Quay

This post wins at being my most delayed post-lunch form over 6 months ago! They are currently on the Summer/Autumn menu and things do change according to season, but concepts stay the same. Here is the Winter 2015 menu.

Harbour views

I've been wanting to come here for over 5 years now eve since the Snow Egg featured on MasterChef in 2010, and what better opportunity than go for my 21st birthday! Booking was at 12pm, and the doors promptly opened. The waiters took our coats and then seated us at the upper level! Yay for views.

 

menus are pretty cool-they flip out like a book. can choose between a la carte and tasting/degustation menu. we opted for the tasting menu, and they give you the menu on a separate sheet/board.

drinks

teas

window view!

upper dining tower

Ginger Breeze-$17

Yes, expensive for a mocktail, but it was a really refreshing drink. Not too sweet with a good hit yet not too overpowering.

wharf

bag holder

Amuse-bouche: miso and mushroom broth, potato mash, truffle

I was delighted to hear there would be truffle on the menu, as well as some mash! I love truffle, and potato mash in a fine dining restaurant is always top notch stuff. Had some at Aria a few years ago and it was divine (but also massive side dish, so we unfortunately couldn't finish it). The truffle smelt amazing and definitely helped enhance the potato. The broth was so amazingly fragrant and full of flavour, I wish there was more than just a small bowl.

Marion, dory caviar, cultured cream, nasturtiums, white flowers

Loved the super fresh marron in this dish, knife slide right through the soft flesh. I think it's one of my first times having marron and dory caviar, and it's so good! Definitely a lot lighter in compared to salmon caviar and less 'fishy'. Beautifully presented with edible flowers.

Congee of mud crab, palm heart, egg yolk emulsion

Definitely not your average Asian congee. This one had an emulsion on top, yet the rice was still soft like congee. The actual congee broth was very flavourful, with real bits of crab (well of course, you wouldn't expect less). Best congee ever. 

XO sea

I'm not really a fan of XO, but this dish turned out to be our favourite savoury dish on the menu. The broth they poured from the pot was so fragrant I could smell it from across the table. The XO is there, but it's a good amount of spiciness which definitely lifted the whole dish. Loved the stack of fresh seafood like scallops, octopus, mussels and other. Nothing was chewy or overcooked even with the broth, and there was also a different dimension in flavour with the pancetta. Completely had every last drop of that broth.

Look at that quenelle of butter!

Bread was really soft as well, even the crust wasn't too hard. Served with butter they made and some salt.

Smoked and confit pig jowl, roasted koi, shiitake, kombu, sesame, sea scallop, milk curd, smoked broth

It was relatively small in terms of the actual plate (compared to the other dishes), but that smokiness they achieved in the broth smelt so good. There was an aftertaste in the smokiness when you tasted it, letting the mushrooms and that kombu (seaweed) and sesame garnish shine through. The pig jowl did have fat on there, but it wasn't overly fatty that you had to leave on the side of the plate. This had my favourite garnish, if only they sold that stuff in packet-I would sprinkle it on everything.

afternoon

Slow cooked duck, black miso rice, celery heart cream, black garlic, ice plant buds

My reaction when it first arrived at the table was how cute the ice plant bud was! It didn't have much flavour, but garnish was on point. Duck is one of my favourite proteins, and although it was seasoned well here, would have preferred it a bit more pink and softer when cutting into it. The black garlic was super fragrant and not 'spicy' like normal garlic. miso rice gave it a lovely texture-chewy and tad bit crunchy. The celery heart cream was that tiny bit of cream under the bottom piece of duck-would have liked more since that cream was so smooth.

Blackmore wagyu rump cap, oak grown shiitake mushrooms, golden orach, seaweed

Perfectly pink and soft wagyu meat which was juicy and seasoned well. Felt a bit weird eating a piece of fat at the end, but it's wagyu so it's supposed to be fatty. Loved how the seaweed just added a different layer visually and also became a slightly crunchy element. There was so much seaweed flavour in that piece, not salt like those ones you buy in packets. First time having orach, which is like  spinach but tastes better. These mushrooms were sooo juicy as well!

late afternoon

We took our time to eat, and most of the other tables had already left, which meant more views for us to enjoy. 

THE SNOW EGG

 

inside

Jackfruit Snow Egg

The flavours depending on the season, and I was lucky to not have a generic flavour (like raspberry) in winter. Jackfruit is kind of tropical like pineapple but not as sweet. Appeared on the table and kept taking photos until the granita (ice) started melting. A small tap with the spoon and it made the loveliest crack. The tuile was super thin-still remember the episode on MasterChef when they blow torched the tuile and it just melted into a sphere. Things like this you can't assemble beforehand, hence you're paying for the skill and the flavour. The meringue inside was so soft and not overly sweet with the tropical 'yolk' on the inside. The granita wasn't icy at all and full of flavour. Favourite dessert to date.

Chocolate Ethereal

This took the longest to plate up, waited around 15-20min, but when it came to the table, you could see why. The tempered chocolate, milk skin, and other toffee like shards were so thin and fragile. One of them was falling down when it go to our table. I'm not a massive chocolate person, but this was sooo good. Not too rich or sweet with a lovely soft nougat on top. My favourite was the milk skin which had a very interesting texture.

Cappuccino

No coffee art unfortunately, but it tasted good.

Blooming flower tea

Petit fours

Sugar cubes so cute

sunset

birthday gift-chocolate truffles

bar downstairs

dining room

hope to be back

Desserts here were my favourite! Savouries were super nice as well, but hope to be back to have another snow egg!

survived three 8am lectures and 9am starts! (despite being late to 2 of them). on wednesday it took me 2.5 hours to get to uni because of that accident which occurred before 6am. leaving before 7 i thought it would clear up by the time i got there. the accident did clear, but not the traffic. first 8am i was so surprised to see the lecture room pretty full. 2nd one half the class turned up. today, about 1/6 lol. i do appreciate doctors giving up their time to come lecture then go to work, but sorry, skipping is way more efficient...

i think i should start skipping lectures next week. can't deal with 6 hour straight break. 6 hour's split into 4 and 2 is a bit better. 5 hours break turns out to be half productive, but no 6. lucky i don't have 8 hours straight break

4th yr kinda feels like 1st yr again. no one from my group is in my allocated group, so all alone, which makes pair/group work more annoying, but i guess just need to deal with it. groups remain the same throughout the whole year.

i have a feeling some supervisors will make me cry internally when we see real patients next week, but harsh criticism is good (which I severely lacked today since the supervisor was too nice)

i am super impressed with this battery on this laptop. been using it since 7am and now it's midnight, and i've been watching videos, normal screen brightness etc and still have over 2 hours remaining (used it for at least 10 hours today)

definitely procrastinating too much...

if i didn't mention already, this semester wins at the longest breaks. 6 hours today (5 hours straight), 6 hours tomorrow, 4 hours wednesday. sorry, can i can't help to mention the dreaded 10pm finish. well 9.30pm they say, but since when did optima clinics run on time?

why do we have such massive breaks? well during those time a group is a the clinic testing on patients, so no lectures can be held during that time, and a eye exam from seeing the patient until the end and after the tute takes well over 3 hours. factor in lunch breaks and what not, i wait for 5 hours until the next lecture. when i have clinic, other people don't have lectures so they just go to other prac classes/go home. the only good thing is that we rotate timetables 3 times in the year, so you get to experience other people's timetables. like the people who had monday night clinic, but still have to arrive at uni 8am tmr morning....that will be me at the end of the year =/

i do plan to go on food adventures and 'utilise' my time at uni because once work life hits, ain't nobody got time for cafe hopping (and food blogging lol) BUT 1. food makes me fat 2. waste of money 3. i should be studying since going home=shower, dinner, sleep. so tempting to just go catch a 10/15min bus ride for a burger...

I think i'm getting used to this 30+deg weather (as long as it doesn't become humid)

we also have a quiz due before 8am tmr, but it's not even released, and I have to sleep in 10min...yolo

first week of uni done. it was deceivingly chill with sleep ins and early finishes, but never again. next week begins the three 8am starts and 10pm finish. and 5th yr starting in January...but i'll think about it  when i make it. i really hope i make it. a supervisor came in today to talk about a technique, and she was so scary. didn't even have time to practice that today D= and it's pretty essential. should have just skipped the easier stuff....

so many components within an eye test that can easily be 'unsatisfactory' and immediate fail, or a lot of almost fails still equals failing the course.

only 2 hours of lecs this week, most lecs start in wk 2, which i don't like since it means they end in wk 13=cutting into my study time...

pandan and lychee cone-$4.00

it only looks bigger because this side of the cone it shorter...wished there was more pandan...the lychee tasted like really sweet lychee. it just melted too quickly this time ): i got it and it started dripping at the back. no time for ice cream from now on, so even though it's money spent, i need to savour this rare spare time.

quinoa and kale salad, grilled chicken salad-$7 (medium)

Missed my bus yday (and the day before as well), so it meant i couldn't wait until i got back home for lunch. everything in qvb is expensive, even though Zumbo has quiches for around $5 it's not healthy (and i still want to attempt it myself). so salad it was. rarely do i by salad outside home, but it's something which i can't make myself...the kale was really soft but not soggy and those currents were delicious. chicken not dry and looked creamy but actually felt healthy unlike normal dressings. their dressings are really well done-doesn't have that oily feeling or make you feel bloated. i understand why people buy salads instead of making it themselves...

Blu Water Grill

Fun mother daughter dinner date x2 somewhere close-ish to home. Haven't been to Hornsby for a while, but it's nice to know they still offer free parking after 6pm (unlike parra who changed to after 7pm, and no free parking at all in December). There are plenty of outdoor and indoor seating, we opted for indoors since it was a hot summer's evening. Quite a lot of people there on a Sunday night.

wine case

hanging lights

Risotto of the day (main): creamy chicken, bacon, mushroom, peas and mozzarella-$25.90

Looks small from this angle, but there was more than enough to share between 4 people. It was super creamy and cheesy, so would be a bit heavy for one person, but perfect to share. Lots of tender chicken with strips of bacon. Would have like more mushroom. It was perfectly seasoned, creamy and cheesy but not overly salty.

Crispy skinned king salmon w/ watercress, rocket, cucumber & preserved lemon salad, spicy water melon salsa-$28.90 

Watermelon made the whole dish so exciting and refreshing! Bit of pepper to spice things up. Heaps of greens with a lovely tangy dressing on top of the salmon. Surprised the skin remained crispy after the salad was placed on top, a million photos, then slitting it into portions. Salmon was fresh, but slightly cooked a bit over but not overcooked like my last encounter...so definitely satisfied.

Tapas Plate: Grilled chorizo w/ honey glazed Spanish onions Kumera chips w/ spicy cumin yoghurt, Twice baked crispy pork belly bits, served w/ pita bread-$22.50

pork belly

sweet potato chips

The tapas plate was value for money, so happy with this decision, and it's perfect for sharing. I chose the pork belly, which was crispy, and not too fatty. There were over 8 pieces in there. The sauce kind of reminded me of an Asian marinade, which is different for Western pork belly style since it's normally just salted. So delicious. Also chose the chorizos, but since sausages are generally quite unhealthy, this wasn't really popular, but I love my chorizo, so ended up having most of it. The extra onions with sauce if perfectly balanced with the bread, since the chorizo itself is quite heavy on flavour. The chips were cooked to amazingly as well, and loved the health-ish yogurt dip. Chips were soft and not oily. Amazed at how all 3 dishes plus our own small dishes and glasses fit onto the table. Two waiters came to place the food and rearrange the table-that skill on point.

Dessert: Lemon & pistachio buttermilk pannacotta w/ Cointreau gelato & toffee 14.5

yummm

Yay-panna cotta served on a dish, and it did indeed have that 'wobble' effect. The panna cotta was really refreshing and not too creamy, maybe because of the buttermilk. There was a lemon jelly-like thing on top, with lemon zest. On the side were cut up strawberries, and pistachio crumb/toffee, which gave the dish a sweetness and texture, and a good nutty flavour. The gelato tasted like the alcohol-kind of like that artificial sweet orange flavour...Melted quite quickly, but homemade is generally like that, still loved the smooth and creamy texture. Presentation was simple and rustic.

Pot of soy-$4.50

On the receipt it said English breakfast tea, but this was just soy milk warmed and served in a teapot. It was enough for almost 4 full cups, so no idea how one person would finish it...We ended up sharing it between 4 people since we were super full.

night

The staff are super lovely, and happy for us to share 3 main dishes, and 1 dessert between the 4 of us. They knew if we needed anything straight away. Decently priced for a place up north, and no extra charged for a Sunday night dinner. Hope to be back to try more!