The most anticipated restaurant visit of our Sydney itinerary was undoubtedly our lunch at Quay.
Quay has held a coveted position in the Australian dining scene for many years. Last year, the restaurant was voted number 26 in the coveted S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, making it the highest ranked Australian restaurant and taking out the title of ‘The Best Restaurant in Australasia’.
Two months before our visit, I sent off a reservation request, crossed my fingers and waited. I mentally checked off the dates, and pretty soon, we were in Sydney – and ready to eat.
We walked to Circular Quay on a sunny Thursday, taking in the sights of Sydney’s famous harbour. It was the perfect way to work up our appetites for the meal ahead of us.
This was one of the most memorable meals I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. For more than one reason, but I’ll get to that later!
Quay is located on level three of the Overseas Passenger Terminal. It took us a little while to find the door, after taking a mysterious lift that seemed to lead to no where!
We were seated at the far end of the restaurant, with perfect views of Sydney’s most famous sights, the Opera House, and Harbour Bridge.
Our drink orders were taken – a Melonie for me, a Sunlight Surprise for TFP, and a Mojito for J.
Exercising restraint, when the bread basket circulates the room, is something I’m not very good at. At Quay, my lack of self-control was rewarded with beautiful bread from Sonoma, in wholewheat, sourdough and sunflower.
The fragrant wholewheat and tangy sourdough were fantastic spread generously with butter and sprinkled with a few shards of sea salt.
I love it when a restaurant offers interesting mocktails for those who aren’t in an alcohol kinda mood. When I’m eating a special meal, I sometimes like to go booze-free. Why? Clear mind. Clear tastebuds!
As we enjoyed our drinks, we pondered the menu. Quay offers a range of options during lunch service – three courses for $125 and four courses for $145.
With so many amazing options on the menu, it was really hard to narrow down our choices to just three or four dishes.
Rejecting any ideas about eating in moderation, we went for the big kahuna, Peter Gilmore’s signature eight course tasting menu for $220.
To start, we were each presented with a glossy mother of pearl spoon. White ceramic pots followed, filled with an amuse bouche of golden-hued lobster broth, and silky smooth ginger milk curd.
The delicate milk curd reminded me very much of tau foo fah, a sweet soy dessert that’s popular at dim sum restaurants in Australia.
But unlike Tau Foo Fah, this amuse was savoury, richly flavoured with the sweet flavour of fresh lobster.
Raw native freshwater marron, young almonds,
bergamot marmalade, pomelo, green mango, elder, chamomile
This was one of the most beautiful dishes I’ve ever seen, and among the most interesting.
The contrasting textures and flavours of the dish were surprisingly subtle, yet bold.
I loved the way the acidity of the pomelo and astringent tang of the green mango cut through the silkiness of the marron, while enhancing its natural sweetness.
Mud crab congee, fresh palm heart
Imagine every Chinese congee you’ve ever eaten, then multiply it by a thousand. I found myself anxiously spooning up every last drop of this congee, wishing I could ask for seconds.
The congee (rice porridge) itself was simmered until smooth, just the way I like it. Chunks of tender mud crab were nestled at the bottom of each bowl, a delicious surprise with every bite.
The palm hearts were new to me, and their crunchy texture reminded me a little of the crisp Chinese lettuce pickles I used to love eating with congee as a kid.
Gently poached southern rock lobster,
hand caught Tasmanian squid, golden tapioca, lobster velvet
This was, without a doubt, my favourite plate in the tasting menu we tried at Quay. Actually, probably my favourite dish of 2011.
The ribbons of squid were tender, with a perfect al dente texture, which paired beautifully with the gently poached rock lobster.
The golden pearls of tapioca were deliciously savoury, and reminded me very much of salmon roe.
After four dishes and two drinks, I took a brief break to check out the facilities. I returned to the table, smiled at TFP and J, and said I really hope the next course is on the way!
And just as the words left my mouth, we all heard a strange creak.
And then the roof fell in over our heads.
Literally.
Well, sort of.
If you’ve visited Quay, you may have noticed that parts of the ceiling are decked out with gleaming metal panels. One of those panels (about the size of a large commercial baking sheet) had detached from the roof, and fell to the floor between our table and the table of a couple seated next to us.
It was a surreal moment, as a cloud of dust settled over us, and it became clear this wasn’t a strange dream. Poor J had been seated just beneath the errant panel, and we saw it glance off the back of his head, rapping him pretty hard on the shoulder.
Our table – which prior to the incident had bore the remains of our previous course and half-finished drinks – was covered in grey insulation dust. Sadly the beautiful ceramic cocottes which held our previous dish were destroyed.
In the split second it took me to realise “oh crap, my camera was on the table!”, Quay’s brigade of staff surged into action, assisting everyone seated in our section. This most unexpected event really demonstrated the effect that cool, calm professional staff can have on a situation.
Within moments the maître d, Robert, had assembled new tables for all the affected diners, seated us and told us they would get to the bottom of things and our next courses would be with us soon.
As we waited, I felt myself succumb to shock, suddenly filled with jitters, and tears – much to my horror! Crying in public is something I don’t do. Ever.
As I struggled to contain myself, I spotted Peter Gilmore himself, speaking with the floor staff. Within moments, he was at our table.
He made sure we were okay and apologised profusely, sending over a round of gin and tonics after I confessed I was in desperate need of a drink.
Smoked and confit pig cheek, shiitake,
shaved scallop, Jerusalem artichoke, juniper, bay
Keeping my fan girl tendencies in check was difficult as Chef Gilmore joined our table once again, to tell us about our next course. It was a new dish on the menu, he said, and one which he really enjoyed.
It beautifully showcased the pig cheek, which I’d say is hands down, one of my favourite secondary cuts. The crisp Jerusalem artichokes were a revelation, and I savoured every bite.
Slow cooked coturnix quail breast,
stone ground semolina enriched with Alba truffle butter,
buckwheat, farro, walnuts, pumpernickel, malt
By the time this tender and fragrant dish arrived, my appetite had returned with a vengeance.
The slow cooked quail breast was succulent, and set off beautifully with the rich, malty flavours of the grains beneath it. The creamy semolina was delicately enhanced by the white Alba truffle butter.
Pure bred Wagyu,
bitter chocolate black pudding, oxtail consomme
As Robert poured the rich, amber oxtail consomme over each of our bowls, a soft aroma of bitter cocoa hit me.
As I watched, the thick slice of black pudding began to slowly melt, melding with the consomme into a thick, smooth sauce.
The wagyu was so incredibly tender that I barely touched my knife as I savoured it.
White nectarine snow egg
Not surprisingly, one of the dishes that attracted us to Quay was the famous snow egg.
Featured on season two of MasterChef Australia, this dish has made Chef Gilmore famous. Well, even more famous – he’s also been named by the Sydney Morning Herald as the 2012 Chef of the Year.
To enjoy Chef Gilmore’s favourite dessert, you crack through a maltose praline shell, to reveal a core of creamy nectarine ice-cream surrounded by a pillowy soft, marshmallow meringue.
The cool nectarine granita which holds the icing sugar-capped egg is sweet and refreshing.
Ewe’s milk ice-cream, caramel, roasted walnuts,
prune, Pedro Ximénez , chocolate bark, pulled toffee, vanilla milk skin
There’s an almost whimsical quality about elements of this dish which reminded me very much of Charlie and the chocolate factory. I loved discovering the fragrant vanilla milk skin that melts enticingly on your tongue, enjoying shards of creamy chocolate bark and chewy toffee.
The sweet ewe’s milk ice-cream was smooth and impossibly creamy, and set off by the sticky sweet flavours of Pedro Ximénez and prune.
Before we left, we enjoyed a selection of truffles with tea and coffee. A lovely sweet end to a truly memorable meal!
Accidents aside, this was a spectacular meal. The freshness of the ingredients, and the care with which every element of each dish had been prepared was clear.
Though our table was unlucky enough to be centre-stage when the ceiling panels decided to revolt, I have to say I felt lucky to witness the grace and hospitality of the entire team at Quay.
I was sorry it had been so traumatic for everyone (seriously, that’s one hell of a day in the office!) and yet, I’m so happy as a diner, to have been able to experience the level of service we did.
Chef Gilmore kindly insisted that lunch was on the house, and before we left, Robert pushed copies of Peter’s amazing book into our hands.
Thanks to Chef Gilmore, Robert, Maître d, and all the staff who made our action packed lunch such a pleasure.
