Alio: Modern Italian, 10 course degustation menu with wine, Redfern (29 Jan 2011)

5 Baptist Street, Redfern NSW 2016
Phone: (02) 8394 9368
http://www.alio.com.au

Nice food on oversized plates

A lucky friend won a competition to have 4 people dine at Alio with matching wines included if the Degustation menu ($85 or $120 with matching wines) was ordered saving $35 each. Seemed like a great opportunity to try the restaurant which other friends had previously enjoyed using a Jump On It celebrating 10 years of being in business. From the very beginning our young waiter Jeremy looked after us with his friendly and accommodating nature. The maitre d’ was quite a flamboyant and lively chap who seemed very chatty with the diners as he swanned around the restaurant. Overall we were quite impressed with the food although I thought the plating and presentation didn’t really do the dishes full justice. Over-sized and heavy looking white bistro-style plates with too much space around the dish just seemed way out of proportion. Many of the wines sampled were highly quaffable and all served in half glass portions to match the dishes. Coffees and petit fours weren’t included but I felt it would have been nicer if they were as part of a degustation.

The slightly warmed Mixed marinated organic olives were good although I’m never a fan of the tiny ones — why bother I think, too messy to pickup. You can’t go wrong with 40 month old Reggiano Parmigiano that had great flavour, more please. The Alio hand made grissini was served with focaccia bread although I thought it was questionable counting this as one of the 10 dishes when so many restaurants provide bread complimentary. The Citrus cured kingfish with radish and orange dressing seemed to have notes of horseradish in the dressing giving it a nice kick. The large heavy plate seemed inelegant for such a delicate dish and perhaps would have been better suited on a nice thinner rectangular dish. Even though the look of Panfried scallops wrapped in pancetta reminded me of oversized witchetty grubs they soon became a favourite with the lovely bagna coada dressing — I’d happily order again. Great aroma from the Potato gnocchi with garlic prawns became another favourite and the matching 2009 Juniper Crossing Tempranillo was enjoyable enough to be savored on its own but was a questionable match to the food. A decent sized and tender Roasted lamb rack had a little bit of fat to cut away and came with an interesting dragoncello salsa. Matched with a lovely 2009 The Musician Cabernet Shiraz I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Coconut and lime sorbet was apparently home made which was super smooth and delightful as a palate cleanser before dessert, although can you really count this as a dish? The Poached peach was refreshing with the champagne granita which became a table favourite. I wondered if serving in a martini glass would have looked better making it also easier to eat from than a wine glass. Matched with a Beni Di Batasiolo Moscato had the right amount of sweetness without being sickly. To finish off the night coffees were extra. Most degustations I’ve had would usually include it though. The Flat white ($3.50) was strong and a little bitter, the Espresso ($3.50) not too bitter and hit the spot, the Hot chocolate ($3.50) smooth and chocolatey as hoped and the Mocha ($3.50) smoothly rounded with a good balance of flavour.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly and efficient service, Nice ambience except for music selection at the time, Some tasty dishes that excited the palate, Good quality wines available

CONS: The background music selection was quite strange, The heavy over-sized white plates weren’t particularly elegant, Bread and coffees weren’t included with the degustation

MUST TRY: Panfried scallops wrapped in pancetta, Potato gnocchi with garlic prawns and cherry tomato, 2009 Juniper Crossing Tempranillo, 2009 The Musician Cabernet Shiraz, Beni Di Batasiolo Moscato, Mocha

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Degustation January menu ($85 or $120 with matching wines)

Alio hand made grissini and focaccia bread, 40 month old Reggiano Parmigiano

Mixed marinated organic olives

I'm never keen on the tiny olives — why bother I always think

Lentil soup matched with Nino Franco, Rustico Prosecco, Valdobbiadene, Italy

Prosciutto san daniele with melon and rocket matched with Vistamar Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley, Chile

Citrus cured kingfish with radish and orange dressing matched with 2009 La Zona Savagnin, King Valley, Vic

Panfried scallops wrapped in pancetta with spinach and a bagna coada dressing

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Panfried scallops matched with Vino Bianco Della Casa, Cheshunt, Vic

Potato gnocchi with garlic prawns and cherry tomato

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Potato gnocchi matched with 2009 Juniper Crossing Tempranillo, Margaret River WA

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Roasted lamb rack with marinated beetroot and dragoncello salsa matched with 2009 The Musician Cabernet. Shiraz, Coonawarra SA

Coconut and lime sorbet

Poached peach with champagne granita matched with Beni Di Batasiolo Moscato, D'Asti Piedmonte, Italy

Flat white ($3.50), Espresso ($3.50), Hot chocolate ($3.50), Mocha ($3.50)

San Pellegrini sparkling mineral water ($7.50)

Dining area

Bar area

Nice candle, Salt & Pepper (was forgotten and needed to ask for it)


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Tetsuya's: My first 3 hatted degustation, Sydney (26 April 2006)

529 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.tetsuyas.com

My first degustation

Degustation ($180) + Wine ($75) + Oysters ($9) = $264

In 2006 Tetsuya's was listed as the 5th best restaurant in the world by The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants and during that time I had the chance to dine there as a special 30th birthday for my brother with five other friends. It was my first ever degustation and I still compare my dining and food experience to all other degustations I have. I think it was also the first time I photographed my food except for those times I travelled overseas and photographed weird and wonderful dishes because they were so different. I didn't have a food blog at the time but its been one of the most memorable meals I've had to date because of its simplicity in presentation, interesting flavours that challenged my palate and was one of the most expensive meals I'd ever had at $264 (excluding tip). Gee does anyone else squirm when they still feel they need to tip on top of an already expensive meal?

I fondly remember the expensive oysters ($9 each) which to this date have been one of the best oysters I've tried. The dressing was so delicious and enhanced the oyster so well — and it's great you can now buy it in a bottle too, but freshly made is even better. The oysters at Muoi's Feast in Byron Bay come a very close second for me but a lot cheaper. The signature dish at the time of Ocean trout kelp radish was sublimely soft and melt in your mouth. The delicate Crab ravioli was presented so beautifully — I wanted a whole plate of them. For dessert the Beetroot sorbet played with my mind and at first I thought how could beetroot work as a dessert but it was lovely. Tetsuya's was a turning point for me to realise there was more to life than 'meat and three veg' and my taste buds were up for the challenge.

In 2010 it's now ranked 38th and I hope to return one day after perhaps trying a few other restaurants that have been in the food media and blogging community limelight like Quay, Marque and Sepia.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Interesting and innovative dishes, Oysters with Tetsuya's dressing, Nice dish presentation, Simple yet effective flavours

CONS: Very expensive, I remember sheets of paper on the table

MUST TRY: Oysters and revisiting one day

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Gazpacho sorbet

Oysters with Tetsuya's dressing $9 each

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Tuna avocado caviar

Scampi salmon tuna

Ocean trout kelp radish (Signature dish)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Crab ravioli

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Spatchcock

Wagyu beef mushroom

Beetroot sorbet and cheesecake

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

White truffle sorbet

Meringue

Tea, hot chocolate and chocolates

Bill for 7


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Jacques Reymond: 3 hatted degustation, Prahan (29 April 2010)

78 Williams Road, Prahan Victoria VIC 3181
http://www.jacquesreymond.com.au

Pushing the taste boundaries

During Easter I attended the sold out agideas design conference in Melbourne and one of the speakers was Jacques Reymond who spoke on Day 1 of the 27th April. At first I thought it was a very unusual choice to see a chef on the speaker program but for me Jacques was one of the most well-spoken, entertaining and inspirational speakers of the whole 3 day conference. He spoke with sincere passion and engaged the audience with his life long journey and inspiration of becoming a chef. His restaurant has achieved Three-hats and Restaurant Of the year in The Age Good Food Guide 2010 Awards and before the conference I had never heard of him but after his speech I was truly inspired to make a booking and dine in his restaurant two days after.

Upon arriving I was impressed with the size of grand Victorian mansion restaurant complete with landscaped gardens although in the dark I actually had trouble working out where to enter via the side entrance. The beautifully decorated red dining room was cosy and nicely lit. The service was professional and accommodating. The appetiser of cheese choux pastry was great — light, tasty and freshly cooked — and the complimentary bread also nice and served warm. The first degustation course of Lemongrass, spinach and rock lobster soup, fragrant Tiger prawn, sweet potato and turmeric ice cream was enjoyable, simple and worked well, especially the soup. The dishes after this though became a bit of a blur due to being perhaps a little overly designed on the plate. I usually find the best and most memorable dishes are the simplest in taste and presentation. I can still remember some of Tetsuya's dishes from years ago like the beetroot sorbet, ocean trout confit and crab ravioli but I thought for many of Jacques degustation dishes there was so much happening on the plate that I think it lost focus for me, in terms of taste and simplicity in presentation. Some of the time I wasn't sure what I was tasting but perhaps that's just me. With carrots and cauliflower cut down to the size of your finger nail in the Poached and roasted partridge, miniscule drips of unidentifiable sauces on the Western plains suckling pig and sometimes lots of different ingredients like on the Sandwich of spanner crab and Highland venison my taste buds were soon pretty confused on what I was eating and thus lacked enjoyment of the taste sensation. The special side dish of Pine mushrooms ($25) was quite meaty and actually one of the meal highlights — simple, honest and definable tasty flavours.

With only a 7.0 (21 reviews) on Eatability I think the hyped media reviews and awards this restaurant has received might not be meeting the expectations of the restaurant punters that come to experience the food and it's been marked quite low on value for money. Personally I've found more enjoyment in the dishes I've had at other 2 and 3-hatted restaurants like Aria, Bécasse, Est, Quay, Universal and Tetsuya's both in appreciation of taste and presentation. So in design there's a golden rule 'Less is More' or 'Keep it Simple' and when this rule isn't followed the result can end up being confusing, overly designed and the message is lost or in terms of food, the taste buds get confused. I think Jacques definitely has a passion for food and using top quality ingredients but I found I couldn't really appreciate what he was trying to achieve with his dishes. I thought the wine selection was fairly good and desserts more clearly defined than the mains.

Degustation menu
$170.00 without wine

$265.00 with wine (selected)

Carte menu

Three courses $98.00
Four courses $125.00 (selected)
Five courses $150.00

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Professional and accommodating service, Nice decor and seating, Quite nice wines

CONS: Very expensive, Dishes are a bit overly designed and trying to be too clever and won't be appreciated by everyones taste

MUST TRY: Cheese choux pastry, Lemongrass, spinach and rock lobster soup, Other 3-hatted restaurants

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Degustation Menu

Complimentary cheese choux pastry appetiser

Complimentary house bread

Lemongrass, spinach and rock lobster soup, fragrant Tiger prawn,
sweet potato and turmeric ice cream
2004 Tyrrell’s HVD Semillon, Single Vineyard, Hunter Valley, NSW

Sandwich of spanner crab, mirin and fresh wasabi jelly,
lacquered Petuna ocean trout, black bean and sweetcorn dressing

Wild barramundi, almond and bush mountain pepper caramel,
yoghurt and black garlic, kaffir lime and lemongrass espuma
2009 Toolangi Estate ‘Jacques Reymond Selection’ Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, Vic

Pekin duck and Hervey bay scallops, peking juices, spiced marshmallow like a crêpe, ginger sesame and pandan oil
2007 Bass Phillip ‘Jacques Reymond Selection’ Pinot Noir, SE Gippsland, Vic

Highland venison like a warm carpaccio, horseradish mustard dressing, butternut pumpkin with honey and bitter chocolate beignet
2006 Dalwhinnie ‘Jacques Reymond Selection’ Shiraz, Pyrenees, Vic

Western plains suckling pig and tamarind, celeriac and bitter almond, dashi apple veil, dancing bonito flakes and rosella chutney salad, cavalo nero
2007 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Clos du Mont Olivet, Les Fils de Joseph Sabon, Rhône Valley, France

Pacific Rim martini of pineapple, passionfruit and banana, liquorice ice cream and honeycomb

Millefeuilles of chocolate: white chocolate mousse, pure Caribbean chilli ice cream, dark chocolate mousse and praline ice cream
NV SeppeltsField Grand Tokay (Topaque), Barossa Valley, SA

Coffee and petits fours

Carte menu (4 courses $125)

Two tastes of scallops with seasonal flavours: A ceviche with swede, artichoke chips and lemon myrtle, seared scallops with beetroot, apple and cider emulsion

Making a reference to paella: Black rice unctuous, parmesan snow egg, wok of squid, crustaceans, chicken brisket and giblet, broken juices and saffron oil, smoked peppers

Poached and roasted partridge, light oriental juices a delicate custard of livers and tarragon, fresh water crustacean and aromatic infusion, dry mild curry of young carrots and cauliflower

Chocolate: White chocolate crème brulée, mild spice cacao sorbet, milk chocolate millefeuilles, dark chocolate soufflé

Seasonal pine mushrooms side special $25

2008 Chablis 'Terroirs de Fleys' Patrick Piuze, Burgundy France $20

Restaurant setting

Lots of cutlery for the degustation

Salt, Pepper and Butter

One of three dining rooms

The Bill

Kitchen preparation of degustation desserts

Nice hand wash

Front of the restaurant

agideas conference

Jacques Reymond on stage

Queues waiting to enter the Hamer Hall in The Arts Centre, Melbourne

Hamer Hall, The Arts Centre

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