Quay - The Rocks, Sydney

Last Saturday, Cheesecake Boy and I found ourselves at Quay.  As a very special friend of mine, KFC Girl vowed to spend eternity with her now, other half.  KFC Girl and, now KFC Boy held their reception at Quay.  The picturesque outlook of Quay as some of you may know, is truly spectacular with the Harbour Bridge on one side, and the Opera House on the other.

Canapes started off the reception, and Cheesecake Boy was quite a fan of the king crab ravioli, they had a lovely texture and a subtle taste of the king crab coming through.  However, my friend K, who was also there to celebrate the special occasion found the ravioli to be tasteless, so definitely a mixed reaction.  If you are one for strong flavours, then this canape was not going to appeal to you, but if you like subtlety and pure flavours then the ravioli ticks both those boxes.

King crab ravioli

Everyone enjoyed the spinach and Gruyere cheese and risotto balls.  It's hard not to love crunchy and cheesy risotto balls that hit all the right notes.

Spinach and Gruyere cheese and risotto balls

When we were served our entrees, I was thinking that it was perfect that Cheesecake Boy got the prosciutto entree as he is crazy about all cured meats and I got the scallops, as they are my favourite shellfish.  However, I actually preferred the Italian prosciutto, green figs, roasted almonds, baby rocket and spring onions entree.  The combination of the sweet proscuitto, green figs and almonds was a match made in heaven.  Surprisingly, Cheesecake Boy was not quite as taken with this entree as I was.

Italian prosciutto, green figs, roasted almonds, baby rocket and spring onions

The entree of roasted sea scallops, lime creme fraiche, asparagus, fennel, spring onions, leek and lemon jam dressing was a thing of beauty.  This dish was really delicate in taste and presentation.  Each separate element on the plate was lovely in its own right.  To my surprise, I actually enjoyed the vegetables in this dish more than I did the scallops.

Roasted sea scallops, lime creme fraiche, asparagus, fennel, spring onions, leek and lemon jam dressing

Sushi Girl and I chuckled when the pork belly was served, as KFC Girl is really a pork belly crazy girl at heart.  Naturally, the bride was going to need her pork belly fix to survive the rest of the day.  The pork belly was beautifully cooked and each layer was distinct in texture and taste. Loved the combination of the prunes and pork belly.  While the inclusion of hazelnuts provided an additional textural change as did the cauliflower cream.  However, I found that the cauliflower cream was quite bland and did not enhance the taste of this dish.

Roasted pig belly, cauliflower cream, hazelnuts and prunes

I had to take a photo of K's beef main.  Unfortunately, Cheesecake Boy's beef had slide off to one side and the potato puree had smeared across the plate with the beef, and the dish became a sight for sore eyes.  Cheesecake Boy gave me a piece of the beef, and the beef was cooked perfectly.  However, I did not get a chance to try the other elements, so I am not able to further comment. However, when I pestered Cheesecake Boy for a description he said he'd forgotten what it tasted like, as he didn't find it memorable.

Roasted fillet of pure Angus beef, potato puree, baby spinach, bitter chocolate black pudding crumbs and morsels

The sides of roasted potatoes and salad, were both simply done. The potatoes were lovely and fluffy on the inside, and the salad really did refresh the palate as the mains were quite rich.

Side of roasted potatoes

Side salad

Wedding cake was going to be the dessert of choice, so there were no snow eggs or eight texture chocolate cake to be served.  We did cheekily enquire if sneaking some dessert on the side would be possible for a group of us, but we were curtly told that we would have to order four courses to be allowed to order dessert.  We knew that we didn't really have a shot, but I guess you never know if you don't ask.  However, petit fours were served with cake and they came in the form of dark and white chocolate truffles.

Petit fours

I am usually a dark chocolate girl deep down, but the hazelnut praline won me over.  The orange fondant was also lovely and truly complemented the richness of the bittersweet dark chocolate.

White chocolate truffle with hazelnut praline

Dark chocolate truffle with orange fondant

When it comes to a restaurant like Quay, it's not just all about the food, but the entire dining experience as well.  There is no doubt that the food was technically brilliant and the quality of the produce and ingredients were superb.  The food excels in technical perfection and subtlety.  Unfortunately, for a restaurant of its calibre based on this experience,  Cheesecake Boy and I found that the service left a lot to be desired.  However, the views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House were stunning, and could easily be considered one of the best views in Sydney.


Dining away, Dumpling Girl.


Quay
Overseas Passenger Terminal
Level 3
The Rocks NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9251 5600
http://www.quay.com.au/