Berta Duck Sagra Dinner

Hidden in a quiet alley you could easily walk past Berta without noticing its presence. Walking through two glass doors you enter into a lively bar / restaurant. You can tell a restaurant is doing something right when they are packed with a cheerful, buzzy crowd on a Tuesday night.

Berta holds Sagra dinners every Tuesday night. Sagra means festival in Italian, and at Berta they celebrate a seasonal ingredient through featuring that ingredient in each dish of the four course dinner. A month before, chef O Tama Carey would go through what’s in season and talk to their organic famers about what they have coming up. Once she’s decided on the key ingredient, it becomes a brain exercise on coming up with new ideas and flavours to go with that ingredient. 

The ever-changing blackboard menu

The intriguing street view from our table

Pickled jars and wine above the bar

Tonight’s seasonal ingredient is duck (yay duck!) and we gleefully booked in to pre-celebrate Lu’s birthday. Our first course is a selection of antipasto plates: “Pate flat bread blood orange mostarda”, “Cured smoked pickled” and “Cauliflower chervil black olive eschallots”. To start we have the oh-so-more-ish creamy duck liver pâté with sweet blood orange marmalade on the crisp flat bread. It is the most appetising starter to kick off a feast with. Next we had the delicious cured and smoked duck with cherries, egg, cheese puree and Cuban bread and a refreshing cauliflower salad. 

L Loves... Pate flat bread blood orange mostarda

Cauliflower chervil black olive eschallots

L Loves... Cured smoked pickled

Our second course is the spicy duck heart pasta. I think this is where the chef is testing her boundaries (and ours!). The chopped pieces of duck heart is quite gamey and the tagliatelle is a little on the soft side. I would have preferred it to have a slight bit of bite. Though an interesting dish, it is probably my least favourite dish tonight. 

Tagliatelle spicy hearts sorrel

Our main course is less daring but full on flavoursome. A liberal serve of crunchy pistachio and farro rests on top of the roasted duck breast and pork and duck neck sausage. The accompanying side is chunky roast potato chips cooked in duck fat. 

Roasted breast pork and duck neck sausage

White bean pistachio farro vincotto

Duck fat roast potatoes

As we ate, we wondered how they are going to incorporate duck into the dessert. Half way through the meal, chef Carey stood in front of the blackboard menu and explained the sagra concept as well as each dish to us. Our dessert is a ricotta custard tart, with the custard made from duck eggs. The subtly sweet ricotta custard, with the crisp sage, citrusy lemon curd and thin pastry crust is simply heaven. 

L Loves... Ricotta sage custard tart lemon curd

To my surprise Berta managed to serve us duck in so many ways, yet I don’t feel like I have eaten too much duck. All and all Berta Sagra is a fantastic experience which I would look forward to trying again!

The covert entrance - don't miss it!

L's Verdict:

•    Taste: 8.5/10

•    Ambience: 3.5/5

•    Value: 4/5

•    Service: 3.5/5

•    Creativity and other WOW factors: 5/5

Overall rating: 24.5/30

Berta

17-19 Alberta St

Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: (02) 9264 6133

Lunch: Wed to Fri from 12pm

Dinner: Tues to Sat 6pm-late

Visited Sep 2013

Friendly advice: Try their 4 course Sagra dinner which is superb value at $55 pp. They have a different seasonal ingredient every Tuesday night. Check out Berta’s website for the upcoming seasonal ingredients. 

An Italian Affair @ Pendolino

Tonight's dinner is with two of my girl friends, one of which told me she needed a lift in her spirit, and the other is blessed with a baby that is craving for pastas. I think I know where to go...

Hidden on level two of The Strand Arcade is a gloomy but tasteful dining room with exposed brick and walls lined with olive oil and wines. The space is so dim that the waiters bring a mushroom lamp to the table along with the menu. We happily snacked on the complementary bread – a selection of walnut rye, olive ciabatta and white sourdough left at our table. We had fun dipping the bread into one of the three olive oils on our table: "Sanguinella" blood orange, "Limone" lemon and "Fruttato” traditional early harvest Tuscan and Umbrian oils.

On their menu are a range of pastas made on the premises in a dedicated pasta kitchen with all pastas made from flour and organic eggs. Tonight from the pasta dishes we ordered Chitarra Spaghetti with barramundi and wild prawns and Sage Leaf Lasagne with pumpkin and ricotta. Both had textures unique to freshly made pastas. The sage leaf lasagne is unlike any lasagne I’ve seen before. It’s a thin slice but the flavour is so opulent and sweet that the portion is precisely what’s required for complete contentment. The chitarra spaghetti which I did not try, is commended for its intense seafood flavour, although slightly on the salty side.

Having tasted their pastas before, I wanted to try one of their meat dishes. The waiter highly recommended the ten hour slow cooked beef oyster blade, and I ordered this after tossing between this and the roast duck leg. It turns out to be a win. The beef oyster blade is irresistibly succulent. The flavour is extremely intense as the collagen melts during the braising of the meat. The parsnip puree is blood-clotting rich and the sour cherries are slightly acidic and sweet. All and all it is a dish to adore. 

With the generous portions and with myself trying to come off a cold, we reluctantly skipped desserts, which I know to be delicious, especially the housemade sorbets. Always a next time :) 

Pendolino Menu

Complimentary bread basket with walnut rye,
olive ciabatta and white sourdough

Olive oil to dip the bread into

SPAGHETTI CHITARRA CON PESCE D’ACQUADOLCE
Freshly Made Chitarra Spaghetti with Barramundi,
Wild Prawns, Chilli, Capers, Garlic and Pinot Grigio White Wine

L Loves... LASAGNE DI ZUCCA
Sage Leaf Lasagne with Pumpkin, Ricotta, Pistachio Nuts and Amaretti

L Loves... BRASATO DI MANZO ALLE AMARENE
Ten Hour Slow Cooked British Breed Beef, Parsnip Puree,
Grilled Green Shallots, Pearl Garlic, Amarena Sour Cherry Sauce

L's Verdict:

•    Taste: 8.5/10

•    Ambience: 3.5/5

•    Value: 3/5

•    Service: 4/5

•    Creativity and other WOW factors: 3/5

Overall rating: 22/30

Pendolino Restaurant

Shop 100, Level 2, The Strand Arcade

412-414 George St 

Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: (02) 9231 6117

Lunch Mon-Sat 12pm-3pm 

Dinner Mon-Sat 6pm-late

Public Holidays - closed

Visited August 2013

Friendly advice: Try at least one of their pastas, freshly made pastas are just amazing!

Chiado Restaurant & Wine Bar

With the exception to Portuguese chicken and Portuguese tart, I have little experience with Portuguese food. What drew me to Chiado Restaurant & Wine Bar tonight is the fact that they have an ex-Quay Portuguese chef. Chiado opened in Potts Point February this year, and relocated to Pyrmont just a few weeks ago. The setting is casual and dark. The food here is well suited for the cold weather and what I would call devish comfort food. 

The combination of soft broad beans, finely diced smoked choriço and wobbling slow cooked poached egg with runny yolk is absolutely delicious. The bread based stew has the consistency of a porridge but is infused with wonderful aromas of prawns, garlic, coriander and broth. Highly recommended, especially if you are feeling under the weather and needed something comforting but not too heavy. 

The mains come in huge servings. The rib eye steak is flavoursome but slightly tough. The pork belly on the other hand is absolutely tender and tasty. The skin is crisp and the fat has melted and spread across the pork belly. The chouriço mash is rich and luscious. This dish should be avoided for anyone with health concerns. For others, sharing may be a good idea. Regretfully I finished the entire dish on my own and left no room for desserts. Maybe next time...

The Bar Area

The menu

L Loves... Favas com Chourico

Soft broad beans, homemade smoked choriço 

with slow cooked poached egg and truffle oil 

Açorda de Gambas

Traditional bread based stew with prawns, mashed rustic bread, 

garlic, coriander, olive oil & white wine in a fragrant broth

Bitoque à Chiado

Rib eye steak, chunky twice cooked potatoes

 & slow cooked poached egg

Barriga de Porco com Milho e Broa

Slow cooked pork belly, served with season vegetables, mushrooms, 

roasted corn & chouriço mash

L's Verdict:

•    Taste: 8/10

•    Ambience: 3/5

•    Value: 3/5

•    Service: 3/5

•    Creativity and other WOW factors: 3/5

Overall rating: 20/30

Chiado Restaurant and Wine Bar

50 Murray St 

Pyrmont NSW 2009

Ph: (02) 9357 7706

Dinner Tuesday to Sunday

Visited August 2013

Friendly advice: Chiado has relocated to Pyrmont, the new location is beside The Little Snail on Murray Street. 

7 year anniversary lunch @ Berowra Waters Inn

Berowra Waters Inn (BWI) has its unique place in Australia’s dining scene. Years ago I’ve heard great things about BWI, but before I had a chance to go there, the restaurant closed down leaving me with regretful thoughts. It turned out BWI only closed for a couple of months before it changed hands, to Tony Bilson, and recently again to Brian Geraghty (ex Astral, Pied a Terre, Quay and Bilson’s).

BWI is set in bushland on the beautiful Hawkesbury river, and is only accessible by seaplane, boat or private ferry. I knew it would be the ideal choice for celebrating my 7 year anniversary with Mr M, who is always so sweet and accommodating and happy for me to make the calls when deciding on where to go for special occasions like this. The booking processing is simple and quick. (Later on I indirectly realised why this may be... they only had 3 tables occupied for a Sunday lunch service. I’m a little concerned and hoping this is not the usual case for them).

The day finally came and after a 45 minutes drive we arrived at the East Wharf, where a private ferry is waiting for us. We are blessed to have the most perfect sunny day in July. The ferry ride is pleasurable and only took a couple of minutes to arrive at the peaceful BWI. Greeted immediately by name we are shown to our table. They offered us one degustation menu with only one choice to be made – to have four or seven courses. The waiting staff told us portions are about the same as they make each course a bit smaller for the seven courses. He also mentioned adjustments can be made to have my 7 courses fish-free. Mr M made the executive call to get all seven courses, one course for each wonderful year we have spent together :)

7 course degustation lunch

One course for each year together with my wonderful boy 

From our table we can see the private ferry that dropped us off

The table in the middle of the dining room is where 

the bread basket, wine, wine glasses and cutlery are placed

Chef and Owner Brian Geraghty working in the kitchen 

  

To start, we are presented with a gorgeous off the menu amuse bouche of eel apple and chicken liver parfait in a crispy tuile. Unfortunately for me, eel is still a fish so I only had the liver parfait which is ultra rich and tasty. Mr M enjoyed the eel apple and at this point we are certain it’s going to be a brilliant meal. 

BWI degustation menu

Eel Apple and Chicken Liver Parfait Tuile

Bread Basket full of Bacon Brioche and Anchovy Sourdough

Bread at a fine dining restaurant is something I look forward to. But today the bacon brioche is slightly disappointing for me – it’s not warm, although it’s buttery, it’s not light and puffy. Luckily the disappointment doesn’t last very long as our first course arrived and it is exceptional.  The scallops are so beautifully seared and the slightly acidic pickled beetroot, horseradish cream and crumbles are perfect complements.

L Loves... Scallop, Horseradish Cream, Rye & Root Vegetables

As a substitute for the ocean trout (which Mr M enjoyed), the chef prepared an extravagant mushroom dish for me. Truffle sautéed mushrooms in combination with brioche (yes, the same brioche I just complained about... though I usually love them). It is a rich dish even for winter. The indulgence progresses with a dish of pork belly and honey bug. The bug (note: Moreton Bay bug, not hakuna matata bug) is so fresh and sweet and the pork belly is delish and juicy.

Confit Ocean Trout, Smoke Milk, Dashi & Lemon

Sautéed Truffle Mushrooms with Brioche 

Pork Belly, Honey Bug, Mead & Green Tomato

Take a closer look at the succulent pork belly

Next up we have another fish course, which they substituted with chicken for me, with broccoli veloute, small pieces of prawn, pinenut and winter truffle. Mr and I agreed the main ingredient (i.e. the flounder and the chicken) are cooked superbly well and are delicious, but the condiments are a little overpowering and distracting. 

Flounder, Broccoli Veloute, Karid Prawn,

 Pinenut & Winter Truffle

Chicken, Broccoli Veloute, Karid Prawn, 

Pinenut & Winter Truffle

A closer look at the flavoursome chicken

Our final savoury course has got to be my favourite dish of the day. The beef rib is slow cooked for 14 hours and just falls apart when you cut into a piece. It is coated with the yummiest crumbles (yes, the chef here loves using crumbles and I love eating them!) and is divine when eaten with the creamy “egg white” and slightly sweet and sour “egg yolk”.  I love the presentation of this dish and our waiter says it is what the chef calls a “steak and egg”.  

L Loves... Braised Rib of Beef, Charred Leek, Stinging Nettle

A close look at the amazing 14 hour slow cooked beef rib

Our waiter convinced me to try their blue cheese cigar after I told him I don’t like blue cheese. It is less pungent than the usual blue cheese but it still had the aftertaste I feared. I’m undecided on the savoury and sweet red onion sorbet. When our waiter came back and asked how I liked the dish, I gave him my honest answer: “it’s... interesting”. “Good interesting or interesting interesting?” He dug further with an interested look. “Hmmm... it’s different interesting”. Sorry I just can’t lie... LOL.

Blue Cheese & Red Onion Sorbet

Much more successful is their off the menu pre-dessert. An ultra fine rhubarb foam on top of velvety cream cheese. Mr M couldn’t stop complimenting this delicious little treat. I suspect it has something to do with his soft spot for pink desserts (e.g. strawberry ice cream).

Pre-dessert: Rhubarb foam & cream cheese 

Our final dish on the menu is Hazelnut, Mandarin, Milk Sorbet. The hazelnut tastes like Ferrero Rocher but is wonderfully soft and airy like a cross between a mousse and a marshmallow. The combination of the citrusy mandarin gel, milk sorbet and malt crumbles reminds me of breakfast (orange juice, milk and Ovaltine). I wish I could wake up to this every morning. 

L Loves... Hazelnut, Mandarin, Milk Sorbet 

We finished off with tea, coffee and petit fours. As this point I am overfull but the overall experience is delightful and I would not hesitate to recommend BWI to anyone looking for somewhere secluded and somewhere special.

Apple Cakes & Rose, Lime & Chocolate Macarons

BWI on the beautiful Hawkesbury river 

L's Verdict:

•    Taste: 8.5/10

•    Ambience: 4/5

•    Value: 3/5

•    Service: 4/5

•    Creativity and other WOW factors: 4.5/5

Overall rating: 24/30

Berowra Waters Inn

Via East and West Public Wharves

Berowra Waters NSW 2082

Ph: (02) 9456 1027

Lunch Friday to Sunday

Dinner Friday and Saturday

Visited July 2013

Friendly advice: Go with someone special, someone you would want to share an undisturbed afternoon with.