est: March into Merivale $33 Meal Deal, CBD Sydney (21 Mar 2012)

Establishment Hotel, Level 1, 252 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://merivale.com.au/whats-on/event/33-meal-deal/

Beautifully presented to please

est is one of those restaurants I’d love to visit more often if I had the money to burn. Being a 3 hatted restaurant it’s definitely not cheap with entrees starting at $35, mains at $55 and dessert at $28 hence why the only times I can afford to visit is during March into Merivale and Let’s Do Lunch as part of Sydney International Food Festival. I figure if I’m going to go to one of these meal deals I might as well go to the most expensive one of them all for the same price. Fining dining restaurants always seem to provide complimentary bread and est is no different which also helps to fill you up. As we perused the menu choices for March into Merivale Meal Deal ($33 including glass of wine) the restaurant manager Carissa Teeling informed me Chef Peter Doyle wanted to provide a complimentary dish for our table to try which ended up being the Green tomato gazpacho, poached scampi, grilled sourdough, black olive pearls ($35). We all agreed it was beautifully presented with a nice balance of flavours. Quite a light dish which I thought could have benefitted with a bit more grilled sourdough, perhaps on the side, to help soak up more of the gazpacho.

I love how est serve the dishes all at the same time for diners — a bit of theatrical dining makes the experience extra special. I chose the Petit Clos Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough to go with my Pan roasted palmer island mulloway fillet, zucchini, heirloom tomato, chilli, tapenade ($33 inc glass of wine). Crispy skin as hoped and a nice balance of flavours in the dish. The tapenade seemed to be served on the skin but I might have just preferred it on the side to maintain the skin crispness more. The Ginger glazed pork neck, compressed cucumber, pickled chinese cabbage, mustard seed ($33 inc glass of wine) was well-flavoured and the Fillet of veal, dutch carrots, green peas, baby onions, thyme consomme ($33 inc glass of wine) had very tender meat as hoped. Seasonal vegetables ($12) and Mash ($12) were kindly provided also with compliments by the kitchen which filled out the lunch nicely amongst the five dining topped up with Petif fours (compliments of the kitchen, usually $8 with coffee). For those looking for a light lunch you might not need to order sides but the two course option for $55 is tempting to include a dessert which I’m sure would be very enjoyable.

My fellow diners feedback:

“The room is beautiful and I loved the gazpacho with prawn, sweet pea flowers and smoky sour dough bread.”

“The gazpacho was my favourite too – clean, fresh taste and the flowers added unusual tastes – looked pretty too. Very good acoustics in a relaxed space.”

“The food was great, the staff were attentive and I loved the theatricality of the simultaneous food service.”

“The mulloway with its crispy skin was sensational – nice clean taste of the fish complemented well by all the other elements on the plate. The potato mash was silky smooth without being overly creamy. However was let down very slightly by the side vegetable accompaniment – the purple beans were a bit tough.” — I agree about the purple beans

Other visits to est.:

• 21 Mar 2012 - March Into Merivale $33 Meal Deal

• 17 Oct 2011 - Let's Do Lunch $38 Menu

• 5 Oct 2010 - Let's Do Lunch $35 Menu

• 12 Mar 2010 - March Into Merivale $33 Menu

• 30 June 2009 - Winter Feast Menu

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Sampling of a 3 Hatted Restaurant at a reasonable price, Nice decor, Professional service, Well-presented dishes, Complimentary bread, Finally no Bvlgari soap cakes in the toilets

CONS: I find their forks very awkward to hold, A one hour time slot is allocated for March into Merivale lunch but might extend depending on how busy they are on the day, Can't afford to really visit at other times

MUST TRY: Visiting while March into Merivale is still on

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March into Merivale menu: one course $33, two course $55

Selection of complimentary breads — I enjoyed the sourdough

Green tomato gazpacho, poached scampi, grilled sourdough, black olive pearls ($35, compliments of the chef)

Black olive pearls were a nice touch

Pan roasted palmer island mulloway fillet, zucchini, heirloom tomato, chilli, tapenade ($33 inc glass of wine)

Ginger glazed pork neck, compressed cucumber, pickled chinese cabbage, mustard seed ($33 inc glass of wine)

Fillet of veal, dutch carrots, green peas, baby onions, thyme consomme ($33 inc glass of wine)

Seasonal vegetables ($12 compliments of the chef)

Mash ($12 compliments of the chef)

Petif fours (compliments of the kitchen)

Petit Clos Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough; Ata Rangi ‘Crimson’ Pinot Noir, Martinborough

Dining theatre: I love how service staff place the dishes at the table all at the same time

Am I the only one that finds their forks very awkward to hold and turn in the hand?

A la carte menu

Dining room

Nice decor

Interesting carafes

Toilet — thankfully no sign of cake soap this time like previous visits

March to Merivale food festival 16 Feb - 5 Apr 2012


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