The Dining Room at Park Hyatt: Modern Australian, The Rocks (16 Nov 2012)

7 Hickson Road, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.diningroom.com.au

Dining with a harbour view

“Contemporary Australian-inspired cuisine featuring local produce and authentic flavours, paired with Australian and international wines carefully selected by our resident sommelier.”

Thanks to Maryam Awang from Park Hyatt Sydney for inviting me as a guest to sample The Dining Room menu. I opted for the 3 courses ($69) including a glass of wine which seemed reasonable considering the nice decor and harbour view stretching towards the Sydney Opera House. House wines of the day were the Eden Road Chardonnay 2011 and Shiraz 2010 which were both enjoyable to drink. The Local burrata, heirloom tomato, apple balsamic was a nice starter with fresh flavours but I really liked the Alaskan king crab cakes with golden crumbing and a decent amount of crab meat inside. More of a canape when served on its own so thought a nice dressed fennel salad on the side would have complimented well and made it more of a dish. The Freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters where from Nambucca Heads. Presented well and cleanly shucked with minimal shellage makes them a winner.

For mains the Goats curd gnocchi had a nice soft texture although I found the dish became a tad dry without any sauce to add moisture to the palate. I enjoyed the flavours of my Pan roasted ocean trout with crisp skin and nicely cooked fish and the plump Spring Bay mussels were lovely in the saffron and parsley broth. A side of Goose fat fried potatoes wasn't quite what I was expecting being cut as fries. From the description I thought they might have been small rustic cooked potatoes instead. The Mixed leaves, radish, vinaigrette was fresh with a nice dressing as hoped. The nicely presented Hazelnut dacquoise, milk chocolate ganache is supposed to be one of their signature desserts although I had a soft spot for the Valrhona chocolate fondant, orange sorbet with gooey centre and flavours that worked together well as I'm a fan of orange dark chocolate.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice decor and seating, Harbour view, Nicely presented dishes, Quality ingredients, Tempting menu, Friendly and professional service

CONS: No free street parking in the area, It'll cost you a lot more to stay at this nice hotel

MUST TRY: Alaskan King Crab cakes, Pan roasted ocean trout

VERDICT: Seems like a reasonably priced 3 course menu when you consider decor, atmosphere, harbour view and a glass of wine is included. Overall a very pleasant setting for a nice lunch.

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Complimentary bread

Local burrata, heirloom tomato, apple balsamic — flavours work well together

Alaskan king crab cakes, watercress, lemon — decent amount of crab meat inside

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters with shallot vinegar from Nambucca Heads — presented well, minimal shellage, clean shuck 

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Goats curd gnocchi, walnuts, broad bean salsa, Pecorino — nice texture and flavours although found it a tad dry without a sauce to bring it all together and keep it moist on the palate

Pan roasted ocean trout, Spring Bay mussels, saffron, parsley — crisp skin, nicely cooked fish, enjoyable flavours with mussels

WORTH TRYING :-)

Goose fat fried potatoes, garlic, parsley

Mixed leaves, radish, vinaigrette

Hazelnut dacquoise, milk chocolate ganache — nice presentation and flavours

Valrhona chocolate fondant, orange sorbet — gooey centre, flavour combo works well as I liked orange chocolate

Cappuccino

Reflection shot of the day in sugar pot

Eden Road The Seedling Chardonnay 2011, Eden Road The Seedling Shiraz 2010

Lunch menu: 1 course $39, 2 course $59, 3 course $69 includes a glass of sommelier selected wine

Table setting

Seating with a view

Private seating area suitable for large groups

Table supports flat which gets a tick from me

Toilet clean and spacious

Urinals could benefit from privacy screens between though

Toilet cubicles door well sealed to the floor gets a tick for privacy

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The Glenmore: Pub with Harbour Views, The Rocks (31 Oct 2012)

96 Cumberland Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.theglenmore.com.au

Top views at The Glenmore

Thanks to Kylie Martin and The Glenmore for inviting me as a guest to sample the new menu and check out the renovations. I've previously taken advantage of the rooftop views for casual drinks and dinner with friends and the new renovations makes this place even more attractive. Previous accommodation rooms have now been opened up as function spaces making them ideal to hire for private parties. The spectacular views towards the Sydney Opera House and city skyline has always been the biggest drawcard even when the food was OK so it's a bonus that the menu has now been refreshed as well. The Caprioska Twister ($16) is served in a copper pot with vodka, freshly muddled lime and passionfruit although the passionate had run out so raspberry was used instead making it taste more like a cosmopolitan. My Miss Marmalade ($16) hits the spot as a refreshing cocktail that would be too easy to drink another. I'm tempted to try and make this one at home. The presentation of Potted Prawns ($12.50) reminds me of a dish I might expect to find at District Dining, Berta or Duke Bistro. I liked the flavours although a few more slices of char grilled sourdough would have helped to finish off the pot better. House made fish cakes with coriander, parsley mint & ponzu mayonnaise ($12.50) made for a nice appetiser. The fish flavour and spices was more subtle than you'd find in a Thai restaurant and reminded me more of a salt fish brandade I had at The Devonshire. These would make a great canape for a party. 

House wines seem reasonably priced considering the view. The Midnight Dash Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough NSW ($7.50) is quaffable although I noticed no dates are provided on wine list for those more particular. My Salmon Fillet ($24.50) with crushed minted peas and tomato & caper salsa had a crisp skin as hoped. It was cooked just right and flavour combo worked well together. The Glenmore Club ($18.50) aka BLT  had potential but I would have much preferred the bun to be toasted. The turkish bread was fresh but I find it tends to leave a doughy texture in my mouth when not toasted. Would have loved the egg to be a bit more runny and a touch more mayo to make it even more juicy. Chips were a bit of a let down though and not as crunchy as hoped. I'm suspecting they're cooked in batches rather than to order to keep up with demand so it all depends on the timing when you get them. The Chocolate Tart ($12) was a decadent treat but I wasn't a fan of the crème fraiche which tasted more like sour cream and was at odds for my taste buds. I would have much preferred it to be sweetened or substituted with double whipped cream instead. The Whisky panna cotta, coffee essence & biscotti ($10.50) had lots of flavour. I was hoping for a free-standing wobbly version on a plate but I guess the amount of whisky and coffee essence would have prevented this from being achievable. The Flat white coffee ($3) was surprisingly decent for a pub although my Hot chocolate ($3) was more milky than chocolatey and not quite the hit I'm accustomed to from Caffé Due Mondi.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Spectacular views of harbour and sydney opera house, Lift access now available but you need to ask staff to use, Various function spaces for hire, Free sunscreen, Tempting menu, Reasonably priced house wines

CONS: Can be hard to get a table being so popular on the rooftop, 

MUST TRY: Revisiting to try more of the menu including the battered fish and chips which looked good and the 1 kg hot wings with a few other friends
VERDICT: On a nice day it would be hard to match the rooftop views of this pub. The menu looks promising and a step up before the renovations.

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Caprioska Twister: Copper pot still vodka, freshly muddled lime & passionfruit ($16) — passionate ran out so raspberry used instead, flavour a bit like a cosmopolitan

Miss Marmalade: Tanqueray gin, triple sec & orange marmalade shaken on ice with a twist of lemon served in a martini glass ($16) — refreshing with noticeable alcohol
WORTH TRYING :-)

Potted Prawns: Potted black tiger prawns, char grilled sourdough & pickled carrot ($12.50) — quite tasty, needed more bread to finish though, carrots were nice

A few extra slices of bread would have been good to help finish off the potted prawns

Fish Cakes House made fish cakes with coriander, parsley mint & ponzu mayonnaise ($12.50) — subtle fish flavour compared to thai style, crisp crumbing
WORTH TRYING :-)

Midnight Dash Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough NSW ($7.50) — quaffable, no dates provided on wine list menu though

Salmon Fillet: Pan seared salmon fillet, crushed minted peas with tomato & caper salsa ($24.50) — crisp skin, cooked well, nice flavour combo
WORTH TRYING :-)

Decent portion of fish

Nicely cooked

The Glenmore Club: Crispy bacon, vine ripe tomato, organic egg, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, grilled chicken breast, mayonnaise & fries ($18.50) — would have preferred the bun to be toasted with a runnier egg and a bit mayo, chips not as crisp as hoped

Sauce tray

Spotted Fish & Chips ($19.50) on another table that looked pretty good so tempted to try next time. Looks like a generous serving so a possible one to share.

Chocolate tart, crème fraiche & raspberries ($12) — tart was nice but the crème fraiche tasted more like sour cream so would have preferred it sweetened or as double whipped cream instead

Panna Cotta: Whisky panna cotta, coffee essence & biscotti ($10.50) — lots of flavour, bean shaped chocolate on topWORTH TRYING :-)

The coffee essence seems to make it all a bit runny though rather than a wobbly firmness

Flat white coffee ($3) — was quite good considering it's a pub and better than some I've had in cafes

Hot chocolate ($3) — was a bit too milky and not chocolatey enough for me

The Glenmore Lounge

Rooftop seating and views

Free sunscreen at the bar — nice touch

Ground floor bar

Club room

Pool room

Cocktail menu

Menu

Wine menu

Toilet with a view of the opera house — awkward positioning of urinals though which could prove a little too close for comfort

City skyline view from toilet — best views since Forty One Restaurant

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