Aria, Sydney

Get past the Masterchef hype, views of the Opera House and Bridge and it’s food that plays to the tune of a food DJ mashing up classic combinations. It would be harsh to say that the creativity is lacking, but if the a la carte menu had limbs, they would be fully attached.



Amuse Bouche of Pumpkin soup with Parmesan Foam: tasty.



Peking Duck Consomme with Duck Dumplings, shaved abalone and mushrooms: great duck juice again, but I think that was so three years ago.



Pork belly with pork croquette, apple puree, white cabbage and apple salad: pig with an old friend. Perfectly cooked, perfect combination, perfectly safe.



Spatchcock poached with bok choy, cucumber, shitake mushrooms and coriander broth: Spatchcock poached with bok choy, cucumber, shitake mushrooms and coriander broth (it is what it is)



Roasted fillet and short rib of beef, celeriac puree, roasted shallots with bordelaise sauce: cow dish that’s like scouring the mouth with a whole cow and rinsing with a bottle of red.



Banana soufflé with banana rum and raisin brulee: soft, light, the favoured flavour of our ancestors (if you believe in Darwin’s theory) truly comes through.



Coconut Macaroon, Chocolate Truffle, Pistachio Nougat.

Yeah it was a bit like Parklife or Future Music with your Dad spinning BABBA or ACCA DACCA. Not like that’s a bad thing, just not what you expect for the price you pay.

3 / 5 yums!
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Where? 1 Macquarie St, Sydney, NSW
What? Entrees $36+, Mains $55+, Desserts $25+

Quay, Sydney

Australia’s best restaurant 2009 and 2010 hmmmm? Better than Vue De Monde and Tetsuyas eeeeyyyyy? More regarded than a Grand Angus?!!?!? Is that right!??!?! Preposterous!!!



It’s hard not to be immediately impressed by this gastronomic goliath. Quay has arguably the best room in Oz, perched at end of the Overseas Passenger Terminal with views of both the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. There’s also the wait staff that surely possess an ESP John Edwards would be jealous of, a freaky service that knows your needs and make you feel special without the puppy dog gush.

What’s that you say?! You want more?!!? If you’re not wowed already, then the food will get you excited. Peter Gilmore’s dishes are NSW Gallery contemporary classic to Shannon Bennett’s MCA cutting edge funk. Let’s go through the lineup one by one.



Amuse bouche of Ocean Trout, crème fraiche, sago



I’m not one for congee unless I’m sick or during winter, but it’s hard refrain from the sweetness of the mud crab in the stewed down rice.



Pearls of the Sea (tuna, octopus and smoked eel, mud crab, dashi jelly and abalone, scallops and lime) aren’t going to eat themselves.



Cubed pieces of pork belly with its thin, crisp skin, braise of abalone and ribbons of cuttlefish, silken tofu. My heart skipped a beat when I saw this dish that played to my Asian heart.



Quail breast, black pudding crumbed with hints of chocolate and walnut, truffle custard, contrasting firm palm heart. The earthy flavours are perfectly balanced that should sway even those who avoid game and animal red stuff.



Berkshire pork jowl (cheek), blistered, crisp skin, the mild prune’s fruity sweetness and cauliflower puree accentuate the luxuriously fatty meat.



A brick of crisp pressed duck confit on a bed of winter veggies and scallops is surf ‘n’ turf on a magic carpet.


A Masterchef analogy for the best desserts I’ve had anywhere to date.



The 8 textures of chocolate is Chris: brash, bold, rich, indulgent and pure ego. That pothole in the middle is theatrically created in the middle by a dollop of molten chocolate at the table. And presumably doubling as a drool pan.



Snow Egg is Poh: inventive, quirky, and pleasant to look at. What is essentially a reconstructed egg, white peach ice-cream is surrounded by pillowy meringue, covered by crystallised maltose, and sits on a bed of peach granita and caramelise and vanilla ice-cream. An elegant vase of textures and temperatures.

Like the first time I bit into that gourmet Maccas burger, an unforgettable experience.
So Quay… Better than Momo or Cutler & Co!? Melbourne snobbery and foodie parochialism aside… okay Sydney, you’ve got a pretty damn good restaurant.


5 / 5 yums!
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Where? Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW
What? 4 courses $155, Signature menu $210

Universal, Darlinghurst

Settle down, the world isn’t coming to an end from the sun engulfing the Earth. It’s just the orange glow that radiates from the feature wall at Universal Restaurant. In Darlinghurst, there are no views but it takes full advantage of the quiet courtyard, creating a casual inside outside vibe. Perhaps it’s preparing diners for the bombardment of flavours from the spice queen Christine Mansfield.

Fitness freaks will be happy with the Asian influenced menu that’s a DIY degustation of sorts, moving from light to heavy dishes, ensuring you get your protein and mineral requirements. While the descriptions are straightforward, the dishes are extremely complex. There were so many different flavours in each, beautifully constructed, but I felt it was almost to the point of convolution, a mish mash that didn’t agree in my mouth. Take the kingfish ceviche, the pairing of the roasted and skinned heirloom tomato’s tartness and bitterness and heat from green chilli salsa left the sea flesh behind. Same issue with the wagyu beef shin braised with a heavy green chilli and galangal mix, the garnishing prawn floss, green peppercorns and mint add to the dominating flavours.

Of course there is clarity in others, such as the seared scallops with the never fail truffle foie gras and the delicate jasmine tea smoked duck that retains a subtle, gamey flavour. Desserts have a bit of humour with names like “Bite Me” and the cheap teen booze “Passion Pop”. A more sensible “Raspberry Ripple” is a candied shell tower of vanilla yoghurt cream, raspberries and meringue that’s excellent. You will go “Totally Nuts” indulging in a decadent block of caramel parfait, on top thin dark and milk chocolate sheets sandwich hazelnut chocolate mousse and salted chopped hazelnut caramels.

Perhaps the assault on my senses was too much for me on that night. Admittedly I do prefer simpler flavours, but I can’t say Universal is on my list for a return before the world does end.


2.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? Republic 2 Courtyard, Palmer Street, Darlinghurst, NSW
What? Mains $27, Desserts $18

Tetsuya’s

A second trip to Tetsuya’s had the elegance, mastery and artistry of a flighted Shane Warne delivery with the power punching of Philip Hughes. This sitting definitely didn’t disappoint, right from the finely chopped ocean trout moulded into a disc, avruga caviar layered on top with a softly poached quail’s egg on top a dish of culinary perfection. An intense leek and crab custard also a highlight, the imaginative use of basil oil adds a cute garnish on top. Of course his signature confit of petuna ocean trout with konbu remains a fixture and honoured to have tasted it in all its glory twice. Two shot glasses, one with an apple sorbet with apple jelly and mont blanc and the apple tarte tartin with calvados cream ice cream continues he’s love for destruction of dessert favourites. It’s an intoxicating experience that will take you to the highs of the Aussie’s upset win over South Africa on the final day in Sydney. Champange stuff.

5 / 5 yums!
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Where? 529 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW
What? A lot

Spice Temple

Spice Temple is part of Mr Ponytail’s latest venture, a massive risk given these GFC conditions. He’s going back to his roots of sorts, famous for his love of the Asian, the Temple takes inspiration from the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Hunan and Xinjiang.

There’s no secret words or signs, but you do feel kind of sneaky leaning on the entrance that looks more like an electronic billboard. Down the stairs, you’ll find a seductive space filled dark furnishings, sexy red glows. It’s oriental opulence, a slinky high class opium den, the only thing missing being the beautiful ladies offering lamps to inhale the vaporised poppy.

What’s not missing is the impeccable class that follows Mr Ponytail. Like any other Chinese restaurant, the menu is divided into salads/cold cuts, noodles and dumplings, seafood, poultry, pork, beef/lamb, veggies and desserts with a range in each. Don’t expect to find sweet and sour pork and honey chicken, it’s a fiery affair, the printed red warnings and names such as spice fried chicken wings with heaven facing chillies and beef fillet in fire water should strike fear.

I probably would have been well served to have a sweat towel, for even the un-red stir fried king prawns with salted duck eggs and four chillies began the tingling. As beads of sweat start to form on my forehead, the twice cooked duck is Daffy cooking mastery but the roast chilli paste dousing fired up the heat receptors and thoughts of removing my shirt. At this stage, my tongue is starting to numb as well, with the sparkling San Pellegrino doing more harm than good, so you could have served up the steamed eggplant flavoured with garlic, coriander and sweet pork or the crisp pork belly (that would shame your local roast meat up) with fresh and dried chillies, coriander and mushroom soy and I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. Calming things down were the interesting cumin lamb that you stuff into thin peking duck crepe-like bread pockets that breaks the monotony of using the choppers and tea smoked chicken, showing plenty of skill in using the technique to impart flavour without dominating bitterness and leaving the chook very moist.

GFC is well and truly here, but our table of 8 got plenty bang for their buck so I’d definitely recommend going with a group so you can sample plenty and laugh at each other’s low tolerance to handle the heat. Chilli lovers will find heaven, but for me, it wasn’t that and I wish it could have been toned down a notch so everything didn’t taste like burning. I left thinking it should have been called Spicey Temple instead.


2.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? 10 Bligh St, Sydney, NSW