A year down, infinity to go! I can't believe it's been a whole year for us already. Time flies when you're having fun, and that's a good thing to say about being together, isn't it? *^_^* Not trying to overlook that we haven't had our disagreements or kinks, which is a given, of course.
In a simple quiet first anniversary celebration, I decided to book 10-course degustation dinner for two at French restaurant Bécasse in the city.
The experience at Bécasse was quite fascinating, because it's not a place we could afford to go all the time. Lee said, it was surreal having to experience food presented like we've only seen off the Lifestyle Food channel. He was quite tempted to head to the kitchen and yell, "Yes, chef!!!" I agreed that while watching these little jellies and coagulated olive oil arrive on our plates, it was like I was being served by Heston Blumenthal!
On arrival, we were greeted by the maître d' who took us to the mezzanine floor of the restaurant for our table for two.
Our first dish to arrive was a welcoming delicious chives olive oil puree canape. Then we were presented with a bread platter consisting of a pumpkin roll, rosemary roll and an olive oil sourdough stick accompanied by olive oil butter with cracked peppers. Lee, being a pumpkin-nut, enjoyed the pumpkin roll so much so the maître d' brought him two more!
The amuse bouche followed in two little teacups filled with frothy citrus cream and citrus soup. Mmm... delish! Then followed by the salad of heirloom tomato and basil with golden tomato and olive oil sorbet. I particularly enjoyed the next dish - the citrus marinated ocean trout slow cooked in aromatic olive oil with pickled cucumber. Especially for the the olive oil sorbet and cucumber jelly!
The steamed courgette flower with scallop and herb mousseline with citrus sauce vierge was both our favourite. The mousseline was amazing in taste and texture, like a jelly-like mouse bursting with flavour. Although visually, the frothy citrus sauce vierge left Lee with a lot of potential for gross comments... hehe...
Next was the roasted fillet of jewfish with golden enoki, pan fried gnocchi and white asparagus. Yum! The white asparagus was crisp and complimented this dish nice, although the jewfish felt like ordinary grilled fish.
Lee's fave was the mosaic of smoked ham and confit chicken with a salad of apple and radish with mulled cider gel.
We had two options for the main, and Lee had the slow cooked Victorian lamb with semi dried tomatoes, confit kipfler potatoes and Provencal jus. I wanted a stab at the kipfler potatoes, but it vanished too quick! While I was served the roast loin of Bangalow sweet pork with stuffed trotter, Savoy cabbage, olive oil potato puree and Modena jus.
In terms of taste experience, it started to go downhill for me from here on when it started to get too rich. I felt the pork was a bit too salty, and my pre-dessert, arriving with a little extra greeting in chocolate, the pink grapefruit mousseline with buttermilk granita made me decided I wasn't quite a fan of grapefruit. I must say though that the mousseline was yummy, right until I got to the chunks of grapefruit at the bottom.
Lee got a different pre-dessert that wasn't on the menu because he couldn't have grapefruit for medical reasons - a strawberry gelato/sorbet with creme and fresh strawberries - which I declared was better than mine!
We also had a choice of two desserts, and again Lee had the better choice, the caramelised ravioli of lemon cream with mixed berries and yoghurt sorbet. That was sooo delish! It had a better contrast of flavours - the bitter lemon cream, sour berries, the genteel sweet yoghurt sorbet and the muted ravioli dough.
Despite its presentation, I wasn't a fan of my banana crème brulée with salted peanut brittle and milk coffee sorbet. The moment I dug in I discovered how amazingly rich and sweet this was - the coffee sorbet was overpowering especially for a non-coffee drinker, the peanut brittle was soo sweet on top of the already riche sweet crème brulée! Credits goes to presentation tho!
And finally, accompanying our pots of tea was this plate of yummy brandy snaps with Chantilly cream, peanut nougat and passion fruit Madeleines.On the arrival of all the dishes, a different chef would present them to us introducing what was in front of us and open to questions. It was quite fascinating to be able to talk to someone about how our food was done before or after we feasted on the work of art.
I couldn't help but also watch what the other guests were having, and was particularly captivated by what I found out later on was the milk fed veal baked in coffee and clay with confit potatoes, roasted mushrooms and caramelised endive. It arrived at a couple other tables in a tall, narrow clay pot where a chef would present it and entice the guest to take a whiff of it, then carry it away; apparently only later to be served. The maître d' told me that the dish was inspired by the Chinese beggar's chicken.
All in all, it was definitely memorable experience that I wouldn't mind having again to taste their new menu. But next, that elusive famous Sydney institution, Tetsuya's!
Bécasse
204 Clarence Street,
Sydney 2000
Tel: (02) 9283 3440
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