Fine Dining Review: Marque vs. Est (Sydney, Australia)

Marque vs. Est.

Marque and Est. are two of Sydney's premier fine dining establishments who have been bestowed the highest possible rating of "3 hats" by SMH good food guide 2011. I had a memorable meal at Est. few years ago and I've been wanting to go back since I moved back to Sydney. Marque, on the other hand, has been on a meteoric rise in the Sydney food scene and is  currently Sydney's "Restaurant of the Year". Marque's reputation has also grown globally with its recognition in the San Pellegrino World's Best Restaurant List and also being awarded the "Break Through Award".

I had the privilege to dine in these two top-notched restaurant with one month apart & I thought why not review the two heavy weights together in one post! :)

It was unfortunate that my camera was not able to capture shots under low lighting so I only have a couple of grainy shots to share in this post. (time for a new camera!)

Marque *

The degustation menu was our unanimous choice to experience what Marque's has to offer. The amuse bouche of Alain Passard's tribute of the chaud-froid egg was stunning visually. A hot-cold experience in the form of a runny egg with delicate flavours of (presumably) sherry vinegar, cream and spices was indeed interesting and has become chef Mark Best's signature dish. Grissini to enhance textural play enhanced the overall experience. Despite the amazing techniques applied, I thought this was slightly underwhelming. 

The entire degustation course was a showpiece of Mark Best's high level of technical abilities and creativity. Nonetheless and surprisingly, we did not find any memorable and off the charts dishes. Each dish was cooked to near perfection technically but individual elements in  most dishes did not marry perfectly. There were no memorable highlights to mention except the wonderful oyster topped with truffles on a thick slice of gently cooked bacon. The matching wines by the glass, instead, was the highlight of the night. The deco and atmosphere was generic, and the service was good without being exceptional. The servers should take their time introducing and explaining each dish clearly....why bother if not doing it properly and professionally?

For those unfamiliar with molecular gastronomy and the heights that have already been achieved elsewhere, Marque is a real treat - breathtaking execution of modern cooking techniques. However, it lacked the wow factor in the domain that mattered most - taste.

Of note, Marque's Friday Prix Fix Lunch menu is a steal at $45 per person. I would definitely head there if I have extended lunch hours.

Some shots taken in Marque:

Oyster on bacon, topped with black truffles

Dessert is served.....

Fine Dining Rating (Marque): 15/20

Est.***

We have fond memories of Est. having had a great meal 4 years ago.....before our global gastronomic adventure. The restaurant is impressive: expansive, high ceilings and luxury columns.

Again, we opted for the degustation menu and matching wines. We were not disappointed. Seafood proteins were particularly handled with finesse - the Moreton bay bug, scampi, steamed murray cod were precisely cooked to absolute perfection. The only times we had such perfectly executed seafood were at Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athenee (Paris, France) and Colborne Lane (Toronto, Canada). The pan-roasted lamb rib eye was the minor disappointment - tender but the cut was lack in depth of flavour (a compromise, perhaps). Deserts were on the mark - perfectly risen cherry souflle with thoughtfully matched pinor noir rose sorbet.

Roasted boned squab pigeon, grilled fig, almond cream, hazelnut picada and some pan juices - brilliant!

Cherry souffle with pinot noir sorbet

The wine list was comprehensive and the matching wines very good. The highly choreographed service was truly world-class and very closely matched, in my opinion, the perfect service we received at Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athenee Paris and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. The celebrity viewing was complementary (The Edge from U2 was dining only 2 tables away). 

Fine Dining Rating (Est.): 18/20

By Gastronomic G.

Rating explained:

Scores 18 to 20 = *** (3 stars) = World class and close to perfection

Scores 16 to <18 = ** (2 stars) = An exceptional and special dining experience

Scores 15 to <16 = * (1 star) = Very good to great dining experience

Scores 13 to <15 = Good but not memorable

Scores 10 to <13 = Acceptable

Scores <10 = Are you sure you want to eat here?

Fine Dining Review: Restaurant Kurosawa - Nagatacho Kurosawa (Tokyo, Japan)

Nagatacho Kurosawa *

Named after legendary Japanese film director/producer Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, RAN, etc) and run by the Kurosawa clan, we were invited to dinner at Nagatacho Kurosawa by a Japanese friend. Nagatacho Kurosawa is famous for its shabu-shabu and supposedly the place to spot celebrities. Located near the Prime Minister's office, the restaurant also offers hand-made soba (buckwheat noodles) & A la Carte selection.

Shabu-shabu actually refers to the swishing noise as one swishes the meat back and forth in the hot pot. Apart from the shabu-shabu itself, one of the other treats of the meal is usually the wonderfully flavoured broth at the end of the meal.

Starters - root vegetables, arrowroot cake with salmon roe

With our shabu-shabu, the hot pot is filled with clear dashi broth which is predominantly made of bonito and konbu. Once it is fired up, we "shabu-shabu-ed" thinly sliced Kurobuta (Japanese Black Berkshire pork) as well as Kagoshima black beef - both were wonderfully marbled and meltingly tender. The accompanying sesame sauce was wonderful but the meats were so good, they were stand-alone.

The STARS of the meal - thinly sliced and amazingly marbled black beef and black pork

At the end of the meal, eggs were scrambled by the table side and mixed into the hot pot, which is now filled with a broth flavoured with all the wonderful flavours of the beef and pork. This was then served into bowls of rice.This was truly delightful despite both of us feeling completely stuffed by now.

Mixing through the scrambled egg into the flavoursome and wonderfully coloured dashi

Dashi with eggs served with rice

Desert - more food!

A lovely dining experience (even for non-movie buffs) paired with a good selection of sake and soju, and all in a restaurant created to evoke Kurosawa's samurai movies. Arigato, Oba-san!

Fine Dining Rating: 15/20

By Gastronomic G.

Rating explained:

Scores 18 to 20 = *** (3 stars) = World class and close to perfection

Scores 16 to <18 = ** (2 stars) = An exceptional and special dining experience

Scores 15 to <16 = * (1 star) = Very good to great dining experience

Scores 13 to <15 = Good but not memorable

Scores 10 to <13 = Acceptable

Scores <10 = Are you sure you want to eat here?

Fine Dining Review: Mathias Dahlgren (Stockholm, Sweden)

Mathias Dahlgren **

I decide to keep in line with the Swedish theme. While Tong was excited about exploring Scandinavian design  in Stockholm, I was pretty much excited about Mathias Dahlgren that has been getting rave reviews since it opened in 2007.

Mathias Dahlgren in a way was a compromise of not being able to get a spot in Noma (and this was before they became the world's best restaurant!).  Located in the appropriately named Grand Hotel Stockholm,  Mathias Dahlgren has become one of the hottest dining destination in Stockholm in just over 2 years..... scoring 2 Michelin stars and also ranking 25th in the more fashionable (but personally less reliable) San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurant (2010 list). The restaurant is divided into two: Matbaren (food bar) and Matsalen (dining room) - serving conceptually different but still equally cutting edge food. We dined at the more relaxed but still stylish Matbaren.

Tong has been telling me that she wants to get those statement chairs...

We started with the Fried Pork Sausage and Truffles from Gotland (6/10).

The steamed Wild Cod from Lofoten was spectacularly fresh - like most Swedish food...the seasoning was slightly on the heavy side. Accompanying forest mushroom emulsion perfect and trout roe provided textural variation. This was a great dish (9/10).

Another standout was the Canette from Bretagne - a wonderfully tender duckling with fried mushrooms, cabbage, ginger and chilli (8/10).

Deserts were memorable. Farm Milk Pudding with vanilla ice cream and cherry sorbet. This smooth Mathias Dahlgren version of panna-cotta was delightfully light, refreshing - the quality and freshness of the milk coming through (8/10).

The Baked Wild Chocolate from Bolivia was our favourite. Amazingly strong dark chocolate flavours but nicely balanced out by sour cream and toffee ice cream (10/10).

Soft and gooey chocolate awaits inside the crusty exterior

Mathias Dahlgren is worthy of its hype and accolade. I can only imagine how amazing Matsalen would be.... 

Fine Dining Rating: 16/20

By Gastronomic G.

Rating explained:

Scores 18 to 20 = *** (3 stars) = World class and close to perfection

Scores 16 to <18 = ** (2 stars) = An exceptional and special dining experience

Scores 15 to <16 = * (1 star) = Very good to great dining experience

Scores 13 to <15 = Good but not memorable

Scores 10 to <13 = Acceptable

Scores <10 = Are you sure you want to eat here?

Fine Dining Review: The Press Club (Melbourne, Australia)

The Press Club (no stars)

This is the flagship restaurant of Melbourne celebrity chef George Calombaris. Due to the popularity of Masterchef, Calombaris (Masterchef judge) has flooded the media.....too bad his food doesn't match his hype and reputation. Whether his recent media frenzy distractions and empire expansion have compromised the quality of The Press Club is unclear but definitely not enough to warrant a 2nd visit.....both Ducasse and Robuchon have managed to gather so many Michelin stars without compromising reputation and quality.

We opted for the degustation menu. Bread was served with kalamata and wild olives in a wonderful olive oil and black salt. The 1st two courses were so badly planned that they arrived around the same time....before I even had a bite at my first course! Yes, this is the norm at my local Chinese restaurant but not at this "2 hat" restaurant.

2 courses served concurrently

Unfortunately, there were no "wow" moments throughout and the was more molecular gastronomy gimmickry than true application of technique.

The deep fried quail was one of the highlights but that too was foiled by presence of a quail bone in the dish (yes, the dish was meant to be presented de-boned). 

The bangalow pork dish was, unfortunately, boring and disjointed....the pork crackling not overwhelmingly crackly and the "Aussie" spin in the form of a pork Chiko Roll completely made no sense in terms of flavour and textural integration with the rest of the dish.

Bangalow pork

The signature slow cooked lamb (cooked over 16 hours) was flavoursome.....more like nana's except a lot more $$$.

Signature slow-cooked lamb

Desert was ambitious but with too much molecular gimmickry.....Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of molecular gastronomy, having thoroughly enjoyed eating through Spain, but only when applied appropriately.

The service was good but not great, and accompanied by an interesting wine list. The sommelier, talented as he may be, unfortunately assumed that I was not worthy enough to know much about his rarer wine varietals and spent minimal effort explaining his matching or even the actual varietal offered.....That is not until I identified his choice of Marsanne, did he decide to take us more seriously! This is quite unacceptable for a supposedly top restaurant.

Desert - chocolate mousse, bits and soil with sprinkles of nuts

I really wanted to like The Press Club....it was a good experience but nothing memorable and a fairly dear one. Nevertheless, the place is crowded, and everyone seemed happy and satisfied.......

Fine Dining Rating: 14/20

By Gastronomic G.

Rating explained:

Scores 18 to 20 = *** (3 stars) = World class and close to perfection

Scores 16 to <18 = ** (2 stars) = An exceptional and special dining experience

Scores 15 to <16 = * (1 star) = Very good to great dining experience

Scores 13 to <15 = Good but not memorable

Scores 10 to <13 = Acceptable

Scores <10 = Are you sure you want to eat here?

Fine Dining Review: Chihana (Kyoto, Japan)

Chihana ***

Chihana is hidden in a small alley in the Geisha district of Gion, Kyoto. Being a 3 Michelin starred  and only a 10 seater restaurant, we were pleased and fortunate to get a booking through Tong's Japanese friend well ahead of time.

Established in 1946, Chihana has remained an intimate "over the counter" style kaiseki restaurant; kaiseki being the traditional multi-course Japanese cuisine and best expressed in Kyoto.

We started with bonito sashimi cured with pears and citrus. This was an impressive start (10/10 rating).

This was followed by chicken meatball with lotus and burdock roots (7/10 rating).

Next is a multi-dish course consisting of: (1) gingko nuts gently fried and precisely seasoned, (2) whipped soy "milk", (3) local greens with sesame sauce, (4) best ever salmon roe and (5) tiny anchovy-like fishes. The salmon roes burst with intense sweet roe flavours and the tiny fishes so naturally sweet and salty; the whipped soy milk amazingly textured - creamy, fluffy and simply unbelievable. This was top-notch (10/10 rating).

Fourth course is raddish with miso dressing (7/10 rating).

The 5th course is another masterpiece; crab ball with dashi. The head chef guided me to slide the yuzu garnish into the broth for some subtle infusion. The broth is clear and not overpowering but simply sublime and sophisticated (10/10 rating).

Next is tuna and flat fish sashimi accompanied with 3 different saltening accompaniments - some salty konbu (seaweed), dried kelp and the usual soy sauce. The tuna is spectacular and best I've ever tasted and the dried kelp dazzling. The flat fish provided a completely different texture - chewy and almost crunchy sashimi texture - slightly strange but interesting (8/10 rating). I am more than impressed by Chihana's sourcing of ingredients.

Seventh course is a fish stew with red bean tofu and raddish. This is a hearty and heavy course; the fish broth exceptional (8/10).

Following this is small prawns and jullienned root vegetables. This is not your usual tempura - the batter light and accompanied by a Japanese lime and some salt to taste (7/10).

The 9th course is a vinegar, palate refreshing dish of pumpkin and raddish (6/10).

The final course is perfectly cooked rice topped with pickles and finely jullienned shiso (Japanese mint) (5/10).

We ended with a shot glass of Japanese mandarin juice.

This was a complete dining experience - perfection was aimed for in every possible way and it made sense why Chihana has 3 Michelin stars. Food sourcing is exceptional, dishes pride themselves in colour, presentation, texture and taste, cooking is precise; courses were served in beautiful antique wares and service is attentive, polite and thoughtful. Everything is fresh...very fresh.

Since it was lunch time, we did not try any sake or sochu. With the chefs observing your progress throught out each course, portion sizes are adjusted depending on how much more food you can stuff yourself with.....this is the true essence of kaiseki but not usually practised in reality. Service was so good that both the head chef and maitre d' accompanied us out all the way to the street exit whilst chatting with us on our dining and travel experience.....imagine Robuchon, Ramsay or any other 3 Michelin starred chef doing that!

Rating for Fine Dining: 18/20

By Gastronomic G.

Rating explained:

Scores 18 to 20 = *** (3 stars) = World class and close to perfection

Scores 16 to <18 = ** (2 stars) = An exceptional and special dining experience

Scores 15 to <16 = * (1 star) = Very good to great dining experience

Scores 13 to <15 = Good but not memorable

Scores 10 to <13 = Acceptable

Scores <10 = Are you sure you want to eat here?