SupperClub at St Pauls College

Oh, what a night!!

Historic = ●

Distinctly average = ●

Dismal = ●



Hugh talking cheese

Setting the scene:
Before I start this month’s supper club review, it’s worth noting that we were not visiting a restaurant. Indeed, our venue for the evening was the Senior Common Room at St. Pauls Collage. The theme was cheese,canapés and Frank Sinatra. All cheese was supplied by Hugh - former cheese sommelier to the British royal family no less - and all canapés expertly created by Sarah Overton. Regardless of this, we applied our rigorous supper club assessment model and adjudged accordingly!

Food rating: ● (how we voted. red - 0, orange - 1, green - 6) 

Scrumptious, delectable, delightful, delicious and mmmm...creamy were all words muttered constantly throughout the evening. But what was on the menu? Where do I begin? How about with these sandwiches: chicken and almond and smoked salmon with dill and crème fraiche - served on white bread with the crusts cut off. Excellent.

The pikelets with caviar get a special mention. Yum.

The cheese platters were presented wonderfully; and sumptuously accompanied by sour dough baguette, rye, lavoche and grapes. Alongside cornichons, chutney, radishes, dried fruit, quince paste, strawberries and pomegranate.

Think still-life painting. In Tuscany. In Roman times. And you start to build the picture.

The cheese selection was phenomenal. And there was something for all tastes. Soft, blue, goats, cheddar - all of international calibre and with its own unique story; too varied and complex to list here. One particular cheese smelt like old socks - luckily is tasted rather good.

The brie blended with truffles was well and truly historic! A cheese you must try before you die! Incredible.

Someone suggested one of the cheeses was “zesty and exuberant" – was that the red wine talking? Or was it one of the most astonishing cheese experiences we had ever had?

At one point we even had a ‘cheese interlude’ (Hugh told us the correct way to crack a sealed Parmesan) – which is the first time a cheese interlude has ever occurred in the history of suppers. Fact.

Service rating: ● (how we voted. red - 3, orange - 2, green - 2)

If we are to be strict about this - and only a little harsh to Sarah and Hugh - the reason this gets a red is because the impeccable food was self-service. Ergo, there was no ‘service’, per se, as you served yourself. Never mind the fact that the food had been organised at the venue on our arrival and presented perfectly......

Atmos rating: ● (how we voted. red - 0, orange - 3, green - 4)

The venue was historic. Quite literally. Think Harry Potters School. Think Dead Poets Society. Think dark mahogany and chesterfields. Think incorrigible carrying on’s in darkened corners of Gentleman’s Clubs in Westminster. This created a atmosphere that is hard to find in contemporary venues.

WOW factor?

Where do I begin. The entire evening was WOW!



Overton’s opening speech was peppered with French - oh la la. Hugh’s cheese orientation was captivating. The piano got a work out with a duet from Sam F and Overs. And the bubbles and red wine flowed throughout. The only thing we missed was retiring to the ‘next room’ for brandy and cigars.

Overall rating: ●  (how we voted. red - 0, orange - 0, green - 7)

Altogther, really rather splendid.

www.stpauls.edu.au/collegelife

The search for Sydney’s best restaurant, continues...





Cochin - Surry Hills



Sam, Hugh and Sarah

Rice to meet you, now duck off.

Historic = ●

Distinctly average =   ●

Dismal = ●

Food rating: ● (how we voted. red - 0, orange - 1, green - 6)

I can’t back this next statement up, but I’m going to say it anyway – rarely have a group of people been so excitable, happy and praising over such an array of food – there I’ve said it. Considering we ordered a  plethora of different, often flavour conflicting, appetisers, entrées and mains, the food was consistently good. And in a world of chaos, consistency is a welcome mistress. Yes, the food came in a weird order – it’s a Vietnamese restaurant after all -  it didn’t matter, because it kept us guessing and each new dish was a surprise! And didn’t disappoint. Now you may think I’m a crazy, over-optimistic fool, but let it be known, here and now, that the Fresh Prawn Summer Rolls were declared the ‘best ever’ by Jane Erikson, the Salted Squid - with rock salt and sichuan pepper ‘excellent’ and the Turmeric Curry Fish ‘historic’ (even by Knaps who doesn’t like turmeric, or fish, or curry or something). The surprisingly simple Stir Fried Seasonal Vegetables with garlic and olive oil and the Steamed Prawn Wontons also get a mention. Somebody mentioned the Chilli and Salted Duck Breast was too salty – I’m still trying to work out whether or not that’s a justifiable comment or just a load of bollocks.

Service rating: ● (how we voted. red - 0, orange - 3, green - 4)

One extremely doting Vietnamese lady who served with a constant smile. The service may have been sparse, but the nice, little lady was attentive and friendly. Orders were taken, food was served, wine was chilled - what more can you ask for? So it gets a green. Nice. However, the reason it gets 3 orange marks is because some felt that the service expressed, was the service required. Nothing flash, nothing special, but the service one would expect.

Atmos rating: ● (how we voted. red - 0, orange - 6, green - 1)

Overton suggested that Cochin had an atmos that induced big conversation. And it did. Conversation weighed in and struck some hefty blows for religion, belief and karma! Not for the light hearted. However, that comment slightly masks the reality. When we first arrived the place was deserted - not a massive problem as Cochin is only a wee place – but the atmos needed a slap around the face and told to fire-up. The décor didn’t help. Cochin is clean and minimal which is fine, but it has beige linen walls. Bland. The only glimmer of life in the atmos was some piped in music, barely audible, which appeared to be Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You – being played on the lute! Which nobody has played for the past 400 years.

Daya with a cheeky little rosé

WOW factor?

Two things, none of which relate to the restaurant:

1 – Dayas delectable choice of wine – a cheeky little rosé from the McLaren Vale - War of the Rosés

2 - Overton’s poem – below:

We were all a flockin,

To the fabulous Vietnamese Cochin,

Where some enjoyed the fabulous salt duck,

But other couldn’t give a f*ck,

PS it’s Cochin – next SupperClub is rockin’.

Overall rating: ● (how we voted. Red - 0, Orange - 4, Green - 3)

Cochin delivers Vietnamese food of the southern tradition, with an emphasis on the French influence (that’s from the website!). It also delivers contemporary music from a once forgotten musical instrument. What does all this mean exactly? I don’t really know. What I do know is, the food is fab, so check it out.

http://www.cochinrestaurant.com.au/

The search for Sydney’s best restaurant, continues...

FireFly - Walsh Bay

Historic = ●

Distinctly average =  ●

Dismal = ●

Food rating: ● (how we voted. red - 0, orange - 5, green - 4)

There is a great joy in ordering food. Being confronted by an exciting menu of mouth-watering breads, meats, sweets and cheeses acts as a tantalizing tease to the pre-dining experience (FireFly does this particularly well) but, alas, due to this size of our group - nine of us - we had to order a banquet. We opted for the deluxe banquet ($44pp) which offered the best array of meat, vegetarian and sea food. The food is ‘Tapas’ style share platters. The normally historic haloumi with marinated watermelon, mint & almonds was good but a bit dry and the lamb and pork meatballs and organic sweet pork chorizo with romesco sauce were also decent.

Service: ● (how we voted. red - 5, orange - 4, green - 0)

Anyone spot this? Good service was harder to find than a straight bloke on Oxford Street. Ordering a beer is a well established and well loved process, honed over many years.  Ever since some wondrous bloke decided to mix malted barley and malted wheat with hops, it has never been an enigmatic process. It was here. The beer ordering process was as enigmatic as the beers themselves. As Ducky found out. Staff seemed disengaged, as if serving us was somehow putting them out their way. The manager was more concerned with playing on his laptop (doing what? taking future bookings? rearranging his iPod?) than focussing on the current customers/service.  And we were told very curtly, by said manager, to vacate our seats so the next ‘sitting’ could come in. There only seemed to be two people actually serving, which may have compounded the problem (if they were indeed short staffed – why wasn’t the manager doing more?). The overall service may have survived an orange, but this final act plummeted our already shaky opinions. What good can I say? Well, they did serve us our food I suppose. We didn’t have to fetch it from kitchen.

Atmos: ● (how we voted. red - 0, orange - 0, green - 9)

I’m of the opinion that you make your own atmos – hence why it gets a green. That said, FireFly was very busy which added a buzz. We ate as the day enveloped us in warm dusk - the colour of golden wheat, which may, or may not, of had any effect at all.

WOW factor?

What? You means apart from Rusty’s opening speech and Overton’s leather mini skirt.....?

Well, FireFly is a water-front small bar set within the old docks which adds a touch of historical character that most venues lack. If you happened to be sitting looking ‘outwards’, FireFly offers nice views between the wharfs at Walsh Bay. The boats and apartments of Sydney fantastically rich and famous add a nice touch of class.

Overall: ● (how we voted. Red - 1, Orange - 7, Green - 1)

The first SupperClub restaurant gets off to a OK start. FireFly has lots to offer, but needs to tighten the reins on a few rudimentary errors.

(Dropped a few marks for having a toilet that is a postcode away from the actual restaurant)

http://www.fireflybar.com.au/