Tag: fine dining

Celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary at Bentley’s

My husband and I are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary this year. It has been a journey but a really good one. And like we always do, we decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary at Bentley’s. Well, we weren’t going back to The Gantry, that’s for sure. If you want to know why, here’s my review of the place.

One thing we decided to do differently this time round though is that we went for premium wine matching. Yes, it was extra money but how many times do you celebrate your 15th anniversary?

So, let’s talk about the food, shall we? Here’s the current vegetarian tasting menu:

Current Vegetarian Tasting Menu
Sugar Loaf Cabbage + Kohlrabi + Desert Lime + Cucumber
Heirloom Cauliflower + Lemon Aspen + Pistachio
Salt Baked Celeriac + Shiitake + Salt Bush
Broad Beans + Broccolini + Kelp Butter
Sweet Corn + Job’s Tears + Pickled Golden Beetroot
Jerusalem Artichoke + Bayleaf + Burnt Pear
Yoghurt + Mandarin + Parsley
Sake Lees Ice Cream + Tonka + Macerated Strawberry

$130 + matching wine $90
Premium wine match $150
Non-alcoholic match $60

The night started with some complementary nibbles and bread and butter. I am so happy that they still make these guys. I absolutely love them and this time the photos are better, too.

Sugar Loaf Cabbage + Kohlrabi + Desert Lime + Cucumber (below)

First course of the night had this incredibly fresh—almost Thai—flavours even though the dish is made with native Australian ingredients. It was crunchy with its kohlrabi and cucumber filling and a blanket of sugar loaf cabbage on top, not to mention the desert lime underneath all of that. What a refreshing start!

Because it was our wedding anniversary and they knew it, our sommelier for the night, Chiara, matched this dish with a glass of champagne (NV Gosset) instead of whatever they had on the premium wine pairing list. It was incredibly light and refreshing with an interesting nose and citrus on the finish. It was dry yet not yeasty at all. A very good match, I have to say.

Heirloom Cauliflower + Lemon Aspen + Pistachio (below)


The second beauty of the night. The flavours of Heirloom Cauliflower + Lemon Aspen + Pistachio were very well balanced. You could taste the raw, natural state of vegetables. And it was matched with a white burgundy made by a natural wine producer from France. It was quite intriguing because we had to take some time to define this wine. Here’s the verdict: it is savoury, it almost evaporates, there is a hint of sweetness on the nose, not tart; almost cherry-like with beautiful acid balance and a subtle mushroom or woodiness. I could be wrong with the mushroom part but I absolutely loved it!

Salt Baked Celeriac + Shiitake + Salt Bush (below)


The whole dish had all the textures in one go like, creamy, crunchy, tart, soft, chewy and leafy or you may say herbaceous. Shiitake mushrooms were cooked to perfection; they were soft, a little bit of the chewiness was retained but they were not rubbery. Celeriac was crunchy (I love the way they roll them up), buttermilk sauce at the bottom of the dish was creamy and quite tangy. Celeriac leaves on top just freshened the whole thing. Just beautiful. And this beauty was matched with an orange wine: Matassa Cuvee Marguerite. This was an exceptional wine. It was citrusy, peachy and tarty with a funky nose and fruity yet dry/astringent finish. Again, exceptional match.

Broad Beans + Broccolini + Kelp Butter (below)


I love the fact that this dish was made with fresh broad beans. Dried beans are always more floury and starchy so there is a huge difference. My husband is not a huge fan of broad beans but the fresh ones are always a different story. As in this dish, broad beans are in a green, creamy base (kelp butter) and I could taste some kind of aniseed somewhere but I could be wrong. The dish was paired with a glass of natural, organic Montenidoli Vernaccia from Tuscany. We thought it was an unusual wine with spritzy, dry, light and fresh notes. It had a big, savoury nose but not heavy.

Sweet Corn + Job’s Tears + Pickled Golden Beetroot (below)


The crunchy texture of job’s tears in a soft, creamy environment creates a surprising contrast in this dish. Not to forget the tangy crunchiness of pickled golden beetroot. I also noticed some çağla in the mix which is unripe almonds. We add them to our fruit platters back in Turkey. I love their fuzzy green skins. The dish was paired with a glass of gamay (Descombes Brouilly) which was the first red of the evening.

Jerusalem Artichoke + Bayleaf + Burnt Pear (below)

I absolutely love the way they do their Jerusalem artichokes at Bentley’s. There is a raw egg yolk in the middle of that parcel you see in the photo, guys. It sits on top of a bed of pureed Jerusalem artichoke and when you cut it, the yolk oozes out nicely. Pear sticks, when you bite into them, are like unexpected doves being released during an already pleasant event. As for the wine pairing, the dish was paired with a glass of savoury Nebbiolo (Barbaresco Fletcher). Flavours just work together at Bentley’s.

Yoghurt + Mandarin + Parsley (below)


This was the first dessert of the night and it was one citrusy, creamy and herbaceous dessert. As for the wine: it was paired with a glass of Spatlese Clemens Busch. The dessert wine was shy initially but it opened up nicely. When it did, it was fruity with well-balanced sweetness and a long-lasting finish.

Sake Lees Ice Cream + Tonka + Macerated Strawberry (below)

The second dessert of the night was absolutely divine and it was paired with a glass of stunning Domaine Pichot Moureaux. However, that wasn’t it for the night: we got this plate with “Happy Anniversary” written on it and it came with more divine nibbles.

Thank Yous
Thank you, Chiara, our sommelier for the night. Your knowledge and experience in wine is spectacular; it was one of the best wine pairings we have ever experienced. And also, thank you for writing down the wines on my menu so that this review would happen.
Thank you, Max, for great service and your hospitality. Enjoy the rest of your time in Australia.
And lastly, thank you ‘Team Bentley’ for making our wedding anniversary celebration so special. You are fantastic food artists!

Celebrated our birthdays at The Gantry and what a disaster it was

We decided to try a new place to celebrate our birthdays this year. A new place to have a vegetarian degustation menu with wine pairing experience, to be precise. John found this place called The Gantry. It’s located at the end of The Rocks (Walsh Bay), right underneath the Harbour Bridge with a spectacular view (video attached). However, the experience did not match the location.

The moment our first entrée was served, a waitress who was passing by and carrying wine spilt the wine over John’s side of the table, soaking his arm, his cardigan as well as his shirt (they both need to be washed now). Our starters and John’s bread were drenched, too. Accidents happen, we get that but she didn’t even do a good job of cleaning up. John wiped the table with his napkin because it was still wet after her attempt. They took away our starters and John’s bread. Five minutes later, we were served again but nobody noticed that John’s bread was never replaced.

So, that’s how our birthday dinner started…

We decided to go for 7 courses vegetarian tasting menu as some of the dishes were more interesting and we didn’t want to miss out. It’s $119 per person and you add $85 on top of that for wine pairing. Here’s the menu:

THE GANTRY
7 courses vegetarian tasting menu

Curd – slow cooked grains – mushroom – smoked prune
Chestnut – brassica – white raisin – potato
Panisse – sour peppers – green garlic – almond
Sunchokes – endive – pine mushroom – mustard
Sheep cheese – kohlrabi – onions – salted egg
Blackberry – yoghurt – shiso – grape
Fig – brown butter – oats – honey – milk

Curd – slow cooked grains – mushroom – smoked prune
This is the first starter of the night. It was a well-balanced dish however the curd disappeared into mushroom broth, the smoked prune was very light on smoke so it was very much like biting into a dessert rather than a savoury starter. The ancient slow cooked grains were farro, quinoa and barley and they were quite filling. The wine which was paired for this first course was Wickery’s Riesling. It is a typical Australian Reisling. Quite acidic that the sourness of it catches you at the back of your palate. I guess it was okay but nothing special.

Chestnut – brassica – white raisin – potato
Caramelised purple cauliflower with white raisin, chestnut foam and white Riesling sauce. I couldn’t taste the earthiness of chestnut in this dish at all but the potatoes were nicely done. The dish was paired with an Australian Gruner Vetliner with an incredibly elusive nose, almost like white spirit. In the taste department, it wasn’t saying much. On top of that, the wine did not go well with the dish at all.

Panisse – sour peppers – green garlic – almond
The sour peppers in this dish were so sour that they put Turkish turşu to shame. Panisse was done very well. As for the wine, it was paired with a 2016 Yarra Valley chardonnay and thank God it was wooded. I really don’t like unwooded chardonnay. It doesn’t matter how popular or trendy unwooded chardonnay becomes, to me it’s like flat coke.

Sunchokes – endive – pine mushroom – mustard
Sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes) were beautifully done, the onions were caramelised well in this dish. The whole thing was topped with very thin potato skins. This dish was paired with Cooter & Cooter 2015 Shiraz from Australia and it was such a disappointment. It was raw, rough with very coarse tannins. No softness or finesse whatsoever. It’s the kind of wine you get from a cheap pub. Another disappointment!

Sheep cheese – kohlrabi – onions – salted egg
I must admit, this was the most disappointing dish of the night. What you have here is caramelised onions (again), farro porridge, kohlrabi and very rancid cheese. I couldn’t finish mine and it gave John a funny tummy. To make things worse, it was paired with an Italian Nebbiolo which was very basic. No nose to speak of, either.

Blackberry – yoghurt – shiso – grape
This was presented as a palate cleanser but it was the first dessert. Palate cleansers are served earlier on to transition you from mixed flavours and prepare your palate for the next dish. It was basically blackberry sorbet with bitter shiso. It was paired with a dessert wine which was nice.

Fig – brown butter – oats – honey – milk
And the second dessert. They talk about seasonality however the fig was under ripe, big time. It was paired with a 2016 Frogmore Creek dessert wine from Tasmania. It was a nice dessert wine but it’s so hard to get dessert wines wrong.

The Verdict
The Gantry was by far the most disappointing vegetarian degustation experience we have ever had. The food sounded interesting on paper but the flavours didn’t match that well. Contrasting flavours don’t create well-balanced harmony on a plate every time. As for the service, there wasn’t much floor management happening either. It’s a shame because we were so looking forward to trying a new place. Well, we are definitely going back to Bentley’s for the next celebration (our wedding anniversary, that is) or Yellow.

Yellow Presents Guest Chef Series: Ben Greeno

Some time ago, my husband forwarded Yellow’s newsletter telling us that their Yellow Presents Guest Chef series is back. He is on their mailing list and I’m not. How did that happen? Weird, huh?
 

Anyhow, here’s how it works: they welcome one of Australia’s leading chefs into their kitchen at Yellow for five special dinners over the coming months.

So, the first chef is Ben Greeno from The Paddington. Apparently, Ben Greeno is working as a chef at a famous rotisserie chicken place. Of course, we wouldn’t know about it being chicken meal and everything. But after this experience, we know what he can do outside The Paddington and how creative he can get in a vegetarian environment.

Well, this was a great opportunity that we wanted to try and to make it more special, we invited another couple to share the experience. I must admit, they were very patient with me taking the photos before everyone dug in to delicious food.

OK, Peoples… Here’s the menu for the night:

Yellow presents

BEN GREENO
05.06.17

Spiced Onion
Seaweed Biscuit
Smoked Curd
NV Punch Rurale Petillant-Naturel, Yarra Valley, VIC Grapefruit Spritz

Witlof + Pear+ Pistachio
NV Orsi San Vito Posca Bianca Pignoletto, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Pear + Yuzu + Green Tea

Potato + Hazelnuts + Miso
NV Domaine de la Pinte Savagnin/Chardonnay, Jura, France
Fennel + Pineapple + Shrub + Soda

Pumpkin + Black Truffle + Cepe
2016 Lucy Margaux Bentley Barrel Pinot Noir
Apple + Celery + Kate + Mint

Celeriac + Dates + Pickles
2015 Jauma ‘Like Raindrops’ Grenache, Mclaren Vale, SA
Watermelon + Rockmelon + Thai Basil

Jerusalem Artichoke + Sunflower Seeds + White Chocolate
Domaine Pichot ‘Le Marigny’ Vouvray Moelleux Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Virgin Moscatel

Menu $110
Wine Pairing $70
Juice Pairing $50

Now, let’s talk with photos…

Spiced Onion, Seaweed Biscuit and Smoked Curd (below)

Witlof + Pear+ Pistachio (below)

Potato + Hazelnuts + Miso (below)

Pumpkin + Black Truffle + Cepe (below)

And this was our main which was not on the menu.

Celeriac + Dates + Pickles (below)

Jerusalem Artichoke + Sunflower Seeds + White Chocolate (below)

Our waiter for the night was Brian who was brilliant, once again. Even though, we had been to Yellow once before, he recognised us. Not only that, he even remembered where we sat!

Some more sweet stuff (below) although there were 4 of them initially but Hurol couldn’t help himself ?

Overall, it was a lovely night. The service was spot on. One thing I would say about the food though… I thought the flavours and choice of vegetables were a little bit conservative. I guess we somehow expected that from Ben Greeno because he is English. However, Jerusalem artichoke in a dessert was a triumph and incredibly innovative. Hats off to that.

Yellow can be found at these addresses below:

Yellow 
57 MacLeay St, Potts Point NSW 2011
Website

Bentley’s Bar and Restaurant, again

It goes without saying: we absolutely LOVE Bentley’s Bar and Restaurant. We always get looked after incredibly well there. This time in particular. Let me explain…

We arrived unannounced without a booking. Still, a table was arranged. It was the same menu as before so we asked if they could whip up a different main dish for us. There was a discussion in the kitchen between their wait staff including the wine connoisseur and the head chef. And again, it was no problem. We were told that pine mushrooms were in season so they added pickled pine mushrooms to our main dish.  The starters were no problem as we decided to have each other’s pick from last time.

Another fantastic occurrence was that our favourite waiter Guillaume was there as well. He always makes it so special for us. God bless his French heart 🙂

Complimentary nibbles (above and below)

Remember this from our previous visit?

Our customised main dish (below)

I recently found a copy of Bentley’s cookbook on Book Depository. Even though it’s not a vegetarian cookbook, I am hoping to extract some techniques and get inspired around unique flavour combinations and extensive use of interesting ingredients.

John’s dessert (above). I didn’t have one. Instead, I had another glass of port.

Bentley’s Bar and Restaurant, revisited

We went back to Bentley’s Bar and Restaurant on Friday night. I wasn’t going to take photos to write a review because I did that not long ago. I didn’t even take my low-light-handling-well-camera with me. But, the food and the staff were fantastic. So, I couldn’t help myself. Here’s what we had from Bentley’s a-la-carte menu:

My starter: Carrot + Chamomile + Buttermilk + Grapefruit

John’s starter: Charred Onion + Wood ear mushroom + Brussels sprouts

This is the only vegetarian main dish on the menu: Beetroot + Black rice + Blackberry + Purple kale

John’s dessert: White chocolate parfait + Pear + Saffron + Cashew. This was recommended by Guillaume and John said it was fantastic.

Complementary sweet nibbles, thanks to Guillaume.

In short, I can say that Bentley’s Bar and Restaurant and their fantastic staff did it again!

Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Sydney

Vegetarian degustation menu with wine pairing is becoming a bit of a theme for me and my husband. Especially, when it comes to celebrating our birthdays –which are only a day apart. This year, we decided to have our birthday dinner at Bentley’s.

The restaurant is located on the corner of Pitt and Hunter Streets in Sydney CBD. Although Bentley is attached to Radisson Hotel, it is actually a separate entity, meaning operating independently. Bentley is also the sister restaurant to Yellow and Monopole –Yellow being the fully vegetarian one in Potts Point. We are thinking of trying it soon. When we do, I’ll let you know Peoples…

The Place
As you enter, there is the bar on street level with almost-open kitchen where all the magic happening. The dining area of the restaurant is at mezzanine level. Arched windows and high ceiling tell me that it’s an old building. However, the décor definitely has a more contemporary feel to it. I absolutely adore the coloured glass lamps and black tubes, criss-crossing from the ceiling and creating a dramatic effect.

The Food
This was not our first time at Bentley’s; we celebrated our wedding anniversary here two years ago with another 8-course vegetarian degustation menu. The memory of a particular onion reduction stayed with me forever. We also pop in every now and then just for a glass of wine or two because their wine list is sensational.

Here’s the menu of the night:

BENTLEY’S VEGETARIAN MENU

Carot + Chamomile + Buttermilk + Grapefruit
2015 The Wine Farm ‘Pinot Gris Field Blend’, Gippsland Victoria
Citrus Quartet

Caramelized Macadamia + Mexican Cucumber + Macadamia Milk
2014 Thibaud Boudignon Anjou Blanc Chenin Blanc, Loirc France
Cucumber + Celery + Green Tea

Roasted Eshallot + Black Garlic + Nigella
2013 Weingut Huber Weisser Burgunder, Baden Germany
Darjeeling + Grilled Citrus + Honey

King Oyster Mushroom + Pickled Enoki + Eggplant + Broccoli
2013 Marechal Auxey-Duresses Pinot Noir, Burgundy France
Beetroot + Bayleaf

Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke + Pickled Shimeji + Hay Oil
2014 I Fabbri ‘Lamole’Chianti Classico Sangiovese, Tuscany ltaly
Cherry Varenya

Heirloom Zucchini + Broad Bean + Puffed Rice + Jobs Tears
2013 Dalwhinne Moonambel Cabemet, Pyrenees Victoria
Verjus + Smoked Apple

Yoghurt + Black Olive + Lemonade Fruit
2012 Bemabeleva ‘Cantocuerdas’ Moscatel, Madrid Spain
Licorice Fizz

Violet lce-Cream + Gocoa Honeycomb + Blueberry
2013 Royal Tokaji Co, ‘Late Harvest Furmint Blend, Tokaj Hungary
Buttermilk + Wattleseed + West lndian Spice

Before the menu above was served, our dinner started with complimentary bread and butter, followed by Parmesan Puffs and Smoked Roast Potato with Cream Cheese and Chives.

Of course, we didn’t touch the bread and butter despite being very tasty. Experience talking here Peoples; bread and butter fill you up!

Carot + Chamomile + Buttermilk + Grapefruit (above) paired with bio-dynamic 2015 The Wine Farm ‘Pinot Gris Field Blend’ from Gippsland Victoria. Wine was quite clean, fresh and the citrus in it cut through buttermilk.

Caramelized Macadamia + Mexican Cucumber + Macadamia Milk
Browned lettuce with a touch of fennel, caramelised macadamia nuts, and Mexican cucumber, all drizzled with macadamia milk. Don’t tell Donald Trump about Mexican cucumbers; he might try and build a wall around them. The dish was paired with 2014 Thibaud Boudignon Anjou Blanc Chenin Blanc, Loire France. Anjou is one of my favourite regions, by the way. This one was particularly rich and fruity with a dry finish that goes on forever at the back of the palate and strong acid cuts through macadamia milk.

Roasted Eshallot + Black Garlic + Nigella (above) paired with 2013 Weingut Huber Weisser Burgunder, Baden Germany. In this dish, the sweetness of eschallot is balanced by the tartness of nigella sauce. I thought, the nigella sauce was very much like Turkish olive paste, just different texture.

King Oyster Mushroom + Pickled Enoki + Eggplant + Broccoli (above) paired with 2013 Marechal Auxey-Duresses Pinot Noir, Burgundy France. The broth in this is made from fenugreek, coffee and aniseed. And that purple crisp on top is made of eggplant. As for the wine… It was the first red wine of the night. It was quite barnyardy with a very dry finish.

Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke + Pickled Shimeji + Hay Oil (above) paired with 2014 I Fabbri ‘Lamole’ Chianti Classico Sangiovese, Tuscany Italy. We are a huge fan of chianti. This one was old school chianti which went incredibly well with Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes. Bentley’s seems to be the only place they cook Jerusalem artichoke as I have never seen it at any other restaurant’s menu.

Heirloom Zucchini + Broad Bean + Puffed Rice + Jobs Tears (above) paired with 2013 Dalwhinne Moonambel Cabernet, Pyrenees Victoria. What I really enjoyed about this dish is that the mixture of textures; some crunchy like those zucchini crisps on top, some soft like rice puffs and the freshness of the broth is to die for. Cabernet was an excellent match, too.

Yoghurt + Black Olive + Lemonade Fruit (above) paired with 2012 Bernabeleva ‘Cantocuerdas’ Moscatel, Madrid Spain. This was absolutely sensational! Lemonade fruits is somewhere between lemon and orange. Moscatel from Spain is an absolute palate cleanser. Now we are being prepared for dessert…

Violet lce-Cream + Cocoa Honeycomb + Blueberry (above) paired with 2013 Royal Tokaji Co, ‘Late Harvest Furmint Blend, Tokaj Hungary. This was the lightest, fluffiest ice cream I have ever had in my life. By the way, those two sticks in the photo are meringue.

The Service
At Bentley, you see and experience attention to detail everywhere. The moment you enter the premises, you are greeted by a staff member. You may get served by different waiters/waitresses throughout the night but that doesn’t break the flow.

This time around, the service –and the amount of wine—was well paced over three hours and eight courses. The highlight of the service was for me, sommelier Marelius. He is from Norway and has an elegant way of explaining various elements of each glass of wine, regions, production or wine growing techniques and why they are paired with certain dishes. Thank you, Marelius.

Overall, the food at Bentley’s is innovative (even for vegetarians). It shows you what’s possible. I absolutely enjoy the incredible harmony of contrast flavours served with an artistic presentation.

Food Situation in London