Sepia

By Franz Scheurer

Named for the cuttlefish not the colour, this restaurant reflects Chef Martin Benn and his partner and front of house, Vicky Wild’s passion for terrific food. With the backing of George Costi of De Costi Seafoods, who first discovered Benn’s light touch and elegant fare at Tetsuya’s, then at the Boathouse, they have succeeded in establishing a quintessential city restaurant and wine bar in an area full of offices during the day and easy parking at night.

The place looks hot! A mixture of high-ceiling loft and an up-close and personal, warm yet modern space, that’s both inviting and cozy, stark with soft lines and lots of browns (no! not sepia!) with a super bar space near the entrance.

At lunch it’s the perfect ‘suits’ place and it’s fascinating how quickly it empties once 2.00pm comes around. At dinner (and interestingly it’s full at night, despite the CBD location, which has daunted many restaurants) it’s private, secluded, intimate and despite the many hard surfaces, not noisy. This is the perfect place for a first date (with a foodie!) or a relaxed meal of exceptional food with friends or even on your own.

The oysters, shucked to order of course, are wonderfully briny and served with a bottle of Tabasco on the side (applause!). We tried the ‘BBQ Silver Lake Eel, Sushi Rice, Confit Leek and Liquorice Powder’ ($23) and the ‘Confit of Ocean Trout, Mushroom Ash, Mustard Shortbread, White Miso, Green Apple Salad, Elderflowers’ ($25) and both entrées were delightful, light and well constructed with interesting flavour spikes (like the liquorice powder) and a hard act to follow. Mains of ‘Crispy Skin Fillet of Murray Cod, Baby Leek, Almond, Wakame, Shiso and Lily Buds’ ($43) and ‘Pan Roasted Aylesbury Duck Breast, Caramelized Fennel, Fennel Candy, Pickled Walnuts, Walnut and Orange Jus, ($40) were satisfying and moreish. The Murray Cod was perfectly cooked, and the accompaniments added depth and texture to the dish. Loved the baby leeks and the lily buds! The duck was tender, juicy and gamey with the fennel candy and the orange jus an aromatic surprise for the nose and a welcome tickle for the palate. Benn’s food is innovative, pretty and, although light, substantial enough that you don’t leave hungry. The staff is quick and approachable and perform their job with a minimum of fuss. It’s almost as if they weren’t there. But the timing is perfect, everything appears as it should, seconds before you’d ever wonder: where is my next course, wine, etc. The wine list is eclectic and extremely entertaining if you’re into wines. I am not so sure a total novice would not be intimidated by the choice of unusual producers and varieties, but a terrific choice of wines by the glass should make it easy for anyone to be adventurous. You could of course just ask the sommelier and listen to his advice. If anyone can put such a wine list together then I’d suspect the advice would be worth following.

Desserts (unfortunately often less than a highlight of a meal) at Sepia are an experience. Pastry chef Yu-ching Lee is a very talented lady and she knows that taste alone does not make a brilliant dessert. She plays with textures like an artist using a brush and the results are stunning. I would go as far as to say that her desserts would have to rate amongst the best in Australia! We totally demolished three desserts (and they’re NOT small), and I was gobsmacked by each one of them. The ‘Mango and Vanilla ‘Weiss’ Macadamia Sable, Pineapple, Lemon Sherbet, Nasturtium Flowers’ ($19) was a symphony of textures and flavours, all integrating yet demanding attention. The thought that has gone into the ‘Elements of Chocolate, Prune, Cocoa Bubbles’ ($20) is staggering and this is a dessert that I could order again and again. The last dessert was ‘Toasted Spiced Marshmallow, Coconut Sorbet, Crisp Chocolate, Sour Cheery and Blueberries’ ($18) and it shone with contrasting flavours and unexpected little pleasures. Loved the coconut sorbet and the sour cherry.

Please leave space to enjoy these wonderful offerings!

They might be the new kids on the block, but they’ll be at the front of the pack in no time.

Score: 8/10

For more information or bookings:

Sepia Restaurant & Wine Bar

Darling Park, 201 Sussex Street

Sydney

Tel.: 02 9283 1990