Restaurant Review by Franz Scheurer
Every now and then one stumbles across something new and exciting and that’s exactly what happened when browsing the shops at the new Westfield; a friend told me to come with him to the 4th floor. Having food on my mind by that time I was rather reluctant but didn’t want to be rude. Purposefully we strode towards a boutique concept store, called Cara & Co and the stuff they have could cost you thousands… My advice: Leave your credit cards at home!
He dragged me away from all the goodies, following the wooden floor that decorated the ceiling (don’t ask) towards the back of the store and ‘voila’ we were at the entrance to a smart restaurant. Wood clad ceilings, clean, modern lines, a wonderful, glowing green floor, tablecloth-clad, good cutlery and glassware… and very inviting (especially as I was really hungry by now).
Looking at the menu I must admit that it needs work; the wording and descriptions of the dishes are simply not acceptable for the Sydney market and give you a totally wrong perception of what a dish is going to be. Nevertheless we proceeded and I must say I’m glad I did.
We started with
a couple of ‘amuses bouches’, a
‘Cauliflower Bonbon’ topped with Avruga and two different preparations of
chives – an oil and a foam. The second was ‘King Fish’ with fennel crisp and
fennel foam topped with quinoa crunch. Not only did they look good, they tasted
every bit as wonderful. They called Avruga ‘caviar’ and later on in an email
from their PR person they called it ‘Herring Caviar’; I don’t really care
what’s on the tin, this is NOT caviar; it’s a fish product (using a small
amount of herring roe to keep the EU authorities satisfied), made into small
caviar-shaped balls by crab stick technology, then coloured with squid ink.
It’s not a bad product at all, but it’s not caviar.
Our entrées consisted of ‘I’m too
healthy for my soup’, a Jerusalem artichoke, hazelnut, apple and lime soup that
is simply stunning and a
‘Foie gras 24 carats’, goose liver
mi-cuit foie gras pieces with beetroot,
rock oyster and brioche. Again, a solid dish that presented well.
For mains we had ‘Echoes from
Antwerp’, John Dory, buttermilk potatoes, Tasmanian salsify (two ways), quail
egg, Avruga and chives. This was excellent showing off good textures and my
favourite vegetable. I do think we don’t see salsify on menus often enough. My
companion had the ‘Beef Story’, sirloin (dry aged), pumpkin, black garlic
emulsion, celeriac and Vin Santo. Beautiful meat and a good dish, although
having the same type of crunch on top as the fish is probably not the best
idea.
Bread and butter were first class
and I commend the restaurant for not only offering more bread throughout the
meal but never trying to whisk the bread plate away until at the end of the
main course.
Desserts were smiling at us and we
decided to have the ‘Nutty Lemon’ a ‘nest’ of pearls and corals using ice cream
and coated hazelnuts. Was this good? No, it was sensational! We also had the
‘In rhubarb we trust’, a lovely rhubarb, pomegranate, yoghurt and lime leaf
dish that inspired.
As I said: the menu names and
descriptions need work, but Chef Jan Oravec’s food is flawless. Prices are
reasonable and the wine list is considerably better than I’d hoped for. Service
is friendly and informed.
This really is a ‘mini Harvey Nichols’ and unless you know about it you’d never find it. I do however ask you to make the effort and check this place out.
Score: 7/10
Noise: 67 db (it was pretty empty at the time)
Would I go again? Yes and take some friends
Best dish: Nutty Lemon
For more information and bookings:
Cara & Co
Level 4
Westfield
188 Pitt Street
Sydney
Tel.: 02 9226 9988
http://caraandco.com/en/restaurant_caraandco/carares/