Est, George St, Sydney

Est, George St, Sydney

Tuesday 10 April, 2007

I knew I was in for another great evening - family, friends (one visiting from the UK) and birthdays! The last time I visited Est was for a birthday celebration and tonight was no different. It's been just over a year since my last visit here and I was really excited, the anticipation........

Est is a fabulous restaurant and it's all about the experience. We started with pre-dinner drinks on L1 and the staff were friendly, courteous and more than happy to accommodate us at the lounges. When we were ready to dine we relocated to our table in the middle of the dining space. The decor is white, elegant and plush with deep chocolate carpet to offset the starkness and it works. It feels decadent and this continues with the food, service etc.

The Est dining experience involves three dining options;

1. The seven course tasting menu for $140, available with matched wines $235. Whole table only.

2. The Chef's menu, $120. A five course a la carte menu designed so that one choice is made from each section, consisting of smaller sized dishes.

3. A la carte dining is also available from the Chef's menu for those that want one, two or three courses.

The choices! Our table of 6 poured over the menus to decide what to. Half decided to go with the 5 course a la carte and half decided to go with the standard a la carte offering. I ordered:

- Seviche of south australian kingfish, jalapeno chilli, mint and coriander (delightfully presented, finely diced with a side of lavosh, the taste was light and fresh)

- Salad of warm quail breast, duck foie gras, william pear and baby beans, hazelnut oil (two decent serves of quail that were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside - very, very good)

- Twenty four hour suckling pig on glazed fennel, confit grape tomatoes and baby beans (WOW - I'm a massive fan - the pork was was achingly good with just the right amount of saltiness)

- Mature goats cheese, fresh fig, salted almonds and green sultanas (rich, decadent, very more-ish and a wonderful pairing of goats cheese and fig)

- Passion fruit souffle (the speciality that seriously melts in your mouth - words can hardly describe how unbelievably good this souffle is)

Everything about Est is impressive. We had a fabulous evening and I definitely do not want to leave it another 12 months before I return.

Est - L1, 252 George Street, Sydney - (02) 9240 3010

http://www.merivale.com/establishment/est