Steersons - Bridge St, Sydney

Christmas dinner at Steersons (formerly Kingsleys). Actually, I planned to cook some stuff for Christmas eve, but when I found out that I'll be the only one who would be cooking the feast, I backed down, LOL.

Christmas eve in Sydney was almost dead-silent - everyone must've gathered home for dinner. Only lazybones like myself dined out. Well, to be fair, there were lots of Asian and Italian families dining at Steersons that night, too. The place was quite festive, but instead of the restaurant making the effort, it was the guests. Everyone dressed up (especially the Italian family) and taking photos, etc...quite a pleasant atmosphere.

2005 Irvine Merlot, Barossa Valey, SA

-> Smooth, complex, and my amateur tongue detects a hint of plum and citrus. A very interesting drink.

Rating: 7.5/10

English cheddar souffle with crispy bacon & sage

-> Yum. It really is what a souffle should taste like. Smooth, warm, and the crispy bacon is just heavenly. Everything melts in your mouth, delightful.

Rating: 8/10

Chicken liver pate with botrytis jelly, cornichons, & toasted brioche

-> The pate has quite a strong taste, and so does the jelly and cornichons. Overall, I'd say that everything is too powerful, and this creates a poor balance of flavors.

Rating: 6.5/10

Grilled spatchcock with asparagus, fennel, field mushrooms, truffle & parmesan

-> Oh, joyful. The spatchcock is cooked to perfection, and the aroma is just heavenly. Certainly beats dry, overcooked turkey that I attempted last year, LOL

Rating: 9/10

Australian Angus beef top sirloin, served with chips and port jus

-> Quite excellent. Steaks are, after all, Steersons' speciality.

Rating: 8.5/10

Pre-dessert chocolate-covered coffee beans

-> YUM YUM. The bitterness of the coffee beans contrast beautifully with the sweetness of the chocolates. Addictive.

Rating: 9/10

Chocolate fondant with lavender & honey ice cream

-> A tad too sweet for me, but blisfull nontheless. A great dessert.

Rating: 8/10

Liqueur affogato - espresso with vanilla bean ice cream and frangellico

-> It's good, especially the vanilla bean ice cream, but the coffee liqueur is a tad too strong in my opinion. I ended up just using 1/3 of the coffee.

Rating: 7.5/10