Foveaux @ Surry Hills

A special occasion always calls for a special dining experience. Therefore, to celebrate a one year anniversary (p.s. not marriage) my partner and I went to Foveaux. Foveaux is a one hatted chef restaurant, and becoming increasingly popular. The restaurant only seats 45 people, which allows or an intimate dining experience. We went for the the tasting menu and vegetarian (v) tasting menu.

The best part of the dining experience was the chef, Darrell Felstead. When I made the booking, I noted my partners dietary requirements, which  didn't end up get passed on to the kitchen. Therefore, on the night, the waiter had only just told the kitchen about the requirements. In some cases (such as Quay) the communication of these requirements are through the wait staff. 

However, at Foveaux, the Chef actually came to the table and discussed the requirements and went through the tasting menu of what could/couldn't be eaten. He was able to cater to most things by changing the sauces, where in one case he had to create a new dish. Definitely a great way to start the night!

Hommus soup

A strange start to the night. It was slightly sour, and reminded of some store bought chicken salt, but liquified.

...don't remember what this was (v)

Seared bonito, black sesame, mushroom milk, puffed rice with 

pickled vegetables and elk

A wonderful refreshing dish with great components. The mushroom milk was not like anything I have ever tried. It was foamy, yet had a solid nature to it. It accompanied the fish very well, and the puff rice added a subtle crunch to it all.

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Red pepper nachos, sour cream ice cream, sweet corn, avocado, tomato and black sesame sauce (v)

This was a great start on the vegetarian side of things. With my little sample, there were a lot of great flavours. The sour cream ice cream wasn't heavy, and made the nachos a light dish compared to other nacho dishes which are on the heavier side of life.

Smoked duck, cuttlefish, duck cheese

I am always a yes for eating duck when shown on a menu. All the condiments of the dish were things I had never tried before. The cuttlefish was a great addition, however the duck cheese is what was good. It was soft, creamy and had a lovely cheese taste.

Poached egg, raisin, ciabatta, roquetfort, with a salad of walnut, endive, apple & celery (v)

Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the perfectly poached egg. It was a nice dish with clean flavours. All the flavours could be used in a great salad!

Golden trevally, prawn braised leeks, fondant potatoes, kohlrabi puree and white wine reduction

I find that when ordering fish, it is never a stand out dish. In this case, it had a great crispy skin with a well cooked fish. However, it is the best fish dish I have tried to date. 

Roast broccoli, snowpea, watercress, umeboshi (v)

This was the dish that the kitchen had to create, as what was originally on the menu couldn't be eaten by my partner. It was a great concoction of flavours produced by the kitchen. All the broccoli and snow peas obtained all their bite.

Roasted venison leg, mushroom puree, juniper oil, spaetzle, pickled red cabbage 

This was my least favourite of the dishes. The pickled cabbage overpowered the taste of the venison. The mushroom puree has a bit grainy, and I found it didn't accompany the venison well. However, the roasted venison was cooked great, and the nuttiness of the walnuts was a lovely touch.

Chickpea cavetelli, beetroot, asaparagus, white mushroom and roquette (v)

It looks like a fruit tree on a plate. The cavetelli had a lovely creamy sauce. All the accompanying vegetables were delicate and the beetroot powder added an interesting texture.

Braised quince, rhubarb sorbet, apple crumble and custard

I love the concept of pre-dessert to cleanse the palate. The sweetness of the custard, and tartness of the rhubarb sorbet was amazing! The bits of crumble added crunch. A great fruity pre-dessert that enticed the palate for the real dessert.

Chestnut gelato, chocolate, coffee cloud, pear and ginger

A delicious dessert. The coffee cloud was the best part. I loved its aerated nature and is what I think a cloud would taste like (if all clouds were made of coffee). Though, overtime the coffee became overwhelming which was assisted by the chestnut gelato and dollops of chocolate.

Tamarillo doughnuts, orange miso custard, brazil nut praline, white chocolate and coffee gelato (v)

Another great dessert, that was very different to mine. It had more of a citrus taste. It would have even better if more than one doughnut was provided. The doughnut itself was nice and fluffy with a tamarillo filling.

Gifts (Kobo Aura & Engraved iPod Touch 5)

Foveaux was an exceptional dining experience, with great service and the Chef is definitely able to cater for any dietary requirements. A shout out to the Chef Darrell Felstead who was able to cater for the last minute changes.

Good food, good times!