Etch Restaurant, Sydney

Sunday, 7 Feb 10

I’m an absolute sucker for pretty things. If its swirly, floral or has a butterfly motif, I’m in. In fact, Tim even attempted to get me to play Supreme Commander by extolling how pretty the graphics were (‘The missiles even leave contrails, and when you put up a shield and something hits into it, it shimmers!’ …It didn’t (and won’t!!) work, Tim). But that’s beside the point. I mean, I’m the type of person who is likely to go to a restaurant just because its aesthetically appealing. Exhibit A: Etch. I mean, just look at that logo, you can’t really expect me to resist.. So when one of the cousins suggested Etch for dinner, I was absolutely delighted.

I must say, I was highly impressed at the design of the place. Nestled in the sleek luxury of the Intercontinental Hotel, it is certainly impressive, but it is the small details that make it a vibrant restaurant. A recurring cockerel motif , french white sideboard, beautiful light-pieces and all manner of quirky details, not to mention the same cuckoo clock which makes itself known every five minutes on the website, gave it a modern, yet classy, atmosphere. The service was also impeccable…well, almost – more on that at dessert ;)

A fine philosopy, in my eyes.

One of said gorgeous light-pieces.

The cousins were fashionably late, but forgiven, as there was so much for me to ooh and ah over, including the menu. It was impossibly hard to choose, but thankfully, amongst the eight of us, we were able to cover a very decent proportion of the savory menu.

Caramelised pork belly, confit prawn, pea, radish – 21

I love the vibrant green of this dish, though my camera didn’t bring it out very well in the slightly too dim lighting. C suggested the crackling could have been crispier, but I must have been lucky and was delighted at the crunchiness of the bit I tried. And pea puree makes everything better.

Pan-roasted Queensland scallops, cauliflower puree, bhaji, curry oil – 21

When this dish was brought out, the smell of the curry oil and the fried bhaji whetted our appetites and made us eager to dig in. K seemed to enjoy it, and certainly, the meltingly soft interior of the bhaji combined with the crispy exterior would be a lovely contrast to the juicy scallops.

Wild mushroom tortellini, Madeira consumme, sauteed mushrooms – 21

Three mushroom-laden tortellini swam enticingly in a rich, heady stew. Tim seemed tempted to lick the plate clean, and I wouldn’t blame him at all, the consumme was amazing, both earthy and rich and enhancing, rather than hiding the mushrooms.

Crispy spiced duck, watermelon, cucumber, black bean vinaigrette- 22

This dish was voted best entree by half the table – I don’t think it actually made it down to the other end of the table. I heard exclamations about how amazing the watermelon was and the duck was perfectly seasoned and cooked. If only all fried poultry cold be this good…

Marinated Hiramasa kingfish, avocado, wasabi, lime – 21

My entree was refreshing and light, the sharp acidity of the lime mellowed by creamy avocado. I didn’t pick the sauce to be wasabi though, it missed its usual heat, though the silkiness certainly paired well with the kingfish.

Local sea bream, crumbed scampi, fennel puree, citrus a la Grecque – 31

I tried a little of this, but unfortunately don’t remember a lot about it, so engrossed was I in my own main. I remember a very distinct aniseed flavour from the fennel puree though, which C unfortunately did not enjoy. I have to say, the citrus a la Grecque component on the side looks rather tempting, and makes it a very pretty dish.

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Ballotine of free range chicken, peas, crispy gnocchi, sweet corn veloute – 32

According to that paragon of wisdom, Wikipedia, a ballotine is a piece of meat, fish or poultry that has been boned, stuffed and then rolled and tied into a bundle, and then usually poached or braised. I’m not sure that does justice to the perfectly cooked piece of chicken on Tim’s plate, but it’ll have to do. I was rather distracted by the fluffy pillowy gnocchi, which I’m sure I could happily snack on all day, and the sweet corn veloute. J and Tim got drawn into a discussion of these ‘new-fangled foams’ that now cover the dishes of ‘every restaurant in the world’, since J’s roasted short-rib of beef was veiled in a horseradish foam. I would like to point out though, that the veloute featured and adored on Tim’s dish is also a foam, and that the veloute style of sauce has been around since the 19th century. So there, stop complaining it’s too modern.

Side dish – Heirloom tomato, marinated red onion salad – 8

We ordered one of each of the four sides, and enjoyed every single one of them immensely. Competing with the hungry cousins though, I only managed photos of the one dish that also happened to be the most aesthetically pleasing of the four. The heirloom tomatoes brought out a flavour that I had never before experienced, having previously only really eaten the watery supermarket imitations. It was both sweet and unami-laden, refreshing and summery. Quality raw product indeed.

We also enjoyed the broccoli, burnt butter and almonds side, but the star was the provencal potatoes, aged proscuitto and smoked garlic mayonnaise. Potatoes, proscuitto, garlic. There was no way in the world this could go wrong, except that there wasn’t enough of it.

Flathead, Serrano ham, Parsnip puree, potato fondant, jus gras

Fish…plus ham…I was half dubious, half excited at the combination. And I’m glad I chose it, as the firm textured flathead stood up to the ham very nicely, rather than being overpowered like I’d feared. The potato fondant was a nice touch too, though I found the parsnip puree to be just the slightest bit too bitter for me, but that is just personal preference (this could well be my first time eating parsnip, actually…hmm..). I was a little saddened by the presentation though – a little too much brown, and not quite neat enough, compared to the works of art surrounding me.

The other main which was not photographed was the spaghetti, sauteed prawns, wilted gem, orange, basil and prawn bisque. An intriguing mixture of flavours, and the spaghetti was cooked al dente, but K wasn’t a fan of the prawn bisque. They commented (perhaps, too loudly?) on the notes of licorice overpowering the dish, which was strong, though I found it to be tolerable enough. But enough about that, onto dessert!

Etch lolly tray – 15

“Pistachio bonbons, chocolate…something…uh…they’re like thins..” The waitress walked away sheepishly, before returning with a embarrassed grin, “Pistachio bonbons, chocolate orange thins, mint icecream lollypops and coconut sherbets.” We cheered at her success. And later, when I was trying to rattle off the foursome to K, another waitress walked past and suggested perhaps I could take the job instead. We were highly amused ^___^.

This tray has been so acclaimed by the foodbloggers of Sydney that I could not resist, despite the murmurs of rebellion originating somewhere from my left. And I was not disappointed. Even not being a fan of the Jaffa, the chocolate and orange combination won me over, the potential sweetness foiled by a thin coating of cocoa. The mint icecream also elicited a grin – I was a choc-mint icecream lover as a child, and to put such a familiar dessert in the form of a lollipop elicited both nostalgia and happiness.

K takes a photo of me holding the lollypop

But the ultimate surprise came in the coconut sherbet. Straws of coconut resembled innocent biscuits, until I bit into the end. *crunch*…oh god! I giggled, as the sensation of pop-rocks fizzled and crackled across my tongue, and everyone at the table turned around and looked at me as if I had gone quite insane. Of course, I had fun offering it around the table and watching their expressions change from skeptism, to shock, to pure childlike delight. The extra spoonful of sherbet was also eagerly shared and devoured, amidst much recollection of those coke foot-lollies that you dipped in poprocks, and wizzfizz sherbet.

Chocolate and peanut butter mille feuille, Manuka honey marshmallow – 15

The nostalgia did not end there. C and J exclaimed “oh my gosh, they’re actually marshmallows” and sure enough, marshmallows there were, as well as chocolate, peanut butter icecream and fond memories of smores over the gas stove (we never really did the camping bonfire thing). And it was so beautifully plated, like music notes scattered across the staves.

Caramel date tart, burnt butter icecream, Earl Grey tea syrup – 15

“Hurry up, the icecream is melting!” Tim hurried me along. The tart was silky and sweet, and the Earl Grey tea syrup added a floral scent that I could not identify at first, but added an extra dimension to the dessert. We couldn’t taste the burnt butter in the icecream, but were more than satisfied with the vanilla that came through. Desserts were certainly a winner amongst those of us who were willing to sacrifice some of their waistline for the full experience.

Overall, I was personally thrilled with Etch, even if some of the company didn’t appreciate it as much as I did. It has extraordinarily reasonable prices (note the $30 mains), friendly yet professional service (with a great sense of humour), a warm, quirky, atmosphere, and great food. I’ll be back, for sure. It’s too pretty not to.

Etch Restaurant
Phone: + 61 2 9247 4777
62 Bridge Street, Sydney 2000
http://www.etchdining.com/

11 Comments

1. I’ve wanted to try Etch for ages, but my partner went to have lunch there and wasn’t terribly impressed. Your review just makes me want to try it more!

   Comment by Rose — February 7, 2010 @ 9:08 pm

2. how awesome is the lolly tray! the sherbet is fanfreakingtastic!

   Comment by chocolatesuze — February 7, 2010 @ 9:08 pm

3. First and foremost, I too deeply agree with you, I know it is pedantic to pick on social etiquettes however punctuality to what seemed like a family function is of the utmost importance to me! It urks me, especially when it is in regards to people who I believe to be on an equivalent social standing, have complete disregard for ‘us’selves who arrive earlier in order to ensure and perfect the evening for the sake of THEMselves! But I too generally forgive this for I feel these people need constant encouragement to ensure it never happens at future occasions.

   Secondly, on a lighter note, those photos you have taken are “fanfreakingtastic” as so eloquently stated by chocolatesuze. My mouth is salivating as I am scrolling through these photos of delight! I commend you on your exemplary and ever-developing ability to taste beyond a common level, which makes your blog such a pleasure to read.

   May the Cooking Gods be with you!

   Comment by cookingangel — February 8, 2010 @ 12:29 am

4. @Rose – I certainly would recommend it. Next time, I would go at lunchtime just to get better lighting though!

   @chocolatesuze – Absolutely agree =)

   @cookingangel – I can’t really say that I’m always punctual to family functions (esp if Tim is coming too), and I do understand that parking is impossible to find in the area, so I’m a bit flexible in this aspect. Thanks for commenting!

   Comment by chris — February 8, 2010 @ 10:05 am

5. The light piece looks like a jellyfish! Beautiful.

   Comment by Jen — February 8, 2010 @ 2:37 pm

6. Ahhh, I keep meaning to dine here but still haven’t managed to! And I love swirly/leaf/floral/butterfly motifs too – hence why I like the background of this blog so much =p

   Comment by mademoiselle délicieuse — February 8, 2010 @ 6:13 pm

7. I’ve been meaning to go to Etch for ages, especially for the lolly tray and the desserts! I love the angel wings, I wish I had a pair of those sitting pretty in my house hehe

   Comment by Jacq — February 9, 2010 @ 2:05 am

8. Hi Chris&TIm,

   We’ve been following your food blog for a while now and have been inspired to start one of our own!
   Here is the link to our blog http://nomnomnibblies.blogspot.com/
   Please pop by when you have time!

   Love, L & J xx
   P.S We’ve been wanting to go to Etch for ages and it looks like your post gave us another reason to go :P

   Comment by L and J — February 10, 2010 @ 2:18 am

9. At least the waitress made a joke out of her inability to remember the name of the desserts! Some of them just lie about what it is! The millefeuille looks so tempting and the mains just got me wishing I was there right about…now! :) Yummy post!

   Comment by Sweets at Vicky's — February 10, 2010 @ 2:01 pm

10. haha I soo know what you mean about pretty food! etch looks damn good !

    Comment by Grace — February 14, 2010 @ 1:52 pm

11. Awesome restaurant! Yet to try as much food as you guys had but the Chocolate and peanut butter mille feuille etc looks awesome.

    Comment by Howard — February 15, 2010 @ 12:07 pm

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