Level 3 restaurant, Cnr George & King Sts, Sydney

Level 3 restaurant, Cnr George & King Sts, Sydney
Saturday 7 July, 2007

Tonight we were off to see 'Company' at the Theatre Royal. Looking for somewhere closeby to dine beforehand I remembered that boutique hotel on the corner of George & King Sts - The Blacket Hotel.

I also decided to try the online restaurant reservation tool - Menulog - which worked a treat and sent me an instant confirmation plus a reminder the day before.

Entry is located on King St and you walk into the very cool hotel foyer before taking the lift to level 3. On entry you notice the plush white leather lounge seats and pink lighting which scream 'camp' but work. The dining space also spills out onto a well covered verandah that looks over George St to the NRMA building opposite.

Strangely though, the dining room had been cleared to make way for an Album launch and 21st combined. God help us. I'm still at a loss as to why they accepted our dinner reservation when they had this function booked. Despite this the staff welcomed us and sat us at the white leather lounges. When we enquired what was going on the waiter explained that at 9pm they had a function booked and it wouldn't impact us at all.......

We looked over the menu and everything sounded fabulous. I couldn't go past the baby squid filled with chorizo and prawn stuffing served in a saffron consomme for entree and the char grilled black angus fillet served on whipped garlic potato and poached marrow for main. My theatre buddy ordered the wild mushroom & walnut tartlet with a frizzee salad and topped with Gorgonzola for entree and the baked supreme of chicken filled with provolone and truffle paste with fondant potatoes and lemon oil.

About 10 minutes later the fun started - the DJ arrived to test the sound system, followed by the balloon man to fill the place with festive balloons and finally the family of the birthday boy to stick up posters. We called the waiter over and she managed to get the music turned down. Shortly afterwards our entrees arrived and they looked great. The baby squid was seriously good and would rival any stuffed squid I've ever eaten. The chorizo & prawn stiffing was diced and served in an open length of squid. It was perfectly cooked and the saltiness of the chorizo matched the seafood.

The mains were delivered and again we were impressed by the presentation. The black angus fillet was tender and well cooked to my medium rare specifications. The whipped garlic potatoes were deliciously good and I felt very decadent eating the massive pile on my plate. My dinner buddy was equally impressed with her meal and we sat there pondering how the food could be so good when the surrounds were so disappointing.

The service was pretty average - our waiter didn't bring cutlery to the table and then forgot a soup spoon for the consomme. She was very laid back and needed a earthquake to move her into action. That said, I'd like return on a night when there are no functions and the restaurant is fully functional.

Level 3 restaurant, Blacket Hotel - Cnr George & King Sts, Sydney- (02) 9279 3030


http://www.theblacket.com/