Tetsuya's - Sydney, NSW

the one that made it to every single top restaurant list, three top hat, yadda yadda yadda...

apparently still the hottest table in town and the 3-months waiting list is actually not just a myth..

after years being bombarded by travel-related books and magazines telling us that this is a must-go for Australia, I finally decided I do have to go... (okay, the fact that i might be leaving for good in about two months means an agenda full of food to eat... you'll get to drool over my yuck quality pics later (we know dim lighting is the sh*t and we dont want to be one of those obnoxious people with flash yea?))

so after a few phone calls (my company didn't need much persuasion at all...bless) and a walk in the rain later...

Santa Vittoria
choice of still or sparkling

#one: Shiitake broth with black truffle
very light and comforting
a somewhat surprising start

#two: smoked ocean trout and avruga caviar topped with quail eggs
we were asked to break the eggs first for the yolk to run through... yummm... one of us who simply dont eat raw food and actually liked this... but have to say.. caviar still doesnt do anything for me...

#three: Leek and Spanner Crab Custard
glamourised chawan mushi... not to say i didnt like it though..

#four: Scampi Cooked Three-Way
L-R: scampi wrapped in bacon, raw scampi in sea water with lemon oil, raw scampi with passionfruit
we each have our favorites... mine was the one with passionfruit... sounds weird and unexpected... yet the flavours actually worked so well together... (finally get what Ramsey was going on about lamb doesnt go with peach)... throw rocks at me... but it really was like magic! huahahhaha

#five: Confit of Ocean Trout served with Unpasteurized Ocean Trout Roe
the signature dish
definitely one of the stand-out dish... totally get why this is his signature dish... we are all gushing about the dish as we chewed on it... the nori on top makes it even more special... i think i'm buying his cookbook just so i can get the recipe for this... not that i can actually dream to re-create it...

#six: Ravioli of Spanner Crab with Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette

#seven: Fillet of Barramundi with Braised Baby Fennel

#eight: Twice Cooked De-boned Spatchcock with Olive and Caper Jus

#nine: Thinly Sliced Wagyu Beef

just another one of my favourite...

Comte with Lentils
lentils taste like green beans... which surprisingly taste good mixed with parmesan... not that i will start eating green beans with cheese...

#ten: Granny Smith Apple Sorbet with Jelly & Mont Blanc
hate apple... love granny smith...the sorbet though... a lil too sour and too cold... so cold i get chills in my brain
mont blanc - a chestnut cream dessert I discovered back in high school and always had a thing for... this version by tetsuya beats any other version i've had so far...

#eleven: Caramelized Apple Pie served with Rum Ice Cream
our waiter insisted that this is one of their best desserts... i have no complains

#twelve: Chocolate Terrine with Mascarpone and Cognac Anglaise
flourless chocolate cake is always good... some of us (not me, i like sweet) did say it was too sweet though...

Petit Four
T to B : Dark Chocolate Ganache, Green Tea Marshmallow, Chocolate Macaroon, Almond Shortbread
dont like anything cated with powdered cocoa, green tea flavoured anything is just plain weird, miniature version of anything is just cute, did he just steal 'putri salju' recipe?

Choice of Tea or Coffee
our pick: japanese green tea and chamomile tea

all that coupled with numerous photo taking and trash talking (martabak, kuay teow siram, dom perignon, "om"... hahahah) for three and a half hours, no less, spells the end of another night as we walked home in the rain...

okay... so i did went in thinking that i will walked out thinking the place is overrated and never want to go back... made it a one time thing.... now.... i do want to go back again! the unexpected food combination, the service, the zen garden, the attention to details like the lil gold pin on the waiter's tie... (even when the table next to us kept staring...) the place is a must-go... and if you do go... look out for the interesting toilet sign... :P