Restaurant Review by Franz Scheurer
Bronte (not even near the water) is an unlikely
place to find the kind of food that Darren J. Robertson, Shannon
Debreceny and Mark LaBrooy produce. It looks just like a café and that’s
exactly what it is most of the week. They serve great coffee, a plethora of
different teas, lots of different café food and on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday they offer dinner. Is the food good? No. It’s fanbloodytastic!
Not
only can these guys cook but Darren is a wizard at foraging for different
greens and herbs in the neighbourhood. They create amazing dishes with great
produce and this is the sort of food you’d expect to find in the top 10% of
Australian restaurants.
Last
night we ate our way through the following dishes:
Oysters –
presented three different ways
Fabulously
fresh, great flavours and I would like to see a suggestion in which order to
eat them.
Calamari and Smoked Corn
Great
combination of textures
Scampi, Yuzu Curd and Weeds
Loved
the weeds – especially the Warrigal Greens
Pickled Ox Tongue and Kimchi
Love
the soft, velvety texture of the tongue with the punch of the Kimchi
Mackerel, Tomato and Eggplant
This
dish takes me back to time spent in North Africa; great spicy flavours
Mussels, Pipis and Lemongrass
What
a beautiful dish and definitely worth getting your hands dirty. (A fingerbowl
or extra serviette at the end, maybe?)
Black Cake, Fried Egg, Apples and
Beets
Fabulous
black pudding slab with a gooey egg and tiny apple pieces, grounded by the
earthy flavours of the beets
Beef, Burnt Onion and Mustard Seeds
Wagyu
slices served on slow-braised beef (probably brisket) and I must admit I have
never eaten such tender, beautiful Wagyu ever before.
Strawberries, Goat’s Milk, Lime and
Basil
Visually
stunning but the only dish that I’d say was a little boring. Very faint ‘goat’
flavour, and the whole dish lacked punch.
As
I said before, the food is outstanding; actually some of the best I have eaten
in this town. All the dishes are beautifully plated and are a total feast for
the eyes. It’s great to see that these guys understand textures. The food
doesn’t just smell and taste sensationally, it stands out with lots of different
textures, from soft, gooey and chewy, to crunchy, brittle and unctuous and the
balance of sour, sweet, salty and heat is absolutely perfect although this is
not Thai food.
The
wine list is short, concise and appropriate, with a few choices by the glass.
You should find a wine, regardless of your taste and budget and if you’d rather
have a cold drink they have one of the best beer and cider lists in town.
On
the floor you have James Reid, Amanda Ryan and Jeff Bennett. The boys do a
great job, nothing is too much trouble and they explain the dishes very well.
Amanda however is less helpful and obviously more the silent type…
Score:
7.5/10
(Note: the food would get a 9/10 from me; it’s that good; however the café setting, chairs, noise level, etc. brings it down overall to a more appropriate 7.5/10)
Noise: 83 DB
Best dish: everything…
Would I go again: in a flash
Would I recommend this to my friends: YES
For more information go to: http://www.threeblueducks.com/
three blue ducks
143 Macpherson Street
Bronte NSW 2024