Simon Food Favourites: Molecular

Showing posts with label Molecular. Show all posts

29 November 2012

Rabbit Hole Bar & Dining: Molecular Cocktails, CBD Sydney (19 Oct 2012)

82-88 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.rabbitholebar.com.au

Cocktail & dining wonderland

“Cocktails at the Rabbit Hole are a culinary and alcoholic institution. Extensive research and a genuine passion for flavours and textures on the palate have resulted in a list that captures the imagination and caters to the most discerning of taste. We have created a vast array of house made syrups, spice mixes, flavoured sugars and only use the freshest produce.”

Thanks to Georgie Dodds from Rabbit Hole Bar & Dining for inviting me to sample a few cocktails and dishes. I fondly remember it used to be Bar Europa and how things have changed. You won't just find your usual selection of beers, wines and spirits behind the bar but a creative menu of molecular style cocktails designed by Doug Laming who was an AHA Bartender of the Year finalist in 2011. His passion and skill level is quickly evident as I watch him make the New + Old School Sparkling Cocktail ($18). Spherified Cointreau Caviar are made to order adding a lethal extra kick with Remy Martin VSOP and Jansz NV. A couple of these will soon help make you forget about your tough office day and put you in gear for a fun night. The Jellied G&T ($11) is made with Hendricks gin and served on a cucumber slice with a rose crystal. Enjoyable but less cucumber skin would have been my preference and the one mouth wonder comes at a price that's quickly consumed. Everyone loves their grandma and a Boozy Grandma ($16) is even better. Sophisticated flavour, easy to drink and noticeable alcohol content makes it a favourite. Tea Smoked Apple ($18) made with Laphroig scotch is an acquired taste with its peaty overtones. You'll either love it or not. I quite enjoyed the The White Cloud above Mt Gay ($18) not only for the double pour of Mt Gay XO but its pineapple caramel and marshmallow foam makes it more of a dessert. To experience a few techniques the Texture Taster ($21) will be your best friend. Caffeine addicts will enjoy the coffee hit in The Babycino ($11). I thought the side of toffee should be just a bit thinner to best avoid any dental accidents.

Executive Chef Tomoyuki Usui shows off his creative flair in the menu with nice dish presentation and some flavour challenges thrown in for the palate. The Seared scallops, celeriac two ways & buckwheat ($16) are nicely cooked although I'm not a fan of tiles as plates. They present well but unfortunately make a terrible chalkboard scrapping when you use a knife. The egg is perfectly cooked to mix amongst the Tiede wagyu tartare, onsen egg & truffle meringue ($14). I would have liked more seasoning and ingredients though in the tartare and generally prefer firmer crackers to spoon the tartare on like the one at Kingsleys Steak and Crabhouse. The Caramelized Bass Groper, burnt butter, anchovies & almond ($28) was my favourite dish of the day. Fish cooked just right and flavour combo working well. I was surprised the passion fruit worked quite nicely with the Sous vide chicken breast, roast thigh, potato three ways & passion fruit ($25). Meat was tender and would have loved more of its crisp skin which was so good. The Melon, crisp pancetta, cognac ice cream & botrytis gelee ($15) was a challenge for me. I enjoyed the sweet components but struggled to appreciate the crisp pancetta — perhaps others will see the light. Strawberry mousse, compote, pink pepper & pistachio ($13) added some mystery and fun to crack the surface to reveal the enjoyable flavours underneath.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Quality cocktails with a difference, Interesting menu, Nice decor, Cocktails and dishes well-presented, White Rabbit beer on tap

CONS: Making special cocktails can take a while, A bar like this would suit Surry Hills and Darlinghurst but might be a challenge to attract the schooner drinking city crowd, Menu could be a little too creative for those just wanting a beer and bowl of wedges

MUST TRY: Boozy Grandma
VERDICT: A place to discover cocktails with a difference and deconstructed dishes which still retain some familiarity of what you'd expect to taste with not too many elements on the plate which might leave your palate otherwise confused.

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New + Old School Sparkling Cocktail ($18)
"What, a lava lamp? NO! It’s a sparkling cocktail. Spherified Cointreau Caviar float through the bubbles of the glass while Remy Martin VSOP, orange bitters and demerara syrup highlight the Jansz NV."
WORTH TRYING :-)

Jellied G&T ($11)
"Eben Freeman of NYC created the original recipe for this. We use Hendricks gin to elevate this recipe and serve it on a cucumber slice with a rose crystal. Take a bite and let this solid alcohol fizz on your tongue like its original namesake."

Boozy Grandma ($16)
"Ode to our Grandmother’s rum balls. We have recreated this with MT Gay XO rum infused with muscatels, cooked SousVide, stirred down with Fee Brother’s Xocolate bitters, Joseph Cartron white crème de cacao, vanilla syrup, Fee Brother’s Creole bitters and lime."
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Tea Smoked Apple ($18)
"Laphroig scotch and Joseph Cartron pomme verte is shaken with house-made Ceylon tea infused cinnamon syrup, Fee Brother’s rhubarb bitters and cloudy apple juice. This cocktail is carbonated with fresh cider and the lightest dusting of smoked salt finishes it off."

The White Cloud above Mt Gay ($18)
"A double pour of Mt Gay XO is showcased in this cocktail by highlighting the subtle flavours of this rum. It is shaken with a house-made black pepper and pineapple caramel, fresh lime and pineapple. It is poured through marshmallow foam to let the drink take on this flavour and give the drink the white cloud on the top. Some toasted coconut tops this off."
WORTH TRYING :-)

Texture Taster ($21) — mini caprioska foam

Texture Taster ($21) — lava lamp containing spherified Cointreau Caviar and Pama Pearls

Texture Taster ($21) — alcoholic lemon jelly

Texture Taster ($21) — mini caprioska foam

"A Rabbit Hole Bar sampler of some of the techniques we use. Enjoy the alcoholic lemon jelly, savour the mini caprioska foam and sip on your lava lamp containing spherified Cointreau Caviar and Pama Pearls."

The Babycino ($11)
"Mozart Clear is infused with coffee beans cooked Sous Vide. Joseph Cartron crème de cacao is added and topped with house-made maple foam. A dusting of chocolate powder and it’s all yours."

Seared scallops, celeriac two ways & buckwheat ($16) — nicely cooked scallops although not a fan of the tiles which grates when using a knife on them

Tiede wagyu tartare, onsen egg & truffle meringue ($14) — egg very good but would have loved more seasoning with the tartare and firmer crackers to put the tartare on top to eat together

Caramelized Bass Groper, burnt butter, anchovies & almond ($28) — fish cooked nicely, flavours work well on plate, nice presentation
WORTH TRYING :-)

Sous vide chicken breast, roast thigh, potato three ways & passion fruit ($25) — tender meat, flavours work well on plate, passion fruit surprisingly seems to work

Melon, crisp pancetta, cognac ice cream & botrytis gelee ($15) — was a challenge for me to appreciate the crisp pancetta in the dessert and would have preferred without

Strawberry mousse, compote, pink pepper & pistachio ($13) — interesting presentation, enjoyable flavours

Table water poured out of Cointreau bottles

Executive Chef Tomoyuki Usui and Licensee-owner-cocktail guru Doug Laming AHA Bartender of the Year 2011 finalist

Front bar area

Back bar area

Clean toilet but unfortunate placement of hand paper towels between urinal and cubicle rather than conveniently located closer to sink

Decorative table supports like this can look nice but I find them ergonomically awkward for resting my feet comfortably

Down the rabbit hole literally

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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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