Restaurant Balzac: Friday $39 set menu lunch special, Randwick (7 Jan 2011)

141 Belmore Road, Randwick NSW 2031

http://www.restaurantbalzac.com.au

Balzac set for new beginnings



Since dining at Restaurant Balzac for their Friday $39 lunch special they’ve now extended the offer to include Thursdays. It’s pretty good value although sadly the last week will now be 25-26 August before they close for some renovations on 29 August 2011. So if you’re keen to experience the 3 course lunch special don’t delay and book yourself in. I wonder if a more relaxed dining experience like The Devonshire and District Dining might be the outcome with a possible bar area and a focus on shared plates which seems so popular these days? Here's a bit of a preview article from SMH, it'll be called the 'The Montpellier Public House'.



I’ve always enjoyed their Bread and butter (complimentary) and the generous portion of Zucchini Flower and Brandade Beignets with Lemon Aioli was cooked to a nice crisp with tasty filling. The flavours in the Sweet Corn Veloute with Confit Chicken and Basil Chantilly were nice although wondered if some of the chunks of confit chicken were a bit on the large size for such a delicate soup — although it did provide a homely rustic texture. Bold flavours and very tender meat were found in the Risotto of Braised Wagyu Beef and Pine Mushrooms with Red Wine Jus but it was also quite a heavy dish — good for the blokes. I liked the good combination of flavours and ingredients in the Crisp Skin Salmon with Petit Pois à la Française which was also very buttery — MasterChef judges would have approved.



The Poached Peach with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hazelnut Brittle seemed to be unfortunately missing the Hazelnut Brittle listed on the menu. It had nice flavours although I wondered if serving without the peach seed would have made it a little easier to eat. I liked the Upside-Down Cumquat Pudding with Orange Custard which had a nice balance of flavours. I loved the introduction of cute little succulent plants on the table which provided an extra homely warmth to the décor — I’d love one for home and work. I look forward to keeping an eye on the new beginnings of the restaurant menu after their pending renovations which I’m sure will remain seasonal and high quality.

Other visits to Restaurant Balzac:

• 1 Jan 2011 - Zucchini Flower, Sweet Corn Veloute, Risotto of Braised Wagyu Beef, Crisp Skin Salmon, Poached Peach, Cumquat Pudding with Orange Custard

• 5 Nov 2010 - Carpaccio of Marlin, Slow Roast Pork Belly, Pineapple Tatin

• 14 Feb 2009 - Seared scallops, Foie Gras Parfait, Panfried Ocean Trout, Roast Wagyu, Bittersweet Chocolate Tart, Vanilla Creme Brulee



SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Well-presented and tasty dishes, Fresh ingredients, Seasonal ingredients, Dishes change each week, Nice décor and love the addition of the table plants

CONS: Billing system unfortunately went down at the time so had to ask for the bill 3 times which took around 20 minutes sorting out — technology can be a b*tch sometimes, Mains were quite heavy on the butter (but that’s French cooking I guess), I work in the city so Randwick isn’t convenient for lunch unless I take a day off

MUST TRY: Keeping an eye on the new restaurant renovations and possibly new menu

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Bread and butter (complimentary)

Cocktail: French Resistance-Poached apricots, Galliano, Vodka and Vanilla ($10)

Zucchini Flower and Brandade Beignets with Lemon Aioli

Sweet Corn Veloute with Confit Chicken and Basil Chantilly

Risotto of Braised Wagyu Beef and Pine Mushrooms with Red Wine Jus

Crisp Skin Salmon with Petit Pois à la Française

Poached Peach with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hazelnut Brittle (missing?)

Upside-Down Cumquat Pudding with Orange Custard

$39 3 course menu and beverages

Loving the table setting of little plants

Seating

Downstairs seating

Downstairs bar

Decor and window view

My mystery diner look — pathetic I know!

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Etch: Fast Festival Feast, CBD Sydney (12 Jan 2011)

62 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.etchdining.com

Nice decor for a quick meal

Throughout the Festival, between 12 noon and 1 pm and/or 6 pm and 7 pm, visit any of the Fast Festival Feasts restaurants listed and receive a main course with a glass of Stoneleigh wine, a Kronenbourg 1664 beer or a bottle of Tasmanian Rain water for just $30 (inc GST).

Thanks to Madam Wu for my birthday gift at the 1 hatted Etch restaurant— one of my favourite presents is being taken out to dine. Arriving at 6 pm we theoretically had 1 hour on the clock to take advantage of the Fast Festival Feast but there didn't seem to be any rush to leave after 7 pm, perhaps because they weren't overly busy. Starting with a nicely presented entree special of the day of Kingfish prepared three ways ($20) it was a little challenging to share the small portions but we did our best interpretation of MasterChef judge George in dividing it up. The Kingfish sashimi had the most flavour but I was more a fan of the deep fried croquette along with the silky smooth avocado mousse — a dozen of these would have gone down well.

The Festival promoted main of Ballottine of chicken, sauteed baby gem and asparagus, lemon thyme veloute ($30 with glass of wine) was fairly substantial in size with nice flavours although for some reason I was expecting a more elegant smooth sausage like form rather than the large rustic chicken pieces. It seemed nicely matched with the quaffable Stoneleigh Pinot Grigio. A reasonably priced side of Provencal potatoes, aged prosciutto, smoked garlic mayonnaise ($9) was full of flavour and helped make the whole meal quite filling. Peppermint tea ($5) is made from real leaves and the nicely made roasty flavoured Cappuccino ($5) had thankfully little bitterness. Service was friendly, efficient and surprisingly quite down-to-earth. The comfortable dining area had a nice ambient feel with its mood lighting and chic decorative elements.

Other food blog reviews:

• Music Munchies Review

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly and professional service, Nice decor, Well presented dishes, Interesting menu

CONS: $30 main and drink deal only available during January

MUST TRY: Provencal potatoes with aged prosciutto and smoked garlic mayonnaise

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Kingfish prepared three ways ($20 special of the day)

Kingfish tartare with creme fraiche sorbet

Kingfish sashimi served with avocado and wasabi cream

Kingfish croquette

Avocado mousse

Ballottine of chicken, sauteed baby gem and asparagus, lemon thyme veloute ($30 with glass of wine)

Stoneleigh Pinot Grigio

Provencal potatoes, aged prosciutto, smoked garlic mayonnaise ($9)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Cappuccino ($5)

Peppermint tea ($5)

Lounge area

Private dining room

Pretty cool lamp shades

Nice feature clock

Rooster salt holder and table candle

Welcoming rooster

Outside street entrance


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Berowra Waters Inn: French and Italian style small dishes, Berowra Waters (2 Jan 2011)

22-31 Dusthole Point via Public Wharves at Bay Road or Kirkpatrick Way, Berowra Waters NSW 2082

http://www.berowrawatersinn.com

Two hats but no air con

To pre celebrate my 40th birthday I was generously taken out to the Berowra Waters Inn which had been on my wish list to try due to good reviews. Depending on which direction you drive from, unless you can afford to arrive by seaplane or private boat, you’ll either be parking on the seemingly organised Bay Road west side car park or the somewhat chaotic and narrow bush land Kilpatrick Way on the east side of the river where the deafening sound of cicadas sing high above in the summer heat — and where the shower of moisture on a clear day is unfortunately not rain. A friendly private ferry service picks us up promptly at the designated time for our booking and drops us off to a fully booked restaurant at 1.30 pm. For me there are 3 main factors that are essential to a great dining experience. The food of course but comfort and service can just be as important, if not more so. The price can be a major consideration as well but if these 3 factors are perfect then an expensive price can sometimes be justified.

As we arrive and seated near the wall it’s clearly apparent the overly hot day has warmed the dining room to a noticeable level and to our surprise/dismay discover there’s unfortunately no air conditioning besides the casual outside breeze that’s sometimes enjoyed by the window tables. If you dine on a hot, humid and calm day be prepared for this and even though it might only happen a few days in a year there’s not much the restaurant can do to keep you cool. Also mentioned on their website ‘in summer it can get particularly warm in the evening and as we are in the bush insects can be a problem so long sleeve light clothing is recommended' — sounds a bit like camping to me. The décor and water view is elegant and quite special but awkwardly low hung lamp shades above tables and centre table supports that don’t allow your feet to fit comfortably flat add to the discomfort with the unfortunate heat. Our designated waitress wasn’t the warmest, seemed a little forgetful of some of our requests and rather perfunctory in manner compared to some of the others — perhaps the heat had taken it’s toll on her too. Although in contrast the female floor manager was brilliant, very friendly and seemed attentive when required — I wish we had her for the entire time.

The minimum order of five courses ($150) with matched wines ($210) which includes coffee, tea and petit fours is a fair amount of food and hence why it takes around 4 hours — an option for less courses would be appreciated though. The dishes overall were good, well presented and made with quality ingredients but unfortunately the whole dining experience was somewhat tarnished by mostly comfort or lack there of due to the warmth and some service that could have or should have been better for a 2 hatted restaurant. The Salmon with eggplant puree starter was excellent and it’s funny how sometimes one of the best things eaten is the amuse-bouche. The Barramundi fillet was well liked and I recommend the Beignets of Hawkesbury oysters with the very light yet creamy chilled vichyssoise although it was hard to work out where the oscietra and salmon caviars were in the dish. I really enjoyed the Andrew Thomas Shiraz 2009 which was smooth and quaffable and the Roast local quail breast was nicely cooked. The delightful looking Wagyu 'Minute Steak' looked pretty small on it’s large plate but was enjoyable. The second amuse-bouche of Roast pumpkin soup was good but I was in two minds about whether the sweet crushed amaretto biscuit on top worked for me.

If you order the Squab baked in terracotta clay (for two) then you can be sure that the hammering theatrics of the baked clay shell when brought to your table will surely kill anything left alive inside. It’s a tasty yet heavy dish which kept me looking for something refreshing and lighter to provide contrast on the palate. With a choice of 5 cheeses it was hard resisting to try them all. I tended to prefer the French cheeses but didn’t like the selection of crackers and would have preferred wafer thin ones like they serve at Avido or simply sliced baguette and who actually likes oatmeal biscuits — I also prefer if the fruit condiments don't touch the cheese. You can’t go wrong with a glass of De Bortoli Noble One 2007 and I found the Lustau Sherry perhaps just a bit too strong for my liking. A pre-dessert of pineapple jelly with malibu coconut foam was very nice. The Dessert Variation on a theme (for two) comes with a sampling of all 4 desserts and ice cream is pre melted for your convenience due to the heat. I think my favourite was the Mango soufflé, but perhaps because I love mango. Peppermint tea and the Flat white were good and once we reminded service of our missing petit fours we indulged in our final sugar hit at around 5.30 pm after 4 hours dining.

With the right combination of comfort, service and food this restaurant could have been a better experience for us on the day but I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to try it anyway. If you’re after a lighter dish than the squab then I’ve heard the Razor Clams, Spaghettini with Hand Picked Local Mud Crab is supposed to be pretty good. Be sure to book a seat near the window just in case your in need of a comforting breeze but be prepared for possible bugs in the evening and for some strange reason at the south end of the restaurant we did notice an unfortunate swamp water smell waft over the end tables at least 5 times during our stay. And please don't get me started on the crying baby someone decided to bring along — what were they thinking? — not of anyone else I guess.

Other blog reviews:

• Foodwink

• Eat, Show & Tell

• The Gourmet Forager

• Sydney Shop Girl

• Three Wise Pigs

• Not Quite Nigella

• Richard Elliot's Blog

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Good quality and well presented dishes, Water views, Interesting location, Quality wines, Focus on local, organic and sustainable resources

CONS: No air conditioning, Service was a bit hit and miss, Possible bush insects in the evening, Only accessible via boat or seaplane, Limited parking on Kirkpatrick Way side, Minimum 5 courses, Expensive, Expect a long sitting, Table support design can make it awkward to sit with your feet comfortably flat, Mastercard and Visa attracts a 2% surcharge

MUST TRY: Amuse-bouche Salmon, Beignets of Hawkesbury oysters, Andrew Thomas Shiraz 2009, Mango souffle, French cheeses

WORTH TRYING: Wagyu 'Minute Steak', Barramundi fillet

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Car park at Kirkpatrick Way and catching sight of the restaurant in the distance over the water

Signage to private ferry wharf

Private ferry wharf

Short ferry trip to restaurant

Arriving at the restaurant

Private ferry

Originally seated at the south end of restaurant. Our request for a window seat was later arranged during dessert when a table became available and a cooling breeze through the window was then more noticeable.

Start time 1.30 pm

Amuse-bouche Salmon with eggplant puree and salmon roe on a crisp tortilla

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Barramundi fillet, sweet green peas, samphire, lemon myrtle

Chilled vichyssoise, oscietra and salmon caviars, beignets of Hawkesbury oysters matched with Lengs and Cooter Riesling 2009, Clare Valley, SA

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Lengs and Cooter Riesling 2009, Clare Valley, SA

Sourdough bread roll with unsalted butter

Multigrain bread roll with salted butter

Roast local quail breast, langoustine croustillant, spinach-fennel puree

Wagyu 'Minute Steak', naive pepper berry, shallots, celeriac matched with Andrew Thomas 'Two of a kind' Shiraz 2009, Hunter Valley-McLaren Vale NSW-SA

Andrew Thomas 'Two of a kind' Shiraz 2009, Hunter Valley-McLaren Vale NSW-SA

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Amuse-bouche Roast pumpkin soup with crsuhed amaretto biscuit on top

Terracotta clay with squab pre cooked for 10 minutes then brought to your table to ceremoniously crack/smash with a kitchen mallet

Squab revealed and taken back to the kitchen to be pan fried and plated. Vegetarians probably won't like this part but it seems there's only one meal for them to choose from on the menu anyway so I'm not sure if they're actually catered for.

Squad baked in terracotta clay, foie gras cromesquis, mixed wood mushrooms, sauteed potato gnocchi (two people) matched with Spinifex 'Taureau' Tempranillo-Graciano-Carignon-Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Barossa Valley, SA

Spinifex 'Taureau' Tempranillo-Graciano-Carignon-Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Barossa Valley, SA

Kawarau Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Central Otago NZ ($13 glass)

Roquefort Blue FR, Clarin De Perins Washed Rind Cheese FR, Holy Goat 'La Luna' Organic Goats Milk Cheese AUS, Ossau Iraty Sheeps Milk Cheese FR, Alpage Raw Cows Milk Cheese Swiss matched with Massena Barbera 2010

Waiter, there's a hole in my cracker

Massena Barbera 2010, Barossa Valley

De Bortoli Noble One 2007

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Lustau Solera Reserva PX Pedro Ximénez San Emilio Sherry

Pre-dessert pineapple jelly with malibu coconut foam

White chocolate parfait, Kirsch macerated cherries

Lemon & lime custard, aubergine crisp, strawberries, basil

Mango souffle, passionfruit ripple icecream, mango

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Dark amedei chocolate tart, raspberries, yoghurt cream

Peppermint tea, Flat white

Fruit mince pie (very sweet), Pistachio macaron, Chocolate truffle with salted vanilla, Blood peach jelly (very sugary coating)

Finish time 5.30 pm

View from the North end of the restaurant looking South

L'occitane liquid soap and nice hand towels — although they seemed to run out twice during my 4 hour stay

Awkward leg room with design of centre table support. 'Form follows function' is unfortunately sometimes comprised by visual aesthetics

Room with a view — request a window seat in your booking

Seaplane for those a bit more cashed up

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