Tetsuya’s – Kent St, Sydney

Sunday, 16 Oct 11

Hello world. Did you miss me? I must admit, when I wearily crept out underneath from the pile of thesis drafts, references and textbooks that has plagued my life for the past couple of months, the sun blinded me. That might have been the lack of sleep though.

But, it’s over! It hasn’t quite sunk in, as there are Masters applications to consider and PhD supervisors to research (so, if there are any psychology researchers who are interested in Heston Blumenthal-esque experiments, do drop me a line) and far too much part-time work to get back into. But in celebration, Tim took me out to dinner…to Tetsuyas. *happy dance*.

We started with potato soup, topped with avruga. Hiding beneath the velvety lightness was a perfectly runny coddled quail egg. A perfect start, that left us trying to scrape up every drop. We indulged in copious amounts of whipped truffle butter (with the unami of parmigiano reggiano and clouds of ricotta) and sourdough to soothe the absence of the finished soup.

Pacific oysters with rice vinegar and ginger were an optional extra which we were glad we chose. A perfect blend of sweet, tart and sea-scent, these were by far the most memorable oysters I’ve had for a long while.

 Chawanmushi, or lightly steamed savory egg custard, topped with uni and wasabi was one dish I was afraid Tim wouldn’t be able to eat, because he doesn’t like egg, sea urchin or wasabi, but he seemed to handle it reasonably well, except for the fact he managed to get a nose-ful of the wasabi in his first bite. For me, the barely set silken custard and the sweetness of the uni was well complemented with the not-too-sharp bite of the wasabi. Actually, I’m craving some now, because it was so comforting.

Continuing with the seafood courses, the sashimi of Hiramasa kingfish was beautifully presented, topped somewhat unusually with blackbean and orange. Listening to the waitress explaining the sauce (‘secret’, she said), the quintessentially Japanese trio of soy sauce, mirin and sake featured, while the blackbean added earthiness to counter the zest of the orange. While I’m normally not a kingfish fan, preferring my salmon, the clean flavours and freshness of the fish drew me in.

The signature dish, the one that everyone thinks of when the name Tetsuya is mentioned immediately captured our attention as soon as it was brought out. The konbu encrusted confit of Petuna ocean trout was succulent, with unami and salty bursts of flavour from the crust. We were also quite taken with the unpasteurised roe, while the fennel salad added crunch and freshness. A fitting signature dish indeed.

The last seafood dish of the day evoked our curiousity. See, it was presented with a strange looking spoon with a notch on the side which puzzled us. Our server enlightened us, the spoon is known as a saucier, and is used to scoop every last bit of the sauce, which was actually quite useful, because the sauce which accompanied the steamed spanner crab was divine. A conglomeration of soft, melting textures, from foie gras and silken tofu to the crab, enveloped with a delicate sauce.

Braised veal shank with broad beans and smoked bone marrow signalled the beginning of the meat courses, heralded by the smoky aroma as the dish was set down in front of us. While the tender veal fell apart at the touch of a fork, we did wish there was more sauce, simply because the meat at the centre of the cylinder was a little drier than the rest.

Tim really felt the breast of quail cooked on the crown and deboned was a standout dish, on par with the ocean trout, and I have to admit, the puffy rice grains and garlic sauce were great. What stood out for me was the paleta iberico, slivers of melting pork goodness.

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Cape Grim beef fillet with wasabi and braised mustard seeds and beef tendon. It always surprises me when I’m not presented with a steak knife when, well, eating steak. Needless to say, we didn’t need it. Beautifully cooked to a perfect medium rare, the beef was perfectly complimented with the mustard and wasabi, the latter without its typical sharp heat. We did wish for a vegetable of some sort, perhaps a potato or some greens, but the tendons on top offered chewy, gelatinous goodness.

Dessert. Wow. Sorrel granita danced and melted across the tongue, refreshing the senses, whilst the hay-infused icecream provided the creaminess. We couldn’t quite pin down the flavour, that odd mix of sweet and tart and green and somewhat squeaky on the teeth because of the cream, but then it clicked. “It tastes like green grape skin”. “Really, really awesome green grape skin.”

The waitress had asked us if there were any desserts we couldn’t eat, custards, fruits, chocolate. Apart from banana, its hard to find a dessert that we don’t enjoy, and so when we started on the bread and butter pudding with bruleed top, we were sold. Sweet custard, plump sultanas, the only small let down was that there was no crack to the brulee top.

Finally, cream cheese icecream and cinnamon twigs sat pretty alongside…

A rich, mousse-like chocolate pave, enrobed in a flawless dark chocolate glaze with specks of sea salt. I’m out of adjectives.

We finished off the meal with macarons, intense bites of coffee and strawberry. Tim was well pleased to have his hot chocolate (His facebook status reads “Finally, a restaurant that doesn’t make a fuss and try to charge you extra for a hot chocolate during the complimentary ‘tea and coffee’ phase of a meal…”) while for me, a genmaicha (brown rice tea) washed away the sweetness of dessert and rounded off the night.

So, what was the verdict? To be honest, in my head, the entire meal so far had been comforting, nothing really pushing the boundaries. The flavours, while tasty, didn’t challenge, say, compared to say, Tomislav (which remains to be blogged) or Assiette, which although slightly less consistent, had dishes which did push the envelope a little.  But then, I’m reasonably adventurous and generally, it’s rare for Japanese food to phase me. Overall, I can see why Tetsuya’s is such a tried and true Sydney institution. Everything, from the decor, presentation and service was polished and refined. For me, I’ll be back, when I can afford it, and I’ll recommend it to my parents for their 25 year anniversary.

For now, there’s a sleep debt which needs recovering and a future to be thinking about…but hopefully far more time and food exploits too. I’m glad to be back.

Tetsuya’s Restaurant is located at 529 Kent Street, Sydney.

+61 2 9267 2900

http://www.tetsuyas.com/

Posted at 9:31 pm in Eating Out | Respond?

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