Cafe Sydney | Circular Quay
Cafe Sydney captures the essence of Sydney with panoramic views of our harbour on the rooftop of Customs House. There's a cocktail lounge, relaxed vibe and an outdoor terrace where you can have a long lunch on the lounge. It's very pricey but a great excuse for special occasions I guess. I'm not a fan of fine dining places - don't get me wrong, it's a great experience and feels very special however, I'm someone that enjoys substance. Matt being the romantic he is decided to spoil me and in the lead up to the surprise, he sent me the menu (so I can take my time studying what to order), gave me clues and whatnot. It was very awkward when I was getting excited guessing other restaurants - I've never thought of dining at Cafe Sydney!
Entree
Matt selected the cured salmon, bug tail, salmon roe, creme friache, avocado, cos, lemon dressing as his first course. To be completely honest, when this dish arrived at the table I thought it was just garden salad. The lemon dressing was almost non-existent to the point where we thought it might've been forgotten on the plate. The salmon and bugtail to salad ratio was 20:80 and definitely did not 'wow' us. Not a great start to the three course meal.
Entree
On the contrary, I ordered this amazing salt cod croquette which was delicious. I sense a bit of envy and jealousy coming from across the table - haha. It was flavoursome, soft, crunchy and just yummy! The zucchini flower caught my attention. I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED the zucchini flower and was so excited to dig in.
On the contrary, I ordered this amazing salt cod croquette which was delicious. I sense a bit of envy and jealousy coming from across the table - haha. It was flavoursome, soft, crunchy and just yummy! The zucchini flower caught my attention. I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED the zucchini flower and was so excited to dig in.
Main
The suckling pork belly was cooked to perfection and when the pork is pressed down during the cooking process it makes the presentation so pretty and consistent. The apricot was slightly strange but brought a different texture and sweetness to the dish.
The suckling pork belly was cooked to perfection and when the pork is pressed down during the cooking process it makes the presentation so pretty and consistent. The apricot was slightly strange but brought a different texture and sweetness to the dish.
Main
The herb dressing was quite oily and there were a few pieces of leaves on the dish. The barramundi was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. I was secretly hoping the zucchini on this dish was stuffed but sadly it wasn't.
The herb dressing was quite oily and there were a few pieces of leaves on the dish. The barramundi was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. I was secretly hoping the zucchini on this dish was stuffed but sadly it wasn't.
Dessert
This was absolutely divine (except for the honeycomb). The amedei chocolate creamaux, poached apricot and vanilla ice cream worked so well together. It would've been better if the brownie was served warm though *drooling. The honeycomb was a huge letdown on this plate. It was tough, chewy and borderline stale. We expected it to have that fresh, honeycomb crunch and crumble away from us. But instead, we were left trying to pull apart our jaws without pulling out our teeth LOL.
This was absolutely divine (except for the honeycomb). The amedei chocolate creamaux, poached apricot and vanilla ice cream worked so well together. It would've been better if the brownie was served warm though *drooling. The honeycomb was a huge letdown on this plate. It was tough, chewy and borderline stale. We expected it to have that fresh, honeycomb crunch and crumble away from us. But instead, we were left trying to pull apart our jaws without pulling out our teeth LOL.
Dessert
Nothing to fault about this dish, everything was perfect. The coconut panna cotta was wobbly and had the perfect amount of creaminess and zing from the passionfruit sorbet. I would order this dessert over and over again.
All in all, they have the best location in Sydney with break-taking views but the food unfortunately let them down. I had high expectations for a highly regarded fine dining venue.
Nothing to fault about this dish, everything was perfect. The coconut panna cotta was wobbly and had the perfect amount of creaminess and zing from the passionfruit sorbet. I would order this dessert over and over again.
All in all, they have the best location in Sydney with break-taking views but the food unfortunately let them down. I had high expectations for a highly regarded fine dining venue.