So now we come to the final post from our Sydney 2012 trip: Dinner at Tetsuya's!
Tetsuya's
529 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9267-2900
Website
We have a tradition with our friend An, where we shout each other dinner for our birthdays each year. (Last year he took us to Vue De Monde, and we took him to Embrasse). And this year, he decided on Tetsuya's. Wow! I know, we're super lucky! An's a very organised guy - it was at the start of the year that we said: "Hey, want to come to Sydney for a weekend in August?", and in less than a day he'd organised his flights, our hotel and the dinner booking. Wow! He says his love of fine dining started when I suggested we go to Rockpool Sydney back in 2005... looks like I've been a good (or bad) influence on him over the years!
The ambience was very old school - the type of place I imagine my dad would have frequented on his corporate card back in the eighties. The restaurant is on two levels, separated into many rooms, with the tables widely spaced apart, and carpeted floors! (I can't think of any new restaurants with carpet). Our table, on the second floor, overlooked a little Japanese garden - very House of Blue Leaves! The effect was one of privacy and intimacy, without feeling cold or isolated. The service was fantastic too, with all staff members coming across as completely capable, but also very warm and friendly. Love!
We did the full ten-course degustation (which I'm pretty sure is the only option). I obviously didn't quiz An about the cost on the evening (how ungracious would that have been!), but afterwards I looked it up to provide some context for this blog post - it's $210 per person, with wine progression starting at $95. I wasn't in the mood for a big night, so asked the sommelier to recommend two glasses of wine for the evening - he suggested a white to go with the seafood courses, and a red for the meat courses. Unfortunately I can't remember the names (or even varietals!) of the wines, but they complimented the meals perfectly, and I was happy to leave my wine choices in his capable hands!
I must admit I was a little worried about how Sandra, our non-seafood eater, would fare at Tetsuya's, but I needn't have been apprehensive. We informed them about the dietary requirements way in advance, and the chefs did a mixture of amazing vegetarian and meat dishes for her. They looked stunning and, I'm told, tasted beautiful. It certainly wasn't a lesser version of the normal degustation, and there were quite a few courses where I had serious dish-envy!
Ok, so given that this was such a long meal - seven savoury courses, two dessert courses, plus amuses bouches and petits fours, I'm gonna stop with the full sentences now and let the pictures and captions do all the talking. Rest assured, everything was delicious, made of incredibly high quality ingredients, and beautifully put together. I literally said "Wow!" and "Oh yum yum yum!" at each and every course. Enjoy!
Warm bread rolls |
Tetsuya's truffle butter with parmesan cheese |
Drinkies |
One of Tetsuya's signature dishes - the trout was amazingly creamy and tender. Total bliss!
Salad |
And inside... cute surprise! Chocolate sauce!
... and another surprise of berry sauce!
Aaah... too pretty! I loved the caramelized hazelnuts, and look at the perfect consistency of that filling!
Short macchiato |
Cafe latte |
Petits fours - meringues and macarons |
9 comments
You're right - the pictures and captions DID do all the talking! wow.
ReplyDeleteI can see how the Ocean Trout bloew your mind - everytime I see this it makes me weak. Loved reading your Sydney series.
Ah, this post brings back wonderful memories from my visit there. The food and atmosphere were the best I've ever experienced (and probably still is even though I've been to Quay and Vue de Monde since then)!
ReplyDeleteThe trout in particular was amazing. Glad to see you had a great time there too!
What a beautiful meal. I was mesmerised at the truffle butter!!
ReplyDelete*sigh* I last went to Tets in 2006 ... it was so good! I took my mum there as a thank you for my graduation... so many memories at this place!
ReplyDelete*sigh* I last went to Tets in 2006 ... it was so good! I took my mum there as a thank you for my graduation... so many memories at this place!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to Sydney next week :) So you're 2012 Sydney posts are definitely going to help me a lot!
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend wants to go to Tetsuya so much! And I would love to take him but lol we're already going to the Quay! Now I kinda regret not making a booking for Tetsuya everything looks AMAZING! And very different from what I expected hehe ~
I think i need to start this fine dining tradition with my friends too :D
Adrian - Thank-you! I can't wait to go back to Sydney.. so many different places to try! That ocean trout was AMAZEBALLS! Now I can't order confit ocean trout anywhere else, hehehe. :)
ReplyDeleteSophie - Yay! Glad to hear others loved Tetsuya's as much as I did.
Jac - Omg, I could have had that truffle butter with bread as a meal in itself!
I-Hua - Wow, you're such a great daughter! Your mum is very lucky. :)
Daisy - Oh yay! Hope you have a fabulous time in Sydney!!! :)
xox Sarah
Ooooh SO NICE. I definitely have to make it there one day. :)
ReplyDeleteAgnes - You so do! You have to try to get someone to shout you too, hehe ;)
ReplyDeletexox Sarah