Tag: 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

Yellow, Potts Point – Sydney

When I did Bentley’s Bar and Restaurant review, I promised to go and try their sister restaurant, Yellow and tell you all about it. I am keeping my promise.

The Place
Even though it was our first time, Yellow has been around since 2013. However, in early 2016 it became exclusively vegetarian. The décor is quite contemporary with deliberately unfinished areas on the walls. Yellow is in Potts Point. Is there anything yellow in this place, you may ask? Yes. The walls outside.

The Wine
The wine list at Yellow is quite eclectic with a range of natural, bio and organic vintages from around the world. And, they complement the menu nicely.

The Food
The menu at Yellow is exclusively vegetarian. Peter, the assistant manager was kind enough to let me keep my copy of their menu so that I could match my experience with the dishes properly. It always helps when I write about it. Here, I typed in their 5 Course Tasting Menu for you:

5 Course Tasting Menu

Fennel + Fresh Curds + Apple
2014 Weingut Dr Salomon ‘Kogl’ Reisling from Kremstal, Austria
Grapefruit Spritz

Heirloom Zucchini + Pepitas + Juniper
2015 Partida Creus VN Blanco Field Blend, Catalunya, Spain
Turkish Apple Tea

Spaghetti Squash + Shimeji Mushrooms + Salted Egg
2015 Ruggabellus ‘Fluus’ Grenache Blend, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Pear + Yuzu

Forbidden Rice + Butter Beans + Smoked Yoghurt
2014 Moranza Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain
Apple + Beetroot + Carrot

Blood Plum Sorbet + Toasted Buckwheat + Wattle Curd
2014 Domaine Delevaux Coteaux Du Layon ‘Passerille’ Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Nectarine + Kombucha

Before the menu above was served, our dinner started with complimentary bread and butter, followed by Mexican Cucumber and Baby Turnip in Buttermilk and Toasted Black Sesame Seeds (see photo below).

Fennel + Fresh Curds + Apple
This is a contrast of textures with the softness of the fresh curd, creaminess of the sauce and the crunchiness of the fennel and unexpected sweet bursts of cured and fermented apple. The dish was paired with 2014 Reisling from Austria. We are a huge fan of Austrian wines. This one is young and crisp with a touch of acidity and residual sweetness. Quite well balanced and it works well as a great aperitif. Perfect match!

Heirloom Zucchini + Pepitas + Juniper
Zucchini, zucchini flowers: all the best of the zucchini family. Zucchini flowers are the male ones and the stem was used in this dish as well, not just the flowers. They were cooked to perfection; totally melted in my mouth. The dish was paired with 2015 Partida Creus VN Blanco Field Blend from Catalunya, Spain. And, it’s an interesting one. It is quite funky on the nose, almost like an orange wine. It is cloudy because the wine maker does not like filtering his wines very much. Fully biodynamic winery and this one in particular, almost sulphur free. Glen, the manager, told us that the little amount of sulphur which is added is in there for the sake of lasting the journey. This was my favourite wine of the night; it is vibrant, fresh with complex flavours. I will be talking about this wine for many days to come. However, our waiter, Ryan, was kind enough to give us the details of the wine company’s importer so we may be able to get some.

Spaghetti Squash + Shimeji Mushrooms + Salted Egg
With this dish, you are moving on to more savoury notes and the portions are getting bigger, too. It is also the time that you feel you need to slow down. I absolutely loved the salted eggs and the sauce in this dish. It was paired with a blend of Mataro, Syrah and Grenache from Barossa Valley, South Australia. The first Australian wine of the night and the first red wine of the night, too. With its 13% alcohol, it is almost like Pinot Noir. And it complemented the savouriness of the dish very well.

Forbidden Rice + Butter Beans + Smoked Yoghurt
This was quite filling and rich. The dish has black rice crisps on top (which you cannot see in the photo because I ate them) and cabbage powder around.

Because the dish is quite rich, it was served with a palate cleanser: Heirloom Tomatoes + Grains of Paradise + Fresh Basil (photo below).

The dish was paired with a 2014 Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain.

Blood Plum Sorbet + Toasted Buckwheat + Wattle Curd
As you can see in the photo, this is the dessert of the night. It was quite refreshing after two savoury dishes. I personally loved the contrast of textures. It was paired with a 2014 Domaine Delevaux Coteaux Du Layon ‘Passerille’ Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley, France.