Having rang up to book about two weeks in advance, we were pretty fortunate to land ourselves a table considering it was a last minute thought. I came across Tetsuya via Masterchef and since then, have been pondering on the likes of dining at his restaurant. It is fascinating to learn about an individual's life journey, both the bitter and sweet experiences.
The entire restaurant was beautifully decorated with a few paintings on the wall and sufficient space for diners and waiters to whiz past. Despite it being night time, I managed to catch a glimpse of his garden which must have looked spectacular in the day. Tetsuya offers a 10 course degustation menu for $220, excluding wine pairing.
We were offered two different types of bread to go with the truffle butter and of course, you are most welcomed to request for more. I wish I had because the butter was very fragrant, light and aromatic. It spreads like cream but has a butter-y like shine to it. Very yummy and it's a good start to our degustation meal.
Pacific Oysters with rice wine vinegar and ginger ~ how Tetsuya managed to concoct this is beyond my imagination. It had a slightly tart taste, a bit of pungent ginger aroma and sweetness from the fresh oyster. I would have liked more but let's not be greedy, shall we?:P
Savoury custard with avruga ~ without a doubt, all of us were not familiar with every ingredient placed in front of us but we were happy to try it out. This reminded me of a typical Japanese chawan mushi (steamed egg custard) but it was much more softer and was very fragrant indeed. Loved this one too and fingers crossed I am able to recreate something similar.
Carpaccio of snapper with umeboshi ~ fresh and slightly sweet, this may have been inspired by Tetsuya's background but made fusion.
Marinated scampi with walnut oil and egg ~ at this point, I was at fresh seafood heaven. The egg yolk may have been freezed a bit to retain it's shape. It did not melt or crumble when I pierced it with my knife. A very interesting combination but definitely kudos for innovation.
Confit of Petuna ocean trout with a salad of celery, witlof, apple and unpasteurised ocean trout roe ~ Tetsuya's signature dish that must have been created many years ago and until today, it still is a favourite among diners. And I second that notion. My piece of ocean trout was confit very well and topped with a salty seaweed mix that is just blew me away. I want more.
Roasted moreton bay bug with braised oxtail ~ we are now approaching a more carnivorous selection of dishes which is a good transit from the lighter dishes we had earlier. The oxtail was braised very well and bay bug cooked nicely.
Tea smoked quail breast with parsnip and calamari ~ I can't remember the last time I had quail breast but I do for sure know that this one is cooked well as it still had a tinge of pink. The parsnip and calamari served as perfect condiments to the game-y quail breast.
Roasted lamb rack with black olives and artichoke ~ I liked how every single dish is presented well with attention to detail. This dish was a bit more toned down compared to the earlier dishes that we had but still cooked to perfection and most certainly, respecting the produce itself.
Sauternes custard with achacha and berries ~ dessert started off with a lightly flavoured custard that has little pieces of berries embedded in it and topped with granita. Reminded me of Quay's guava snow egg but I think this one has it's own charm to it.
Tetsuya's chocolate cake ~ strangely enough, this also reminded me of Quay's eight texture layer cake but with its own little elements. No fancy show of us diners, just a really decadent chocolate mousse cake that has a very shiny gloss on it. Ending the entire course with chocolate gets an approval tick from me.
Petits fours ~ pretty pink miniature macarons and chocolate truffle. To sweeten up the entire night!:)
Dining at Tetsuya is a unique experience on it's own and for a very special event, it is probably one of those things I have to sample at least once whilst in Sydney. Worth a try for anyone keen on Japanese fusion food done by an expert:)
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