Tetsuya's

I've been wanting to come try this place for a while, so have been saving up this place for a special occasion with a special person. So for my 25th birthday this year, decided to book the most expensive degustation dinner in Sydney (thanks Blair for the birthday dinner). I've been to a lot of food places in the past year, from fine dining (Bennelong, Catalina, O Bar and Dining, and more)/restaurants/local eats/cafes etc in Sydney, from East Coast to West Coast in America, and throughout Europe as well. Just haven't had time to do food reviews (last one was in Aug 2018 which was a backlog from March 2018), but had to do a post about Tetsuya's.

For a Tuesday night, the restaurant was surprisingly full. I made a booking around 2-3 weeks in advance, and was seated one 'row' behind the window garden seat. Apparently window tables are allocated based on reservation dates, so I guess there were some people who are more organised than me haha.

8 course degustation was $240pp. Yes, I still bring lunch to work, so I can then splurge once a year on fine dining. The food here is focused on seafood with 4/8 dishes being seafood, so if you don't like seafood then don't come. It has Japanese inspired dishes mixed with a bit of French cuisine.

Hidden on Kent St

I used to always walk past this to get to my bus from the city to home on Kent St. During the day the gates are closed, so this place is hidden away. You come here for the food not views, unlike other fine dining places 

View of the Japanese style garden

Can't really see it at night and I don't think you're allowed to walk in it, but it's cute. Of course if you ever go Japan, the original country is always more impressive. It's cute how they try to transport you to Japan.

Truffle butter + filtered water with lime

We ate pretty much almost all the butter. I never eat butter, except at fine dining. It was so light, and whipped well so very spreadable, but the truffle flavour was so intense and you could see so many bits of truffle in it. Makes my truffle salt and truffle oil at home seem like nothing. Even if you had a blocked nose, you would be able to smell the truffle. They offered sparkling, still or filtered water (no tap water option cause fine dining haha).

Bread options were Kombu scroll, rye or white sourdough. All of them were so delicious. The scroll was extra flaky and easy to pull apart, and sourdough had a nice crunchy crust without being chewy. Not sure if I filled up from the bread, butter and water...

Cherry Blossom: dry sherry, bombay gin, cherry beer, ratafia, lime-$24

Chose this one since it seemed to fit with the Japanese theme. It tasted like slightly sour cherries, and not sweet. It was nice but not one of my favourite cocktails.

Tuna with daikon and wasabi

You can definitely tell this fish was so fresh and the flavours weren't overpowering the fish flavour. Could hardly taste the wasabi which was good, since I'm not a big fan. Daikon gave it that extra bit of freshness for the dish.

Poached scampi with coffee vinaigrette and cannellini bean

Scampi perfectly cooked and full of flavour, and moving onto a warm dish. I couldn't really taste the coffee, but it gave that slight bit of acidity to cut through the butteriness of the scampi. The puree on the side help emphasis the smooth texture of the scampi.

Signature dish: confit of ocean trout with salad of apple and witlof

Wow, this dish lived up to the hype. The softest trout ever which melts in your mouth, perfectly seasoned with the kombu on top. Your knife just glides right through, and this is indeed my favourite seafood dish. Loved the crunch from the apple salad hidden underneath for some texture and slight sweetness. The caviar also gave it a pop of flavour. The parsley oil looked pretty on the plate, but I couldn't really taste it.

eating from books

Apparently, this is the most photographed dish in the world. Mainly because it was invented back in 1987. Most restaurants weren't even opened by then, and most chefs change their menu and remove signature dishes (like the Quay's snow egg) from time to time to keep people coming back. This dish has stayed on the menu since it was first created which explains why it's the most photographed dish. The recipe photo shows more parsley oil and caviar, but I guess that book was published around 2000, and 19 years later, inflation etc so they just cut out the extra bits without sacrificing the quality of the trout. 

salad to go with the trout

Salad had a nice dressing, I don't mind acidity, but some may find it a bit too acidic/bitter. Waiter suggested to have the fish first then have the salad as a side. I found the salad flavour to a bit overpowering, so I just had the salad separately after I finished the trout.

Queensland murray cod with confit fennel and young garlic

Moving onto the first hot dish where the plate was pre heated to preserve the warmth. This piece of fish was quite small, but again cooked to perfection. The skin super crispy and again the fish was very soft. It looked like a lot of sauce, but it was the perfect amount. This garlic sauce is better than El Jannah's (which is already one of the best for just cheap eats). The sauce was an emulsion, so it was super smooth without being too garlicy.

Pearl meat with jerusalem artichoke and navel orange

The first of the two meat dishes was this confit chicken which was really moist and smooth, and packed full of flavour with the accompanying jus. The orange was a nice element to the dish bringing some depth of flavour, rather than just savoury.

Wagyu rib eye with chestnut mushroom and yuzu

I loved the yuzu sauce on the side, highlight of the dish. It gave a lovely acidity to cut through the richness of the beef. The meat was perfectly cooked and loved the jus sauce. Mushrooms were plump and juicy. Good end to the savoury dishes.

Blood orange and beetroot sorbet with layer of white chocolate

This was the perfect palate cleanser, and the sourness from the sorbet really cut through to literally cleanse the savoury taste from previous dishes. A thin piece of white chocolate covered the sorbet to help balance the acidity, and on the side were some pearl like things. Apparently they use some science to make them. They're soft and not chewy like your usual tapioca pearls.

Chocolate stone with honey and milk

The dessert was nice but not amazing compared to other fine dining desserts I've had, wasn't expecting much from desserts since I was coming here for their seafood. The chocolate stone had a sort of milk ice cream filling inside and was really soft and not rich. Loved the quenelle of ice cream on the side with some crumbs for texture. The tempered ring of chocolate made the dish more fun. Could definitely hear the crack as your spoon cut through it.

Yay for birthday cake

Tetsuya's chocolate cake

The mousse cake was rich but not too sweet. I'm not a chocolate person, and if I do eat chocolate, it's always dark choc. The mousse was predominately dark choc which I loved, and just some sweetness from the white choc inside.

Petits fours: citrus tart, raspberry and mascarpone macaron, chocolate truffle lychee black sesame

I love these petits four, especially because it wasn't just chocolate. The chocolate truffle was my favourite, since it looked like truffle, but inside was this delicious black sesame filling, what a thin outer shell of chocolate. The macaroni wasn't overly sweet since the mascarpone was light and with a mild raspberry filling. Loved the acidity from the citrus tart as well with a thin layer of meringue.

His first cookbook

Thanks Blair for buying this book all those years ago (way before we met and even he didn't know who Tetsuya was when he bought this book around 10 years ago). So lucky we brought it along with us, since we got it signed! (Well Tetsuya was overseas but they swapped our copy with a signed copy in their stock).

Me being weird even though it's a fine dining place, I started taking photos of the trout dish with the book, and the usual taking a million photos before I eat, even though these days they just get stored since I don't really have time to upload to my food Instagram account or blog about it. Halfway through the meal a waiter said to follow him, and to take our phones. He ended up showing us into their kitchen! First time seeing a commercial kitchen (not through a window or on MasterChef). We were literally on the pass, and seeing all the chefs plate up. Inside was really big, and they explained how they don't use computers, since everyone eats the same 8 courses, so they just cross it out as you complete a dish then make the next one. So cool seeing the head chef in work as well.

peek into kitchen

Bit shocked at the invite into their kitchen, still in awe

Service was impeccable throughout the night as you would expect for a fine dining restaurant.  We did tip them extra since they went above and beyond for our dining experience. Although Tetsuya himself wasn't there (he was to return the following week, but these dining places are more once in a life time not weekly dining so we wouldn't obviously go back just to see him), we were just shocked that they let us have a peek into their kitchen and signed our book! Definitely a birthday dinner to remember.

Hubert

I’ve been wanting to come here ever since they opened, but to make a booking you need at least 6 people, and it’s too hard to walk in on a Saturday night. When the new aperitif menu came up, with pretty cheap price but good quality French snack food, I knew I had to come. Got there at around 5:30pm on a weekday, and waited around 10ish mins for a table. The aperitif menu is only available from 4-6pm, so it really depends if anyone decides to leave the bar area before 6pm. The bar area has decent amount of seating with a mix of bar seats, high stools, lounges and normal tables. Music is a bit louder, but the main restaurant also has music but with a different feel.

food spread

water in a wine glass by candlelight

Negroni-$10

I normally don’t go for drinks when I’m out because they ain’t cheap, but decided to go for a negroni, which I’m guessing is discounted from the normal price. There’s a good hit of alcohol, it’s just funny how  the ice cube in the middle is like half the volume of the glass. I am no alcohol expert, but it tasted decent.

Parfait-$5

The parfait was nice and smooth and well seasoned. Loved the toasted bread pieces, but wished there was a few more. 

Fleur de Courgette-$5

The zucchini flower were deep fried well and not oily. I wished there was some goats cheese or something stuff inside since it would’ve taken it to the next level.

Normandy Burger-$10

inside

Burger was cooked medium rare, and nice and juicy on the inside. Loved the melted cheese dripping on the side. Bread was soft but held the burger well.

 

Will be back to try the main menu on the restaurant side one day. It’s more expensive than a normal dinner, but not as pricey as fine dining, but still want to save it for a special occasion. May also need to find others to tag along with me so I can try more of the menu if there’s a larger group of people to go with you.

Claire's Kitchen at Le Salon

I've literally passed this place almost everyday on the way to uni, and decided to finally come here with BW. I feel like this is one of those 'hidden gems' in Sydney, where you can get authentic French food without it being too expensive. Of course, French food is cheaper in France haha. This place has got a more 'romantic' feel without being overly priced, with ambient lighting and many tables for 2, plus a candlelight on each table which I thought was cute.

entree food spread

Finally used my Dimmi voucher which I have accumulated point for the past 4 years. You get $20 off if you make 10 reservations on Dimmi, or 5 reservations and 5 reviews. 

entrees

Souffle aux forages: Twice cooked three cheese soufflé-$25

inside

The cheese souffle was so cheesy, it was just so good. It’s not like a dessert souffle where it’s very airy and light. This savoury souffle wasn’t as light as a dessert one, but still quite light considering the fact that cheese is dense. There was some sauce at the bottom where you could have even more cheese. The top had that nice caramelised colour which gave it more flavour. It is a good dish to share since it would be too rich for one person. 

Escargots Bourguignons: Traditional French snails in garlic, parsley and Cognac butter (1/2 dozen)-$16

Can’t go to a French restaurant without ordering snails. I don’t think snails have much taste, as it really depends on what it’s cooked with, which is usually herbed melted butter. The melted butter tasted really nice when you dip the bread in it although you are pretty much just eating fat.

Steak tartare: "I recall Margaret Fulton lecturing me in the 1980's on how important it was to hand chop beef for Steak Tartare" so we do and serve it (raw) with condiments and toasted French baguette-$26

mixed

I think the first time I ever had steak tartare was in a small French restaurant in a local area, so nothing fancy but it tasted so good. I can’t eat raw meat or blue steak, but can do medium rare steak. I think I would only have raw steak at French restaurants since you can trust that they sourced the meat and it’s ‘clean’ and free of bugs which could make you sick…The waiter came to mix everything up after I took initial photos. I thought it was quite cute how the yolk is placed in the egg shell. All the condiments went together so well. The spice from the raw onion, mustard, and other stuff. I guess the slight acidity from the other toppings helps to slightly ‘cook’ the beef. It sort of tasted like sashimi, but with beef, so tasted like fresh beef from the ocean. It was served with some crisp bread which contrasted the texture of the beef well.  

mains

The mains we ordered were relatively light and healthy compared to the entree.

Ratatouille topped with truffled poached duck egg and crispy basil-$32

duck yolk

The ratatouille had heaps of different veggies in it. I think it’s the first time having this dish for me so don’t have much to compare to, but it tasted really healthy. The sauce was quite light which was mainly based with tomato. Loved the crunchy bit on top which gave some crunch, but didn’t do much flavour wise.

Ballotine de Saumon et Crevettes: Atlantic salmon and prawn roulade served with crab beurre blanc and rice Pilaf-$38

This is something I normally won’t order since I usually go for a more ‘safe’ option like a piece of meat, but didn’t feel like having steak here, and the only duck on the menu was in the form of a pie which doesn’t look that great in photos. The salmon was wrapped around a prawn mousse. I wasn’t a massive fan of this dish since it reminded me of bland asian fish cakes that my mum tries to make. The prawn mousse was firm whilst the salmon was soft. I loved the crab sauce since it was so flavourful, wished there was more of it. The salmon skin was really crunchy and loved how it gave the dish some height. If you look really closely towards the bottom half of the roulade, you can some glad wrap holding the roulade. They didn’t completely take it off when they plated this dish. Initially me being me and wanting to try everything I was like is this edible…? But then it was definitely glad wrap when trying to cut into it. During the meal the waiter came over and asked if everything was all good and I said yes, but then at the end I’m like might as well tell them. So after I finished the meal and showed the waiter the glad wrap on my plate, he was super apologetic with a French accent. They ended up giving one complimentary dessert.

dessert platter options

Mont blanc w/ macaron and grand mariner ice cream-$18

inside

I think because there weren’t heaps of people so they didn’t have the dessert trolley, but they had a sample of the desserts on a plate which you could choose. I decided to go with the Mont Blanc since I didn’t feel like chocolate or creme brûlée (which I can make at home). The dessert was nice but not amazing. Glad it wasn’t overly sweet but more chestnut flavour would help. One of the best mont blancs I’ve had is from Angelina, and it’s just as good in the original in Paris and also in Hong Kong. The dessert came with a scoop of ice cream and a macaron. The ice cream was a grand orange liqueur flavour, so a sweet dessert orange. Normally I don’t like dessert orange flavours, but it was nice in the ice cream. The macaron was choc mint flavour, again my least preferred flavour combo, but my love of macarons outweighed my dislike of choc mint.

petit fours

Wasn't expecting petit four, but yay for marshmallows. 

chandelier

They have a lot more seating inside and upstairs as well, so this place is bigger than it actually looks. 

this clock reminds me of the clock at Musee d'Orsay in France

It’s a really nice place to go to with good food and service, with a nice ambience.