Quay

It was a grey afternoon when we visited Quay though the rain did little to dampen my mood. This restaurant is something to get excited about, winning numerous awards recently, and being crowned 2009 restaurant of the year in both the Good Food Guide and Gourmet Traveller. I am dining today with my sister as a combined birthday celebration, and we are ready to be blown away. Expectations are high, normally not the best eating situation, often ending in shattered dreams but Quay delivers as wonderfully as we always knew it would.

Tuna tartare, with yuzu jelly and cucumber cream

I must admit that I adore the little freebies that you get when you dine at fancy restaurants but I often forget that they are coming until some delectable and unexpected treat lands on the table. The Tuna tartare amuse bouche did exactly what it was intended to do. Light, interesting and considered it whet my appetite and left me expectantly licking my lips at the mere thought of the meal to come. Interestingly, this was actually one of the most memorable courses of the meal, the delicate, rich tuna paired perfectly with the meltingly tender citrussy jelly and the smooth savoury cream. The only problem was that the portion was too small.

Sea Pearls: (l – r) Sashimi tuna,  octopus, smoked eel,  sea scallop, abalone

Sea pearls, one of Peter Gilmore’s signature dishes, is a series of, um, pearls from the sea? (Though I notice that we are missing one, is this a lunch thing that they only serve 4?). Little bites, full of flavour, diverse and interesting. The tuna paired with horseradish and studded with baby herbs is a study in restraint, though my favourite was the texturally interesting octopus ball which contained a flavour that I couldn’t pick (that half a ball was not enough, maybe a return trip is in order?).

Crisp confit of pig belly, gentle braise of abalone and cuttlefish, handmade silken tofu, Japanese mushrooms, chive flowers (+ $10)

Our other entree paled in comparison to the Sea Pearls, but displayed the same light touch, this time creating a sedate asian-inspired dish, a play on  textures. Crisp pig (was this always billed as pig on the menu? seems a little strange, especially when applied to other animals: sheep shanks, cow fillet), the silkiest of silken tofu, the chew of cuttlefish. Sister E. didn’t enjoy this quite as much especially after it had cooled slightly, and I ignored some dark looks as I nibbled ‘pon the other half of her sea pearls. 

Peter Gilmore’s food is beautifully presented, you start enjoying it, visually at least, from the moment it is placed on the table. The view is outstanding, the walls of glass make you feel as though you are almost in Sydney Harbour, without the dampness and the having to swim. The service here is so professional it is almost invisible.

All of this beauty allows the restaurant to be decorated sparsely, forcing the customers eyes out or platewards. I think that the restaurant space felt very cold and spartan, and was a little bit too retro with its purple carpet. E. described the space as ‘like how the alien from alien would look if it were a building made mostly from glass’. She certainly has a better way with words than me.

12 hour slow cooked Suffolk lamb, baby carrots, Arbequina olives, nasturtiums, capers, calendula, sheep’s milk fromage 

Poached free range chicken with truffle, baby radishes, fresh pistachios, garlic cream, pea seedlings

Of our mains, the lamb was the winner. Meltingly tender, rich, and so interesting paired with the creamy, bitey cheese. Again, E. didn’t want to share. And i don’t blame her. The chicken was buttery and tender though despite the very obvious truffle pieces that flavour was a little underwhelming. 

By this point, I am already a little stuffed, those few slices of organic polenta sourdough spiked with whole sunflower seeds was maybe a little much, but I just couldn’t say no. We take a small intermission and peruse the dessert menu readying the dessert stomach.

Eight texture chocolate cake Featuring Amedei ‘Chuao’ Chocolate (+ $10)

I knew all along that the famous quay chocolate cake was to be dessert #1, and it certainly lived up to expectation. The waitress warned me that I might want to take some photos of the hot chocolate sauce being poured, which was great in two respects. First: I captured the sinking centre, second: I got to eat it all the more quickly because the snaps had already been had. 

I’m not sure I experienced all eight textures in this decadent orgy of chocolate, but I’m certainly didn’t mind. A dessert this good should be enjoyed, not mentally deconstructed.

Strawberry guava snow egg

I always knew that the chocolate cake was going to be divine, but our other dessert choice was a blind stab at the sweets section of the menu. Strawberry guava snow egg was the dish at the end of the pointing finger, a surprise.

A hard shell encased delicate meringue, with creamy strawberry guava mousse (?) and shaved ice like the delectable egg of some long extinct dinosaur bird. Sweet, crunchy, soft, fragrant, creamy, freezing, melting. I don’t understand this dish, but it was surprising, playful and a highlight of the meal. And I would like to eat another one right now, if only that were possible.

The petit fours weren’t amazing, but it would take probably the best petit four ever to beat our duo of desserts. We nibbled these last little treats, and commited last glances of the view, and our last luxurious moments here to memory. Sated, we walked back out into the drizzle, savouring the memories of a wonderful meal.

Lunch: 3 courses for $95

 Quay
(finally a restaurant with a great website)

Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney 2000
(61 2) 9251 5600