SYDNEY :Quay Restaurant

This is my friend Kristine Gonzalo and I met her in Venice, Italy of all places! She lives in Australia but has moved to London recently.
How did you get a table at Quay? It took me 3 months to get a table at Quay and it was well worth it! Dining at Quay has a perfect balance of excitement, refinement, professionalism and warmth. The waiters and particularly the sommeliers have  intimate knowledge of food and wine that are being served.

Tapioca, mud crab and yuzu pearl with rosemary flowers and edible silver leaf

Smoked eel, octopus and egg white pearl

Marinated scallop and lime crème fraîche pearl with wasabi flowers

Sashimi tuna, horseradish cream and aqua cultured caviar pearl

Crisp confit of rare breed pig belly with green lipped abalone and silken tofu

Confit of suffolk lamb loin with chinese jerusalem and globe artichokes

Guava snow egg

"I am inspired by nature and have coined the term 'nature-based cuisine' to describe my food. Nature offers us so much diversity – a natural elegance and beauty – and it is the organic nature of food, its textures and flavours that is at the heart of my cooking" Peter Gilmore

Quay

Peter Gilmore approached Leon Fink, the owner of Quay restaurant. Leon has developed the restaurant back in 1988 with Tony Bilson, and it wasn't long before it became known as not only a restaurant in a stunning position – right on Sydney Harbour – but also as one of Australia's best restaurant, receiving many accolades. 

The structure of the Quay menu is a four course menu containing three savoury courses and one dessert course, with a choice of four to five dishes in each course. Peter did this for a variety of reasons. Firstly, he found that the main was too protein dominant. He wanted to include a greater proportion of vegetables in his dishes. Also to give diners an extra course gave them more variety. They also offer a set eight-course tasting menu.

I think part of a great dining experience is remembering the detail of the dishes you have eaten… a taste memory. An incredible meal can stay in one's memory for a lifetime.

Sea Pearls

Is one of Peter Gilmore's most original and  beautiful seafood dishes; it is a complex dish using many different techniques. The dish comprises a variety of seafoods set into jellies which are then shaped  into irridescent pearls.

Tapioca, mud crab and yuzu pearl with rosemary flowers and edible silver leaf

Smoked eel, octopus and egg white pearl

Marinated scallop and lime crème fraîche pearl with wasabi flowers

Sashimi tuna, horseradish cream and aqua cultured caviar pearl

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Crisp confit of rare breed pig belly with green lipped abalone and silken tofu

The pork belly is slowly braised in olive oil, cinnamon and star anise for 8 hours until it becomes meltingly tender. It is pressed overnight and then roasted in a hot pan, skin side down, so it becomes incredibly crisp. Married with silken tofu and a gentle braise of green lipped abalone, shaved cuttlefish and Japanese mushrooms to provide an even greater textural contrast to the pork belly.

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Confit of suffolk lamb loin with chinese jerusalem and globe artichokes

Suffolk lamb meat has wonderful fat marbling, resulting in a superior taste and tenderness. The lamb is cooked sous-vide style, coated in it own fat. The lamb is served with three types of artichokes, although each one is a completely different vegetable. Chinese artichokes, also known as crosne, are a rare and hard to find vegetable. They have a crisp texture, similar to water chestnuts.

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Guava snow egg

Strawberry guavas have a deep pink flesh and an exotic intoxicating scent. The combination of the fool, granita and ice cream filled poached meringue is a textural treat. Coating the snow egg in a maltose biscuit adds another dimension – as you crack through the toffee biscuit it gives way to the soft meringue filled with the custard apple ice cream. This dessert is incredibly refreshing.