Forbes and Burton, Cnr Forbes & Burton Sts, Darlinghurst

Forbes and Burton, Cnr Forbes & Burton Sts, Darlinghurst

Wednesday 13 June, 2007

State of the what???? I know there was some football match on tonight but we definitely made the right choice. Tonight we dined at Forbes and Burton for their special event dinner held in conjunction with the Ultimo Wine Centre. This was aptly called 'Wines of the South of France'.

Owner Adrian Hobbs and chef David Pegrum (formally of Tetsuya) prepared a wonderful degustation menu to accompany each French wine. Well, truth be told, there was actually one course to two - three wines. So for a 6 course degustation we really sampled thirteen wines. Spectacular.

But, let me backtrack for a minute. Before we arrived at Forbes and Burton we met up at Will & Tobys on Oxford St for a pre dinner drink. This place is fabulous - take the stairs to the top floor and enter a warm, cosy environment complete with full size horse statue masquerading as a lamp and several open fireplaces. It kitsch, it works and it's known as the Polo Club.

Now back to Forbes and Burton......we arrived for the special event and walked into a sandstone mecca. I recall this place was once known as Dov. The interior is complete with concrete floors, exposed sandstone walls, simple chairs & tables covered in butchers paper and a sheer chiffon curtain that can cover the windows. As the event was hosted by Ultimo Wine Centre there was a little confusion as to who was charge. We just wanted a drink and found it a challenge to acquire one within the first 10 minutes. After this was dealt with the night ran very smoothly.

Being a special event dinner everyone was placed on tables with other guests. So, there was an initial getting to know you phase. Fortunately, we had a great table of 6 that was there to enjoy all the food & wine and make the most of the evening.

So, what was on offer? The menu looked like this:

On arrival
2002 Castapianne Sparkling red (loved it - light, drinkable and perfect for Christmas in July)

Amuse - Soup au Pistou (finely chopped veggies and soup served in a shot glass)
Entree - Tuna Nicoise (the deconstructed tuna nicoise - very Fernando Adrià Acosta)
2005 Chateau Paul Blanc - Roussanne
2005 Mas des Bressardes 'Cuvee Excellence' Roussanne
2004 Chateau Laffitte-Teston, Pacheranc du Vic - Bilh

Fish - Dorod with confit eggplant (excellent - light, delicate and the richness of the eggplant created balance)
2004 Laurant Miquel Chardonnay / Voignier
2005 Parc St Charles Voignier
2004 Lafran Veyrolles Bandol Blanc

Meat - Roast lamb fillet and braised neck with olive oil jus (just delightful, perfectly cooked and the braised neck was stunning)
2003 Lafran Veyrolles Bandol Rouge
2002 Tempier Bandol Migoua
1995 Chateau de Pibaron

Cheese - Tomme de Chevre (or white mould and young goats log rolled in herbs)
2001 Domaine Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape
1995 Santa Duc Gigondas Haut Garrigues

Warm poached pears with goats cheese sorbet and salted caramel (goats cheese sorbet???? - it was very good and married the salted caramel perfectly)
2004 Jurancon 'Clos Uroulat'

The food was delicious, the wine was served in abundance and the company was fantastic. Complimented by the attentiveness of owner Adrian Hobbs who outdid himself and ensured we had everything we needed (although he was suffering with a head cold) - the entire evening was a journey through Southern France. Ultimo Wine Centre had even prepared a map of the regions so we could envisage driving through the vineyards.

Overall, we had a great night. I'd definitely return to Forbes and Burton for dinner and have already begun a list of wines that I'd like to acquire from Ultimo Wine Centre.

Forbes and Burton - 252 Forbes St, Darlinghurst - (02) 9356 8788