Blog around the World » Australia

Est.

Pingu — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:17:29 +0000

I was recently invited to dinner with friends at Est., the Three Hat restaurant on the first floor of the Establishment Bar in Sydney.

Having never been past the noise and crowds on the ground floor Bar, first impressions stepping out of the lifts was the stark contrast in ambience. The set-up of the restaurant was noticeably formal but cosy, the music was tranquil and the heritage features of the building were brought out by the chandeliers, well-lit columns and high ceilings.We were greeted immediately as we stepped out of the lifts and were taken to our tables. On one side there were stand alone chairs, on the other there was a long lounge that ran down a few tables. I chose the lounge seating which made the whole experience a little more relaxed. One thing that did look strangely out of place was the glowing blue champagne trolley that sat in the middle of the dining hall when it wasn’t being wheeled from table to table.

Not being a fine dining expert I only managed to really understand one word from the description of each dish on the menu. I decided on the quail breast and jewfish. The food itself was fancy. Small portions, gorgeous presentations, intricate sauces.

Parma prosciutto and duck foie gras rolled quail breast, roast chestnuts, celeriac, chanterelles, snap peas

Having never eaten quail, this was a little different – the sauce however was clean and well balanced. The presentation was exquisite – the purple flower petals made the dish look almost Hawaiian style.

Crisp skin five spice jewfish fillet, julienne of vegetables, verjuice sauce

To be quite honest, this tasted like something my dad makes at home. The fish was delicious but it was nothing extraordinary – although it looked very pretty on the plate.

Chicken wing and porcini consomme, porcini pearls, herbs, leaves, spiced veal ravioli

Not really reading the menu, a girl at the table ordered this thinking it was chicken wings. It was funny when they came out with the ravioli and started pouring the chicken wing flavoured soup into her bowl.The rest of the table had gorgeously presented meals.

aged galloni parma prosciutto, fresh italian buffalo mozzarella, shaved celery, josephine pear, watercress

steamed snapper fillet, shaved abalone, cucumber, snow peas, ginger – green shallot vinaigrette

pan roasted lamb rib eye, jerusalem artichoke, glazed shallots, thyme baby carrots, white onion puree

valrhona chocolate fondant, blood orange, cocoa nib ice cream

petit fours (with a few extra)Est. also has a fine selection of wine and cheese.

In all, the staff were professional and well versed, service was prompt but not pushy, food was brilliantly presented. It was a memorable experience – although it my take my wallet a few days to recover from this week of indulgence!

Est.
Level 1, 252 George St, Sydney
(02) 9240 3010

http://www.merivale.com/#/establishment/est
Entree $36, main $53, dessert and cheeses $26, degustation $155, with wine $255.

Laneways By George!

Pingu — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:39:46 +0000

Laneways By George is a Hidden Networks project to transform and explore the potential of City laneways with creative, innovative and inspiring high quality temporary artworks. It runs from Oct ‘09 through to Jan ‘10. I took the opportunity to check this temporary artwork out on a gloomy Monday arvo. Admittedly, I just didn’t understand some of them – but it did make me intrigued enough to walk down some of Sydney’s CBD lanes I never knew existed!

I took these on my Blackberry (3.2 mp) so the quality isn’t great – but here are a few that stood out…

Infinity Forest

Penfold & Hosking Place

A green oasis in the city. In the space between firs escapes, vehicle ramps and back doors, discover timber walls that conceal a forest within.

The Meeting Place

Little Hunter Street

This installation encourages interaction as strangers walking through must engage with each other to navigate through this compressed lane.

The Urban Barcode

Abercrombie Lane

Suspended above the Lane, white fluorescent tubes light up the code below painted in black.

I Dwell in the City and the City Dwells in Me

Bridge Lane

Emerging from these old and worn brick walls this installation is described as prosthetic skin emulating human skin and emotions. It includes an audio component like a slow thudding of a heartbeat flowing through the walls.

Seven Metre Bar

Underwood Street

On current trajectories polar ice cap melts will drown Underwood Street. This collaboration shows the landscape at 7m above sea level.

Forgotten Song

Angel Place

From the canopy of bird cages above Angel Place the songs of lost birds chirp.

You can pick up a walking map from Custom’s House – you have to ask for it at the concierge because they’re a bit stingy with it. But it maps out all 8 Lanes where installations are built – very helpful if you’re not failar with all the back laneways that run through Sydney streets!

Tapas – Hunter Style

Pingu — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:59:02 +0000

On a recent getaway to the Hunter Valley, I decided to drop by Tatler Cafe to try out the tapas which came recommended by a few of the cellar door folk in the region.

About a scenic 8-minute drive from Pokolbin, Tatler Café is located in Lovedale.

Now, do not be fooled by it’s modest ‘tinny’ exterior, once inside this small unassuming café the atmosphere is alive with laughter and the jingling of wine glasses and cutlery.

We were seated in the back courtyard where the views of the Brokenback Range and the crackling of the flames eating away the wood in the fireplace were a perfect match for a chilly winter’s afternoon.

We chose 4 dishes to try – which left us no room for dessert! The servings are much larger and the food itself takes a ‘Valley’ spin on your typical Spanish Tapas.

Lemon & thyme crusted scallops w/ lemoncello sauce.

A pretty little dish, so I was a little disappointed with the crust which seemed overdone and overpowered the lightness of the scallops.

Hubby enjoyed it though and scoffed it all down!

Baked field mushrooms w/ marinated herb fetta.

If you love feta, this is an ideal dish. A well-balanced dish giving the taste buds a surprise with the saltiness of the feta and the texture of the buttered mushrooms. Melts in your mouth!

Chorizo sausage rolls.

An aussie twist on the Spanish Chorizo!

Greek lamb fillet souvlaki w/ minted yoghurt.

What could be better than chunky pieces of lamb grilled perfectly on a skewer? For a meat-lover such as myself – not much! To top it off the accompanying yoghurt dip was fresh and made my mouth salivate even whilst my tongue rolled over each morsel.

One negative. Be prepared for slower service – the pace at which each plate came out meant that we were eating one dish at a time.

Great little restaurant for anyone wanting to relax in an idyllic atmosphere – right next to the Tatler vineyards for those wanting to roll across for more vino tasting!

Tatler Cafe & Bar

477 Lovedale Road

Lovedale NSW 2321

Urban Views From Cockatoo Island

Pingu — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:52:09 +0000

Looking for somewhere to go on the weekend that’s a little different and won’t burn a hole in your wallet?

Check out the Heritage Listed Cockatoo Island, in the middle of Sydney Harbour. A former imperial prison turned shipyard, this island is now the host of many regular art installations, exhibitions and most recently the upcoming 2009 Australian Comedy Festival. It also boasts magnificent views of Sydney Harbour.

Sydney Ferries operates services from Circular Quay to Cockatoo Island every day.