Simon Food Favourites: East Circular Quay

Showing posts with label East Circular Quay. Show all posts

12 July 2012

The Sydney Cove Oyster Bar: Oysters & Seafood, East Circular Quay, Sydney (11 July 2012)

1 East Circular Quay, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.sydneycoveoysterbar.com

Oysters with a harbour views

On a perfect sunny day it’s hard to beat a dozen Sydney Rock Oysters ($28.50 dozen) shucked to order with uninterrupted views of Sydney Harbour and thankfully the 3 year old Port Stephens oysters retained most of their salty brine. Perhaps their size could have been more consistent but their freshness was evident. The eschalot vinaigrette was maybe a bit overly stark on the palate and didn’t quite have the sophistication of the one I enjoyed at Danks St Depot with their freshly shucked oysters. The 2011 Clare Valley Watervale Riesling SA ($10) was refreshing and young and a quaffable match from the menu. The complimentary bread was served slightly cool which unfortunately had dried it out a bit and didn’t quite have that crunchy crust you’d hope for. I wondered if it had been precut ahead of time and kept in a cool room ready to serve? The Zucchini flowers, filled with crab, ricotta and lemon mayonnaise ($19, 4 pieces) had a fairly thin crunchy batter which was just a bit thicker & slightly chewier in a few spots but still decent. It had noticeable crab meat which was good to see and I thought a bit more ricotta filling would have been nice. The Western Australia scallops, pork belly & caramelised apple puree ($27) was nicely presented with flavours that worked well together although it was quite a pricey dish for three scallops. I’m still a bigger fan of the scallop dish at Bistro Avoca which has lots of great flavours working well on the palate.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Water views, Reasonably priced shucked to order oysters, Service was friendly enough, If you like the sun then grab a spot near the waters edge

CONS: Dining very weather dependent, Sort of small and awkward toilets, Glare from sun so bring your sunglasses

MUST TRY: Oysters

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2011 Clare Valley Wine Co Watervale Riesling SA ($10)

Complimentary bread with olive oil and salt

Sydney Rock Oysters, Port Stephens ($28.50 dozen)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Zucchini flowers, filled with crab, ricotta and lemon mayonnaise ($19, 4 pieces)

Western Australia scallops, pork belly & caramelised apple puree ($27)

The larger of the scallops was maybe just a touch underdone for my liking

Can you really call it a special when it's the same price on the menu?

Wine menu

Bill $84.50 for one

Table support can be awkward for long legs or big feet

Toilets: Think of airline toilets but possibly smaller

Look about and dream you're in the tropics on a nice day

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27 June 2010

Opera Bar: A Bar with a View, Sydney (17 April 2010)

Lower Concourse Level, Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.operabar.com.au

Iconic view

You probably can't get more Sydney than the Opera Bar which has the benefit of spectacular views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House at it's doorstep. I'm sure many Sydneysiders will take their tourist friends and relatives to this bar just for the views alone. Seating is on a first come basis so depending on how nice the day and evening is usually will determine how busy and filled out the bar will get and also how long the lines will be to get a drink. That's why I usually prefer to grab a bottle to minimise waiting time in bar queues. A bottle of NV Opera Bar Brut ($34) isn't too expensive for a house sparkling considering the fact that you're standing in one of Sydney's most touristy areas and it will get you in the mood for the bar DJ's or live musicians if they're playing their groovy music.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Great views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, Free live music

CONS: Gets really busy on a nice evening and hence long lines at the bar, Weather permitting for outdoor seating

MUST TRY: Grabbing a spot early to sit and relax

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NV Opera Bar Brut $34 (bottle)

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House and Opera Bar

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25 October 2009

Aria Restaurant: SIFF 2009 Let's Do Lunch, Sydney (7 Oct 2009)

1 Macquarie Street, East Circular Quay, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.ariarestaurant.com

Good service and food

This will be my only chance to enjoy a SIFF Let's Do Lunch this year due to running out of available time so I'm glad I managed to book a table of 12 early in the month before work got too hectic to escape for a special lunch. My first choice was actually Quay Restaurant but it had already booked out for the whole month just after the SMH had released their program — well done to anyone that made it there, hope it was good. I was actually quite hesitant in booking Aria because I've had 2 unimpressive Let's Do Lunch experiences a few years ago. One time our table of 8 waited for nearly an hour before our mains arrived, it was ridiculous, and because of it some people actually had to head back to work because they run out of time. They brought us complimentary truffled mash to try and keep us from starvation — not sure what was happening in the kitchen that day. On both occasions I felt uneasy with the service which I found a bit snobbish which unfortunately seems to happen in many fine dining establishments — why do some waiters treat you like a second class citizen and make you feel so unwelcome and an inconvenience?

Today was a different story, our service when arriving and being seated was welcoming and friendly enough and also during the dining service. I even remember when booking the 12 noon reservation via phone that the woman taking the booking had a pleasant phone manner — perhaps going from 2 hats to 1 hat in the 2004 SMH Good Food Awards did make a difference and made them a better restaurant. The amuse-bouche was a delightful start to the taste buds. Everyone was pretty happy with their main of Roasted Fillet of Barramundi which was cooked the way you'd expect with crispy skin and moist flesh. The table shared a few side dishes which were popular and in the end was quite a filling meal.

Some of us were tempted by the petit fours to have with our coffee which they enjoyed but I was more keen for a dessert and thankfully my work colleague I was sharing it with picked the famed chocolate tart that was the final dessert challenge on Masterchef and one that I've noticed a few bloggers like Eat Show and Tell, Leave Room for Dessert and The Informal Foodie have tried to make. The Valrhona Chocolate was a very yummy and satisfying dessert which for $20 I think is great value compared to trying to attempt to make it. I would probably consider dining again for a special occasion and trying other dishes but I'm still not a fan of the limited view you get depending on where you are seated compared to the open plan of Quay Restaurant.