Simon Food Favourites: Modern Australian

Showing posts with label Modern Australian. Show all posts

23 January 2013

The Sharing House: Modern Australian sharing plates with a twist, Melbourne (23 May 2012)

35 Dukes Walk, South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf VIC 3006

http://www.thesharinghouse.com.au

Sharing with a twist of fun

“As the name stands, The Sharing House philosophy is to provide a sharing-style menu using high-quality seasonal ingredients to produce classic items with a modern Briggs-esq twist.”

A casual lunch break from the 2012 agIdeas design conference at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre nearby brings me to the lego filled The Sharing House. Crab toasties ($10 each) filled with spanner crab, horseradish and apple are quite good but expensive since it works out to be $10 for actually half a toastie. Was thinking it might have gone well with some sort of cucumber salsa on the side to make it more substantial. The Gravalax ($12) is nicely presented although a little awkward to serve on the crostinis provided. Perhaps if the ocean trout cured with apple vodka and mustard creme fraiche was already on the crostini would make it ready to share and eat. Oyster shucked to order with merlot vinegar and shallots ($4.50) comes at a high price and felt some of the brine was missing but had a nice fresh taste. A slice of lemon would have made up for the lack of brine.

If you're going to order anything then make sure you get the Rabbit and cauliflower popcorn ($12) served in a parmesan breadcrumb with roasted garlic aioli. It has the taste, crunch and addictive appeal to go well with a beer. Pumpkins ($10) is actually pumpkin tortellini with sage butter. Quite nice but felt it needed more robust flavour from the sage butter that wasn't as noticeable as hoped. 5 inch pizza of prawn, garlic, tomato and chilli salsa ($16) was quite small for price but had really good flavours with an enjoyable salsa on top. Service was quite welcoming and helpful to keep our short lunch visit on time with the kitchen order. I like the quirky decor and wish I had more time to stay to try the desserts — perhaps next time.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Fun decor, Helpful service, Interesting menu, Seasonal and quality ingredients, Nice presentation

CONS: Sun glares through window on some of the tables depending on time, I don't get to Melbourne very often, What are those tiny spoons for?

MUST TRY: Rabbit and cauliflower popcorn

VERDICT: A casual and fun dining space that suits diners who love to share dishes

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Mr Giraffe says hi and welcome

Table setting

Not quite sure what I'll be using these tiny spoons for?

Crab toasties: Spanner crab with horseradish and apple ($10 each) — quite good but expensive

Gravalax: Ocean trout cured with apple vodka, textures of apple and mustard creme fraiche ($12) — nice presentation but a little awkward to serve on crostinis

Oyster (Coffin Bay) shucked to order with merlot vinegar and shallots ($4.50) — high price and lacked brine and fresh taste

Rabbit and cauliflower popcorn: Confit rabbit and cauliflower, in a parmesan breadcrumb, served with roasted garlic aioli ($12) — great taste, crunch and addictive
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Pumpkins: Pumpkin tortellini with sage butter ($10) — quite nice but felt it needed more robust flavour from the sage butter

5 inch pizza of prawn, garlic, tomato and chilli salsa ($16) — quite small for the price but really good flavours and enjoyable salsa on top

Bill $88 for four, nice service that was helpful, quirky decor, sun shines through window at times

Love it

Kitchen where all the magic happens

Best toilet sign

Actually this is the best toilet sign

Design provides a bit of privacy

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20 October 2012

The Bentley: Modern Australian and Contemporary Dishes, Surry Hills (1 Dec 2011)

320 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

http://www.thebentley.com.au

Dining for the modern palate

I've noticed over the last few years a rise in popularity of deconstructed dishes that are less about presenting a single piece of protein with side of vegetables and more about spreading the ingredients aka elements around the plate and making it look like a piece of art. I've found trying to get a bit of everything on your fork to taste together can often be the first challenge. Remembering all the ingredients in the dish is the next challenge when dishes include lots of elements so I often need to refer back to the menu. Dishes like this can seem contrived but for diners a bit tired of the basic meat and three veg dish up it provides visual entertainment. If a dish has around 3-5 main elements it tends to work better for me than a dish heading towards 10 and over risking palate overload. Jacques Reymond was a restaurant that feel under this style of dining and I knew I was missing the appeal when I found the most amazing dish was the complimentary cheese choux pastry appetiser. The Bentley was fondly recommended to me by friends and had been on my wish list for a while so I took the plunge to try.

An Alpine Martini ($17) and decent Mocktail ($8) with good quality complimentary bread was a nice start. Coffin Bay Oysters ($4 each) were freshly shucked and did justice to one of my favourite pacifics. Entrees and mains is where the fun begins or challenge to appreciate what's going on the plate. Balmain bug with lamb sweetbread, black bean and coconut curd ($28) was perhaps one of the preferred dishes of the night and somewhat cushioned my fear of lamb sweetbreads. The Beef tartare with liquid wasabi ($15) was quite flavoursome although would have loved it better if served with wafer thin crostinis like at Kingsleys Steak and Crabhouse. Eating a plate of raw meat is already a challenge in itself. The Smoked eel parfait with white soy, kombu & seaweed ($15) was like a modern sculpture ready to flutter off the plate with its wafer thin wings. I think I liked the presentation more than the palate appeal though. Maize chips ($8) were quite different and done well but give me potato chips any day.

Baby guinea fowl with globe artichoke, zucchini flower & toast ($36) seemed quite expensive for not much on the plate but loved the perfect crispy skin the best. For me this dish is a good example of a deconstructed dish. Cutting up ingredients in small pieces combined with playful arrangements which ends up costing more for less on the plate. Perhaps not good for those on a tight budget and needing to be filled. I liked the flavour combination of Pork belly with wattle, garlic milk & rhubarb ($26) and for dessert the Blood peach with sesame meringue, nougat & apricot sorbet ($18) was another perfect example of a deconstructed dish. Enjoyable flavours once you managed to get a bit of everything on your spoon although the nougat tended to really stick to your teeth which I didn't find enjoyable. For something more rich go for the Honeycomb chocolate bar ($8) to satisfy the most eager of sugar kicks.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice decor and ambience, Interesting dish presentation and flavour combination to challenge a diner looking for something different, Professional service (although maybe a little distant)

CONS: Can be expensive, Small portions, You'll need to order a few dishes to feel full, Street parking in the area can be a challenge

MUST TRY: Trying it at least once if you're looking for something different to the norm
VERDICT: A restaurant that pushes the boundaries that might be an acquired taste for some including myself

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