Milsons

By Franz Scheurer

Milsons’ unobtrusive, colonial façade hugs a street corner just down the hill from Milsons Point railway station and Milsons’ food delights the palates of any discerning gourmet, who either knows it’s there, or follows the recommendation of one of the ‘initiates’.

A warm and typically Sydney space, with polished floorboards, subdued colours and lighting, and an open kitchen, the noise level gets a tad high at times, but isn’t unreasonable, given all the hard surfaces. The whole atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable.

The menu is a great read, combining Australian ingredients with European cooking methods and head chef, Lee Kwiez, is also responsible for the exceptional wine list – after all who knows the food better than the head chef? The selection by the glass is phenomenal and the staff is very capable of answering any query (or know who to ask). I find it telling that even the ‘house’ Single Malt is a Glenkinchie, one of the lesser-known Lowland whiskies and an important ingredient in the Haig’s blend.

We tried the ‘Roasted boneless whole quail with Persian spices filled with pearl barley, tomato and parsley on smoked eggplant puree and preserved lemon’, the ‘Seafood sausage of salmon, cod, scallop and prawn with baby greens and a pineapple and sage vinaigrette’ and the ‘Confit of vine ripened tomatoes and tarragon with a black pepper and garlic tuille, globe artichokes and Woodside goats curd with caramelised balsamic vinegar and rocket pesto’. The quail tickled our tastebuds with a perfect balance of sweet and acidic flavours and a wonderfully textured puree; a superb dish. The seafood sausage was almost as good as Mark Best’s ‘Boudin Blanc’ (my benchmark for texture in this city). The tomato dish convinced with the wonderful curd but wasn’t a showstopper as the tuile tended to disintegrate with the moisture of the tomatoes. For mains we tried the ‘Braised lamb neck with an oven roasted lamb cutlet on baby green beans with a red capsicum infused lamb stock reduction’, the ‘Wagyu/Angus cross beef tenderloin with Café de Paris butter and pont neuf potatoes’ and a special of ‘Peking Duck’. Every dish was a winner. The lamb, the ‘darkest’ dish, was full of reduced flavours with a wonderful bite, the tenderloin was a terrific piece of meat. The butter however, does not qualify as Café de Paris in my opinion, being much closer to a Maitre d’Hotel, nevertheless it tasted great The Peking Duck was an experience with thicker than usual house-made pancakes, great hoi sin sauce and the duck’s flavour showing hints of the Middle East, it worked a treat.

Desserts were just as competent, with a ‘Pave of blueberry sorbet, white chocolate and praline ice-cream and Italian meringue’, a great contrast in textures, temperatures and flavours, and the innovative selection of cheeses served at perfect room temperature.

The food was great, the service was friendly, efficient and never obtrusive, value for money was good and we enjoyed the whole experience. The people of Kirribilli are indeed lucky to have Milsons as a local. When do you guys relocate to Frenchs Forest?

Score: 8/10

For more information or bookings:

Milsons

17 Willoughby Street

Kirribilli NSW 2061

Tel.: 02 9955 7075