friendly advice: I would not hesitate in recommending this lovely place to anyone. However do note this place is a little difficult to find – some GPS may not even locate it accurately. There are instructions on their website on how to get there (you could also get there by seaplane or by ferry). Also note there is no reception at this restaurant – that’s right, it’s the perfect hideout to enjoy a long, beautiful, uninterrupted lunch!

Celebrating 12.12.12 @ Claire's Kitchen at Le salon

Me and my food loving co-workers are constantly looking out for excuses to indulge in good food. Tonight we decided to celebrate 12.12.12 at Claire's Kitchen, a French Brasserie on Oxford Street. Given the owner is drag queen Claire de Lune, I had expected it to be over-the-top fancy. Instead I found the place to be tastefully French with chandeliers, framed artwork, antiques, flowers in vases and best of all, filled with graceful, good-looking French waiters.

The food, like the surroundings and the music played, is full of character.  Here they serve comfort French bistro food with a modern touch. I have a soft spot for scallops and the scallops here are so succulent and beautifully cooked - incredibly delicious with the sweet pumpkin puree and appetising shallots and micro herbs. The pork belly with lentils is a satisfying main that is full of flavour. We found the duck pie to be overpowering with the buttery pastry, tasty duck, superbly rich brie and creamy mash. The servings are generous and they are particular liberal with their sauce and purees, resulting in us regrettably saying "non, merci" to a waiter with a tray of tempting desserts on his hands.  

Admiring the sassy artwork and elegant chandeliers and flowers above 

Very French and chic

Complementary bread and butter

Traditional French snails in garlic, parsley and Cognac butter

Asparagus, white peach, candied walnuts 

served in a parmesan basket with pink grape fruit dressing

L Loves... Roasted scallops with pumpkin sabayon and micro herbs

A closer look at these succulent scallops

Sweet corn and saffron soup with chargrill prawns

Duck and Pinot Noir Pie 

with melted brie under the puff pastry crust

Cutting open the flaky pie crust 

L Loves... Braised pork belly served with Puy lentils and drizzled with beetroot reduction

The desserts tray... maybe next time!

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

Claire's kitchen at Le salon

35 Oxford Street

Darlinghurst, NSW 2010

Ph: (02) 9283 1891

Open Tues – Sat 6pm to 12 midnight

Visited December 2012

Friendly advice: This place is perfect for a ladies night out. It's bookable via Dimmi, where you can get instant confirmation of your reservation and accumulate points for a free meal!

Fallen for the Rabbit Hole

I THINK I’VE JUST FOUND MY NEW FAVOURITE HANG-OUT PLACE!!!!!!!

Sorry if I’ve startled anyone with my spurt of capital letters and exclamation marks, but I simply could not hold back on the excitement of finding a whimsical wonderland nestled in Sydney CBD! 

Rabbit Hole Bar & Dining is bringing in molecular mixology with an intensive cocktail list bursting of flavours and textures beyond your imagination. They are the first and only bar in Sydney to use Cointreau Caviar Spherification – producing spheres of liquid resembling caviar visually and texturally, and wows anyone who put these translucent balls in their mouth. It’s definitely a voyage down the rabbit hole!

Alongside their expertise in anything liquid and a bar menu, they also have a Modern French dining menu created by Executive Chef Tomoyuki Usui. Having previously worked at L’Astrance (currently ranked 18th on San Pellegrino’s List of World’s Best Restaurants), nurturing seasoning produce with light preparations, he definitely knows how to craft modern dishes with clean flavours.

We twirled down the spiral staircase into the rabbit hole. It’s dimly lit with earthy colours of brown and green. Our delightful server brought us our rabbit themed drinks and dining menu. I don’t usually drink (especially not on a Monday night), but tonight’s an exception as my previous college and now foodie buddy K told me all about how she got proposed to only 6 days ago, and how she has already picked the venue, bought her gorgeous wedding dress (which is the second dress she tried on)… and the biggest news of all is the fact that they are getting married in 6 weeks time (OMG and YAY!!!!)!! The surreal story came with a striking diamond ring and the disclaimer that, no, she is not pregnant LOL. 

Rabbit themed decors on the wall

Male & Female Rabbit Restroom 

Pepper & Salt; Water or potion?

 Flicking through the fascinating cocktail menu

Hypnotised yet?

Both of us opted for liqueur based cocktails. K ordered a hazelnut dark Chocolate Pop Martini – it has a chocolaty taste with a hint of coffee as the chocolate spirit is infused with coffee beans cooked sous vide. It is sweet and velvety, completed with playful chocolate popping candy lining the martini glass, almost symbolising the ecstatic time our bride-to-be is living out now!

With a curious mind I ordered the Texture Taster, which is a sampler of alcoholic lemon jelly, mini caprioska foam and a drink that appears to be a lava lamp containing spherified Cointreau Caviar. While I love the lemon jelly, I can see how easily one could overindulge in these harmless looking treats. The lava lamp is a knock out - the intensive flavours bursting out of the translucent balls of Cointreau swept me into a strange new world!

Chocolate Pop Martini 

Rabbit Hole's Texture Taster 

Alcoholic Lemon Jelly

Lava Lamp with spherified Cointreau Caviar

Mini Caprioska Foam 

No less spectacular is the food here. K and I both ordered scallops and absolutely loved them... Perfectly seared and juicy scallops, clean flavours, delicious celeriac puree and nutty bits of buckwheat.

For main I had the roasted sirloin - it is exactly what you want in a good steak - unpretentious and tasty with a rich, brown crust. The braised chick peas and kongo (a type of potato as I’m told) puree are scrumptious and comforting. K is also happy with her main and we both declare we’ve fallen for this rabbit hole :P

L Loves... Seared scallops, celeriac two ways & buckwheat

Caramelized snapper, burnt butter, anchovies & almond

L Loves... Roasted Riverine sirloin, kongo puree & braised chick peas

L's Verdict:

·    Taste: 9/10

·    Ambience: 4/5

·     Value: 5/5

·    Service: 4/5

·    Creativity and other WOW factors: 4/5 

Overall rating: 26/30

Rabbit Hole Bar & Dining

Basement level

82 Elizabeth Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: 02 8084 2505

Mon to Fri 12pm – 2am

Saturday 4pm - 2am

Visited November 2012

Friendly advice: This is the place to be if you’re looking for fun, innovative drinks and scrummy nibbles. Be experimental and try their cocktails, created by Doug Laming, AHA Bartender of the Year 2011 finalist and co-owner of Rabbit Hole!

The Best Friday Prix Fixe Lunch @ Marque

Mark Best worked as an electrician in the WA goldmines until the age of 25, when he discovered his passion in cooking while he helped out at a mate’s restaurant. He followed through his passion by studying commercial cookery and travelling overseas to work in a number of notorious establishments, including the three Michelin star L’Arpège in Paris.

Mark opened Marque in 1999 and it held the prestigious three hats status for seven consecutive years from 2007 to current. Marque is amongst the handful of Australian restaurants to be awarded S. Pellegrino World’s best restaurants, currently ranked at number 61. You can see why Marque has been lingering on the top of my wish list. 

When it came to deciding where to take my family (which includes my gorgeous niece Baby C, currently 16 months old) during their short visit in Sydney, Marque’s Prix Fixe is the first thing that came to mind. Marque’s Prix Fixe is a three-course set menu offered at Friday lunchtimes only. You don't get to make any choices but you do get a good taste of Mark’s creativity and talent. The best thing is it only costs $45 pp – what a steal!

Worthy to note is that they charge $5 pp to support their chilled, filtered, carbonated water system which aims at reducing the use of bottled water. Personally I think it’s a great idea, especially for a restaurant of this calibre, to boldly state the purpose for the additional charge so that we can reconsider the need for and the environmental impact of bottled water in fine-dining restaurants. They have on offer still or sparkling water – the still water had a slightly sweet spring water taste to it. 

After we are seated we are handed the menu detailing today’s Prix Fixe (which is different to the one on their website as the menu changes on a weekly basis), as well as a sample degustation should we decide to revisit for dinner. Our waiting staff gave us time to examine the menu and advise of any dietary requirements. Once that is done a melody of extraordinary food is brought to us with a brief description.

The Breakthrough Award from Worlds 50 Best Restaurant Awards 2010

and Marque’s own Recipe Book

Prix Fixe and Degustation Menu for the 7th week of Spring

A simple, elegant dining area 

We began with an amuse bouche of pancetta consommé jelly with pea granita. It is so delicate even baby C liked it and asked for “more~”. We are also offered a choice of sourdough or rye housemade bread. They are warm and wholesome, with an extremely crunchy crust. Baby C enjoyed a big slice of sourdough and commented “yum~”.

Next up we have the tiger prawn entrée, which is an absolute delight to eat. The slightly translucent tiger prawns looked to be under but are in fact cooked to perfection. Given they are so fresh and delicate any more cooking will reduce the natural sweetness of the prawn. The vegetables on the plate are not only well crafted but also enhanced the flavour of the dish a million miles.

  

For main we had a piece of medium rare Angus Bavette steak, with all the fantastic flavour and juice locked inside the steak. I don’t normally eat asparagus but I gave it a try today and I’m glad I did. The asparagus taste is subtle and is actually quite nice with the delicious, sweet corn puree (my substitute for avocado puree) hidden underneath the black crumbs that tasted like prawn crackers.

Our dessert is a light, frothy foam of apple and celery with thin slices of apple and celery, a gorgeous, velvety goats curd ice cream and sprinkles of hazelnuts. The contrast in textures and in flavours is impeccable. The foam is so refreshing and the creamy goats curd ice cream such indulgence, almost like a deconstructed cheesecake with the hazelnuts as the crumb. Baby C again expressed high interests in the yummy ice cream.

Last but never least we had Marque’s renowned Sauternes custard with bitter caramel. The custard is served in an eggshell and looked adorable. Sauternes is a French dessert wine and its taste is quite evident in the custard. A dip of the spoon led us to the silky, smooth, caramel-coated custard, making it the perfect ending to an exquisite lunch.

Baby C Says Yum... Pancetta Consommé Jelly with Pea Granita

  

Baby C Says Yum... Housemade Rye Bread

L Loves... Tiger Prawn with Broadbeans, Potato, Dashi & Camomille

L Loves... Ranger Valley Angus Bavette with Asparagus,
Avocado (or Corn in my dish), Radish & Cucumber 

A closer look at the juicy Angus steak 

The amazing Mark Best reading the dockets behind the counter!

Baby C Says Yum... Hazelnut with Apple, Celery & Goats Curd

L Loves... Sauternes custard with bitter caramel

We had an amazing time at Marque, exquisite food, great service, with lively music playing in the background – not something you’d expect at a three-hat but made the restaurant a more relaxing place to dine at. Sometimes when you finish a meal it fills you up so much you start to feel bloated and uncomfortable. But when we finished our lunch all we feel is contentment and satisfaction, and the thought of coming back for more!

L's Verdict:

·      Taste: 9/10 

·      Ambience: 4/5

·      Value: 5/5 (for the Friday Prix Fixe only)

·      Service: 4/5

·      Creativity and other WOW factors: 4/5  

Overall rating:  26/30

Marque

4/5 355 Crown St

Surry Hills NSW 2010

(02) 9332 2225

Lunch: Friday from 12 noon

Dinner: Mon to Fri from 6.30pm, Saturday from 6pm

Visited October 2012

Friendly advice: Take some time off from your busy schedule and book in early to try Marque's Friday Prix Fixe – the food is sensational and it is superb value for money! Go on, you won't regret it :)