Quay @ Circular Quay

The infamous Quay. Everyone has seen the desserts such as Snow Egg and Eight texture cake on Masterchef Australia, and now I have been lucky enough to try not only the desserts but also the tasting menu. The reason for the dining experience was for my 21st Birthday, where someone very special to me spoiled me with the Quay dining Experience (THANK YOU!!!). I am also lucky that my birthday coincides with Vivid Sydney, meaning that the entire night there was the view of the pretty changing lights of the Sydney Opera House. 

The photo doesn't quite grasp the amazing view

Quay is a 3 chef hatted restaurant, and is the first of the 3 hatted restaurant I have been able to dine. Quay provides two dining experiences, the tasting menu and a choice of 4-course menu.We had two menus, I received the tasting menu (TM) and my dining partner had a 4 course vegetarian menu (VM). Originally, it was supposed to be 2 tasting menus, but due to certain allergies the Quay kitchen were unable to cater. Therefore, for every second meal I had, my partner had 1 meal. 

Lychee Mocktail (I don't know why this photo is showing up weird)

Amuse Bouche: Salmon and Kingfish jelly with wasabi cream (TM)

I never thought that salmon and kingfish could be presented in such an interesting way. They were filled with their natural flavour, succulent, but yet gelatinous? The wasabi cream added the kick, which helped balance it all out. 

Congee of Northern Australian mud crab, fresh palm heart and egg yolk emulsion (TM)

This is generally not what you picture congee to look or taste like. Despite what I was expecting, it was delicious. The mud crab was shredded and cooked to perfection. The emulsified egg was just another way of eggs that I wish I knew how to make, such a soft and delicate egg.

Salad of albino and chioggia beetroots, preserved wild cherries, goat's curd, scorched beet leaves and violets (TM & VM)

A fun dish to eat, being that every mouthful provided different tastes and textures. Every bite became more interesting than the last. Our favourite part was what seemed to be beetroot croutons/freeze dried beetroot which added crunch to the dish. The goats curd was subtle, and added a creaminess to the beetroot.

Red claw yabbies, garlic scented custard with yabby velvet broth (TM)

This was my first time trying yabbies, and I think I may have had a slight allergic reaction. But, nothing that water and lychee mocktail couldn't fix. I find the taste of yabbies to be an in between of a prawn and lobster. I really enjoyed the garlic custard with the broth that brought out the delicacy of the yabbies.

Roasted goose, forbidden rice, black miso and hatsuka radish (TM)

Another first - Goose. It is a fattier meat, at is has a layer of fat underneath the skin which keeps it nice and juicy. It is quite a tasty cut of poultry, that has similar characteristics to duck. However, I find that goose is a bit more chewy. Forbidden rice is rice which has an assortment of grains with varying textures. It added the saltiness to the dish.

Eight mushrooms, truffle custard with chestnut mushroom consomme (VM)

So many different mushrooms, where we were only able to name half of them! My photo doesn't give it justice. There was a variety of detail on the difference types of mushrooms. All cooked to perfection, which accompanied the custard and lovely consomme.

Smoked and confit pig cheek, shitake mushrooms, shaved scallops, Jerusalem artichoke leaves topped with pork crackling (TM)

Mmm pork. A little package that contained all great tasting elements. I was expecting to dig straight into the pork, yet came across the delicate scallops and mushrooms first. The pork cheek was nestled under all the layers, and was absolutely tasty! It wasn't too salty, or dry, and the fat to meat ratio was what you expect in a great pork cheek.

Pasture raised veal, bitter chocolate black pudding, green walnuts, slow cooked wallaby tail, salsify, smoked bone marrow and chestnut mushrooms (TM)

This was my least favourite of all my dishes of the evening. It was quite salty, and had components that didn't quite suit my personal preference. The bitter chocolate pudding was the strangest part, where it was bitter, salty yet you there was a subtle touch of chocolate. Wallaby tail is definitely something you don't come across often, and has a nutty taste.

Organic Korean green rice, seaweed, buckwheat, mountain spinach and sesame (VM)

The saltiness of the seaweed was an overpowering component of dish. This means that it was hard to taste the other components.

Andalucia: Vanilla icecream topped with crushed meringue, citrus zest, almonds and tuille (TM & VM)

Pre-dessert!!!! This definitely helped start the desserts of the night after the last few salty dishes. The Andalucia had a great balance between sweet and citrus. The citrus zests helped cut the sweetness of the almond meringue and ice cream. The almonds in the meringue added a lovely nuttiness, which accompanied the tuille. So many elements that all worked well together.

Guava Snow Egg (TM & VM)

Cross-section of  Snow Egg

The infamous Guava Snow Egg. The last challenge for season 2 of MasterChef Australia. Peter Gilmore has made this dessert the talk of Sydney, by being one of the most wanted to try desserts. All the components are ABSOLUTELY delicious. The custard apple ice cream centre encased in poached meringue topped with a tuille. All the varying layers of textures and tastes worked perfectly together. Below the snow egg, there is a guava based custard which added another element of sweetness against the fruity granita. Blogging about this is making me crave the snow egg. I wish Quay provided a dessert hour of the night where you can just dine in for the desserts.

Eight texture chocolate cake - extra order

The chocolate pop

Oozing chocolate!

Another infamous dessert that appeared in the MaststerChef Australia 2012 in a pressure test. All different textures and layers of chocolate, it is every chocolate lovers dream. It was rich with flavour, and due quality of the chocolate it wasn't too sweet. The oozing hot chocolate sauce definitely completes the dish. Salivating just looking at the photo of all the chocolatey elements.

Take home birthday chocolates

As we went to Quay to celebrate my 21st birthday, I was given take home chocolate truffles. 

A downside to Quay was that they were informed of the allergy 3 times prior to the dining experience, which allowed time to approach the issue, yet when arriving the kitchen was informed on the night. Lucky they were able to compromise by timing the dishes of  1 per 2 tasting menu course. Despite the little hiccup, Quay provide great service and great  food. The staff members are very hospitable. The view from Quay is breath taking, and is probably one of Sydney's best dining views. Peter Gilmore's Quay definitely lives up to the reputation it holds and provides an array of interesting and delicious dishes.

Good food, good times!

The Bridge Room @ Sydney /Circular Quay

As a part of my birthday celebrations a friend took me to The Bridge Room.  The Bridge Room  is located in the heart of Sydney, just a few metres from Customs House at Circular Quay. It is considered to be a modern Australian restaurant, however the menu includes flavours of Europe and Asia with the use of seasonal ingredients. The restaurant has a sleek design, with modern furniture, basic design and each table had a lovely little green plant and a candle that set the scene of the whole dining experience. A bonus of The Bridge Room is that they provide a separate vegetarian menu (which was awesome considering a lot of fine dining restaurants don't have this option, and that my friend is a vegetarian).

Complimentary Bread

Ghost mushrooms with sliced potato and fresh herbs

A balance between the subtlety of flavours. The potatoes and mushrooms were cooked to perfection with great textures. I only recently realised the power of mushrooms in food, and how tasty they can actually be.

Raw wagyu shoulder, grilled enoki mushrooms, celtic sea salt, fresh horseradish and soft pickled chilli

This smell of my entrée was invigorating as the aroma of the horseradish was instant. The grilled enoki mushrooms were underneath the wagyu, and added a great bite to the dish. The soft pickled chillies were addicting. This was my first time trying raw wagyu, and with all the sides everything went together. The mushrooms and horseradish definitely made the dish for me.

Asparagus grilled over coals, tomato, black cabbage, capciscum, peas and cumin broth

The chef Ross Lusted likes to use charcoal to cook his dishes. This dish was filled with a lot of flavour. The asparagus had a crunch that went extremely well with the soft tender vegetables. There was a lovely tomato taste throughout the dish, due to the broth that provided a little spice. There wasn't a down side to this dish.

Ash grilled duck, pineapple, muscovado cane sugar with tuscan cabbage and anise

Duck on the menu? Yes please! The way the duck was cooked perfectly with an impeccable taste. There was a sweetness to the dish from the cane sugar, and when eaten with the pineapple there was a boost in flavour. If the skin had a slight crisp it would have made the dish that much better.

Chocolate chestnut mousse, campos caramel, toffee, butterscotch and crispy crepes

This was delectable, the crispy crepes is what made the dish. The fried bits of batter added a new level of flavour that had never been experienced. A combination of chestnut and chocolate within the mousse added an element of nuttiness. The dish just got better with every spoonful, another dish that didn't have a down side.

Burnt caramel cream, candied packman pears, pistachio crumb, mint and purple basil

A lovely smooth vanilla creme brulee with a burnt caramel top, pretty sure the best I've ever tried. The down side to this dish was that there were sultanas within the brulee (which is because I don't like dried fruit), lucky for me my friend likes sultanas so all works out well. The pears were a great choice for the autumn/winter season dessert, going by the chefs use of seasonal ingredients for great taste. The mint and purple basil added a freshness to the dessert.

The overall experience at The Bridge Room was wonderful. The restaurant provides exceptional service, and food that doesn't disappoint. Since they provide a vegetarian menu, the dining options can suit everybody's taste buds. A special mention to the friend that came along for a great way to celebrating my birthday!

Good food, good times!