It’s Friday night after a very
long week at work. I have tickets to go see ‘The Beards’ at the Manning Bar,
but they won’t be taking the stage till about 10 pm. My date, being the
workaholic he is won’t be out of work until 8 pm so I have a few hours to
kills. Hey Mum fancy dinner out? My treat? Deal.
I have wanted to try this
share-plate restaurant in Pyrmont since it first opened its doors to reveal a
funky, mod interior that is all light wood furnishings and dark walls with
large French windows that open out onto Harris Street on a hot night. My thinking was ‘why not give it a try for
lovely lady-night-out’? Surprisingly Graze has space to squeeze a last minute
booking for two on a Friday, only if we come straight away though. So come we
do.
Mum and I are escorted upstairs
to a nicely spaced dining room decorated in the same style as downstairs. There
is a balcony that faces onto Harris street with counter-space and seating for
four diners, an ideal people-watching spot I’ll be sure to nab next time
(especially on a Saturday; the crowds that go to the Casino are hilarious!
Ladies the world is not your gynaecologist). Despite the emptiness of the
restaurant at this early dinner hour the atmosphere is intimate and relaxed, none
of that awkward whispering-until-the-room-fills required. The staff, are among
the best I have encountered, they are ever-present, never intrusive, have
perfect timing and are happy to chat and have a laugh. Furthermore they are not
‘gimicky’ (as much fun as that is at times), they are just really good at what
they do.
So what to eat? Well the jamon
and cheese toasty with cauliflower milkshake just sounds too good to pass up.
The toasties are mini, buttery and crispy, with the warm cauliflower milkshake
served in a mini Perspex milk carton. How fun! We also get truffled duck egg on
toast with parmesan and grilled asparagus. These little soft-poached gems are
stunning. The earthy truffle combined with the bite of parmesan, crunchy toast
and asparagus make for a dish that should be on every cafes lunch menu. Simple,
not fussy, ever so perfect. The soft shell crab with native finger lime
dressing is also lovely, but my heart belongs to the duck eggs.
For mains we have chicken wings
with sweet potato puree and corn that has a lovely balance of sweet and salty.
The wings have been nicely de-boned so you can eagerly stuff your face with the
juicy, tender meat. The second main of filo wrapped lamb doesn’t quite hit the
right notes though. The pastry isn’t as light and fluffy as we would have
liked, and it isn’t ample enough to absorb the juices from the lamb mince.
While the pastry has remained crisp, there isn’t a flavour that comes through
strongly enough to be the centrepiece of the meal. It is a bit flat. All this
food is washed down with a lovely Italian wine that I randomly select (I am
really flying blind here, Australian wine is the only type I know anything
about) and it turns out to be lovely (but naturally too much led me to forget
the name of it). Reminds me a lot of a granache, mourvedre blended with
something else. Smooth.
Desert consists of Eaton mess,
strawberries, meringue and cream has all the right components, but not enough
meringue and a bit too much cream. The balance of flavours needs work. The
espresso crème brulee with rhubarb has lovely texture and the interesting
combination of espresso and rhubarb is nice. I could go another one to myself
(we had to share didn’t we?).
Overall this place is warm and
welcoming, a lovely option if you want to linger of nice wine and food to catch
up with friends, family or the other half you keep neglecting for episodes of
revenge.
http://grazepyrmont.com.au/
