Austrailian Series 4: Tetsuya Restaurant, Sydney, NSW

First of all, I would like to thank my mother, who had decided that we should show up 1 day earlier in Sydney(We were previously at Canberra), which in turn responsible for allowing to have a table at Tet's. We got in town, I called Tetsuya's to asked to be put onto waiting list for the nights I am in Sydney. An reservationist picked up and told me she could offer me a table the next night, which was the only night I have no reservation for any restaurants during my time in Sydney. I was aware that Tet's was a difficult place to get in. Little did I know how lucky I was until the next day.

Tetsuya's located behind a historic house in central Sydney, operated by the so very famous Tetsuya Wakuda A prominent structure, the restaurant's Japanese styled exteriors and entrance offers the unpenetrable yet calming opulence only a high end japanese establishment would have. For a structure like to be in downtown Sydney, in spitting distance to a protected historic house, is, some what strange to say the least. The interior of the restuarnt seemed to be the result of the clashing of two very different ideas. The long hallways and partially covered dining room seemed fairly Japaneseto me, yet the overall dirt-like, woody colors on walls and various art pieces suggests something native. The staff was friendly.

Restaurant: Tetsuya's Restaurant, Sydney, NSW
Tasting personnel: Dweeb, Dweeb's dearly loved girlfriend.
Menu Selection: 14 Course Degustation Menu @AUD 195.00, With the addition of an Oyster App. @ AUD 9.00
Remarks: Sydney Morning Herald's good food guide 3 chef hat(toque) award.

Restaurant interior

Table setting

Bread


Course 1
Cold Corn Soup with Saffron & Vanilla Ice Cream
Simple amuse/appetizer here. The quality of the corn was wonderful. the natural sweetness permeate. the ice cream offers delightly temperature contrast. This course does not proclaim the arrival of something great, nor does it screams for attention. It's simple, quiet and subtle. very good start for a proper meal.

Course 2
Pacific Oysters w/ Rice Vinegar & Ginger
Fantastic Oyster, from fairly cold waters offers a very firm, meaty texture. the rice vinegar sauce complimented the mineral, salty-ness of oyster perfectly. Another dozen would have been very nice.


Course 3
Smoked Ocean Trout & Avruga Caviar
Smoked trout has a fairly subtle smoky flavor. The texture of it was a bit sticky, which might have to do with the process of smoking itself. The carviar was, well, the carviar. There's very little I could say about it that I have not yet said about carviar before. The egg yoke was quite remarkable. it's not the typical runny egg served with tartare, nor is it cooked. it's somewhere in between. Try to inmagine a hybrid between the yoke of a Chinese salt perseved egg and the yoke of a slightly overcooked soft boiled egg, if you can. While the texture itself was firm, it doesn't have that crumply and light texture of a cooked egg yoke. Instead, it has a also waxy texture that almost resists knife cut, with an intensely golden orange hue. The mouthfeel was very smooth, coherent with texture of the trout and carviar. Very good.

Course 4
Leek & Crab Custard
Custard cooked perfectly. The green drip is chive oil, I believe.


Course 5
Shrimp trio:
Grilled Scampi Wrapped in Pancetta
Scampi in Sea Water & Melon Scented Olive Oil
Marinated Scampi with White Miso & Passion Fruit
The Shirmp in seawater was one remarkable setup. Instruction was given by the waitstaff to let to take out the shrimp slowly, allowing the beautiful olive oil to coat the shrimp. The texture of the shrimp itself feels barely cooked. Combined with the incredibly fragrant olive oil, and the spiky saltiness of the seawater, the shrimp makes for one incredibly rich and satisfying bite that both primal and elegant.


Course 6
Confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Konbu, Daikon & Fennel
Green Apple Salad
Before tasting, I was told by the waitstaff that this is dish the house is known for. I am not sure if Confit in australia had caught on a new meaning, the trout is, well, raw. Given the thickness of the slab and it's natural oilyness, the is by far the most substantial fish app of the day. The quality of the fish is impeccable. Konbu, sea salt and fennel on top gave the fish a much needed texture contrast, as well as an attractive aroma. Green apple salad provided the proper conterpoint for the fish's oilyness, accentuating it's flavor. I can see why people consider it the house dish. It's Japanese, Indredients are great, and it's such an easily approachable dish that needed little to no thinking to be enjoyed fully.


Course 7
Terrine of Queensland Spanner Crab with Avocado
Tender, silky terrine reminiscent of fishcake found around asia.


Course 8
Grilled Fillet of Barramundi with Braised Baby Fennel
Very Tender and delicate barramundi filet here. With this dish, the menu is taking it's inadvertent turn. The texture of fish slowly goes from firm and oily to soft and delicate, Signifying the arrival of the heavier dishes after. This dish itself is quite well done. The fish is very tender, again, it's to the point where it's thin fibres can almost melt in your mouth. The Baby fennel was braised to equal softness to compliment the fish, the bitterness given by the fennel makes good counterpoint for the fish, this is almost like a palette cleansing dish, with delicate flavors within.


Course 9
Breast of Duck with Braised Witlof and Sansho, Walnut Jus


Course 10
Grass Fed Beef Fillet with Asian Mushrooms
At last, the meat and potato course arrive. The beef was very flavorful. As you can see in the picture, very well cooked as well. However, knowing that this is fillet, I would love to see a bit more fat in the beef. The mushrooms became the star of the dish, it's heady, earthy aroma filled the air, complementing the beef perfectly, elevating an otherwise not so stellar dish. Quite satisfying.


Course 11
Tasmanian Heidi Gruyere With Lentils
This is the possibly the one course closest to perfection. Simple, yet absolutely divine. The light gruyere somehow matched with the sweet cooked lentils perfectly, making this one indescribably sophistated mouthful that gave stellar unison between the very many contrasting textures and flavors aside from the obvious sweet and salty. This is master at work.

Course 12
White Peach Sorbet, Champagne Jelly, Straberry Shortcake
The meal could have stopped at the last course, and I would have gone home a very happy man. The remaining of courses were no where near the goodness offered by the earlier dishes, and therefore much less memorable.


Course 13
Lemon Scented Floating Island with Vanilla Bean Anglaise


Course 14
Chocolate Ganache with Green Tea and Red Beans


Petit Fours


Symbol on Men's room door


Symbol on women's room door


Gift from Chef


To sum up, The dining experience at Tetsuya was wonderful. While I do not think it is the French Laundry of Australia like the Doc described, It offered a very pleasant lasting memory with many sparkles that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Dear friends, if you know you will be in Sydney in 2 months time, start making reservations. It's worth the trip and a half.
Ah, little did I know at the time of making the resevation, Barry, my waiter at Quay, told me that Tetsuya opens the phone line for resevation "something like" "Once a month", and it's usually impossible to get a table even if you get through. He had very little to comment after hearing how I got my reservation. Hey, you never know.