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Coast Restaurant – Darling Harbour, Sydney

Thursday, 9 Sep 10

A student, an ex-food executive, two software geeks, an illicit drugs specialist and a financial modeler walk into a restaurant on a dark rainy night. No, this isn’t the beginning of a corny joke, though the combination did lead to much laughter throughout the evening.

The Short One had been dying to meet up for a while. A long while. 2 years, to be exact. Somehow, we had managed to elude all her attempts to have us visit her and The Tall One at home. But not last night. We met The Short One, The Tall One, the Flexi-tarian and the Wine-buff for a long awaited dinner at Coast Restaurant, which ironically is not on the coast but does have gorgeous waterfront views, looking out over Darling Harbour as umbrella mushrooms hurried past and flags danced as though at a rave.

Green pea soup and truffled goats cheese

We inquired about the degustation menu, and were thrilled upon hearing that just for tonight, the chef was willing to let us choose dishes off the menu and incorporate them into our own custom tasting menu! The Flexi-tarian and I did count the number of desserts and it would have worked very nicely, but we were vetoed by the rest of the table who wanted substantial food haha.

When the green pea soup, the pungent earthy aroma of the truffle oil immediately wafted up, resulting in a collective sigh of “mmmmm”. It could have been a little smoother for my liking, but actually felt far more subtle than the initial slightly overbearing scent would suggest, the earthiness of the truffle oil bringing out the sweetness of the peas.

Seared yellow-fin tuna, candied almonds, orange, ruby grapefruit and witlof

This was one of my favourite courses. The sashimi grade tuna was just seared enough to get a little caramelisation going, while the candied almonds gave the dish lovely crunch. I also enjoyed the witlof which didn’t have the bitterness I typically associate it with.

Pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni, burnt butter and sage

This was a nod to the Flexi-tarian, as well as a desire to have a little more vegetable matter in the menu. The burnt butter and crispy sage smelt amazing, a combination I shall have to replicated at home sometime. Quite possibly my favourite dish of the night!

Roast duck, farro, mustard fruit and balsamic

So, learning something new, mustard fruits are not actually the fruit of the mustard tree as we were hypothesising, they are actually normal stone fruit marinated in mustard essence, which explains the nectarine-like texture we all observed. It was sweet and spicy at the same time, and cut through the richness of the duck nicely. We were all pretty pleased with the duck considering we had been extolling the joys of crispy-skinned peking duck earlier on in the evening – the skin was nice and crisp, and the farro (a type of grain) added nuttiness and bite.

Grilled grain-fed Wagyu sirloin, marble score 6, rocket, horseradish mascarpone and roasted sirloin

Glorious meat. The wagyu was perhaps a little tough to cut through on the end with lots of fat, but tasted delicious otherwise, the fat adding a lovely mouthfeel. I only wish there was more to enjoy! The steak was served with a tomato salad and mascarpone cream which just hinted at the heat of wasabi and horseradish

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Tomato salad

Pomegranate granita

The Flexi-tarian and the Short One didn’t really enjoy the granita because it was too icy, but I definitely enjoyed it as a tart segue-way into dessert.

That didn’t stop everyone from finishing it off! I really want these cups, so cool!

Apple rhubarb crumble and spiced marscapone cream

The dessert part of the evening pretty much came down to the Flexi-tarian and myself, in negotiation. She had picked cassata, which unfortunately was unavailable that evening, so her second option, this homely apple and rhubarb crumble was chosen. I especially liked the combination of apple and cinnamon =D This is comfort food at its finest.

Chocolate pannacotta, candied blood orange and chocolate soil

If the first dessert had been chosen because it involved fruit, no guesses as to why I chose the chocolate pannacotta are needed. So rich, it practically resembled chocolate ganache or a pots du creme, its only flaw was that it didn’t pass the wobble test. The chocolate soil reminded me of milo (^__^) while the candied blood oranges provided relief from the sheer decadence of the dessert. Put it this way, I was defeated by the last couple spoonfuls. And that almost never happens.

The degustation menu cost $99 per head for 7 delicious courses, with an additional $70 for matching wines (i think), which 3 members of our table enjoyed. The service was very accommodating to our every need, and I’m not sure my water glass ever got below 3/4s empty, though I believe the Tall One had a mild complaint about that towards the end of the evening. But considering they graciously allowed us to make our own degustation and even allowed the Short One an extra taste of the second-last dessert wine so she could compare the two, I would rate the service quite highly personally. Overall, it was a great night to catch up with friends and enjoy being warm while admiring the reflection of lights on Darling Harbour. Good Times.

Coast Restaurant

The Roof Terrace, Cockle Bay Wharf

Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW 2000

P: 02 9267 6700

F: 02 9267 6711

Posted at 8:41 am in Eating Out | Respond?

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