Let's Do Lunch @ Quadrant Restaurant

The Quadrant was an easy pick for my first GFM foray last week. I love choices, and the ones on offer at the Quadrant seemed equally tempting:

Choice of Crispy skin duck breast with duck parfait, sauteed witlof and pink lady apples or Grainfed beef tenderloin with jerusalem artichoke and truffle ravioli, sauteed spinach, red wine sauce or Steamed mulloway, shao xing braised squid, snow pea leaves, xo chilli or Grilled field mushroom topped with persian fetta, spiced eggplant and tomato salsa.

I went to this restaurant last year during GFM, and I was happy with my meal, so this also seemed a safe(ish) bet. Plus, it has stroller access!

It was a beautiful day to go out for lunch, and although Wandergurl and I were seated inside, large windows allowed the sunshine to stream through. We were seated in the middle of the dining area, with plenty of room to park my double stroller.

We were given an appetiser, which was a kind of cheesy, spinachy thing. (I wasn't paying attention--sorry!) It was delicious, and Wandergurl liked the tomato sauce a lot.

Wandergurl ordered the duck with some red wine, while I opted for the tenderloin and a Coke. (I briefly warred with my conscience on consuming alcohol, but to be honest, I just wasn't in the mood.) The waiter warned us that there might be a long wait for my order, and she wasn't kidding. By the time our order came out, the babies were hungry, too, and we had to perform some acrobatics as I finished breastfeeding a baby while trying to enjoy my lunch.

Let's Do Lunch $35

Is it me or does the duck not look particularly crispy? At any rate, Wandergurl seemed to like it, but I was glad I didn't get the same dish as I prefer my duck skin to crackle.

Let's Do Lunch $35

The tenderloin was delicious. It was done just the way I like it (medium), and so soft and tender. The ravioli was okay and complemented the meat well, although at times it seemed overpowering. The spinach was good, with just a hint of bitterness, which means not all of the vitamins had been leeched out of it. That's good for a breastfeeding mum!

The only quibble I have with the set lunches for GFM is that they're usually not enough to fully satisfy. So Wandergurl and I asked for the dessert menu, and when our eyes caught sight of the chocolate pudding (pictured at the top of this post), we were sold.

Chocolate pudding $16

At $16, it was cheaper than this year's Sugar Hits, yet I daresay it could compete with the best of them. The pudding was rich but not overwhelming, and the strawberry sauce was yummy. The ice cream was a little too aromatic, but it was okay in small doses. I also ordered a latte, which didn't make it to our bill. Just as well, though, because it tasted so burnt that I couldn't even finish half a glass.

Nevertheless, it was a lovely lunch.

Let's do lunch at Quadrant Restaurant
Quay Grand Sydney
Level 2, 61 Macquarie St, Sydney
02 9256 4044

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Let's do lunch - Wharf Restaurant

I'd been to the The Wharf Restaurant before so when Wandergurl mentioned her beef lust, we agreed to - ahem - do lunch during StuVac.

There's something so utterly delightful about dining at the Wharf Restaurant. It manages to feel casual yet elegant and the view is just gorgeous. Wandergurl and I were given the best table on the balcony, right at the corner. So we had a view of the Bridge on one side, and a lush view of the water on the other. With the sun out, it was the perfect setting for a long lunch...until the breeze picked up. Still, a little shivering was a small price to pay for some fresh air and the chance to have a sticky beak at the Bridge climbers.

Since Wandergurl hadn't had breakfast, we ordered a starter:

Chicken liver paté with with caper berries and balsamic dressing

Although I can tolerate it, I'm not a big paté lover. So when the dish came out with a kick-ass piece, I knew most of it would be wasted on me. Good thing Wandergurl acquitted us well. The accompanying crispbread was very addictive. It took a while to get through the entire plate, though, which made lunch a very long affair indeed.

For some reason, when we read the GFM blurb on the dish:

Braised wagyu with potato-leek gratin

we imagined a lovely, warm steak above a bed of thin potato slices. So I have to admit to being slightly disappointed to find a kind of stew with potatoes and a large, luscious mushroom. I was really, really craving a steak!

Let's do lunch @ Wharf Restaurant - $35

As the dishes were placed in front of us, I turned to Wandergurl and said, "It kind of smells like adobo."

After a few bites, she said thoughfully, "I'm sure I've had this before. What is it?"

So after a few twists of the pepper mill, I took a bite and announced, "It's caldereta!"

And to be honest, my Mum makes better caldereta. Don't get me wrong, the meat was absolutely tender but I kind of find it a waste of good wagyu beef to put it in a stew. After all, a couple of hours in a pressure cooker and any cheap meat is going to come out pretty tender, too. Wagyu that isn't steak seems a waste, to me.

There was also a lot of meat and the vegetables didn't provide enough of a contrast. The potates were bland and the mushroom, although soft and tender, couldn't really add a kick to the dish. Some carrots and extra flavours would have helped a lot.

"Would it be crass," Wandergurl asked quietly, "if I asked for fish sauce?" Hehe. Patis, the Filipino ketchup. :-)

So while the dish was decent - and for volume, it was definitely worth it - I just ended up craving my Mum's caldereta.

We had petal tea to finish off the meal. If we hadn't had the entree, I would have ordered dessert but as it was, the meal totaled just under $90 for two, which is pretty indulgent.

Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to come back for dessert another day. :-)

Let's do lunch at Wharf Restaurant
Pier 4, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay
02 9250 1761

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Technorati tag: gfm06

Multiple gastrorgasms

Yesterday, Rob whisked me off to a surprise dinner at the Galileo Restaurant, attached to the Observatory Hotel. I was so excited when I found out (guessed, actually, but not until we were almost there) because I've been wanting to dine there for aaages. Rob apparently chose the restaurant because the menu sounded similar to what the French Iron Chef makes.

Dinner was preceeded with an egg cocotte with foie gras, which was just exquisite. We had the 8-course degustation menu with an extended entree plate. I was soooo full at the end, I thought I'd be sick. I was grateful to be sitting at the corner of the lounge where I could just let it all hang out and put my head on the pillow. Thank goodness we didn't have the Surprise Degustation Menu because frankly, I don't know where I would have put the rest of it. Although... I wouldn't have minded having a go at the chocolate fondant.

The chef, Harunobu Inukai, is Japanese but trained in French cuisine so it really was like being on Iron Chef. He came out to talk to the patrons (he even looks like an iron chef) and it turns out he's good friends with Hiroyuki Sakai (Iron Chef French) and that Sakai is coming over at the end of November to cook for the restaurant. I'd love to go but I can't really see us forking out that much money for one dinner.

The verdict? It was the best degustation menu we've had. Ever. It surpassed the Gekko at the Sheraton on the Park, which had been Rob's top favourite for over six years. It was almost the best food we've had, except I still choose the little restaurant in the corner of nowhere in Paris as my favourite - you just can't top the dumb waiter (as in the mechanism, not a person), the French murmurings and the little poodle (so frightfully unhygienic).

Galileo Restaurant
Observatory Hotel
89-113 Kent St, Sydney
02 9256 2222