we were visting the sophisticated dining room of bacarrestaurantto sample the new spring menu by award winning executive chef, ben nicholls. bacar is situated on the ground floor of the luxury 5 star pullman hotel at sydney olympic park and what a greatrestaurantto visit if in the area, going to a key sporting match but still wanting a contemporary dining experience. it is great to see hotel restaurants are picking up their game producing exciting tasty food. the service was top notch with each meal promply delivered and explained in detail. the sommelier was very personable and was great at conveying the details of each wine.
we started with a lovely champagne and a little creatures pale ale before being taken on a wine journey. the wine journey begun with a flight of australian rosè by de bortoli including a grenache from heathcote, a sangiovese from the king valley, a vonoque nebbiolo from the yarra valley and a pinot noir. this was paired with grilled halved deep sea prawns, with sobressada a house cured meat which had been cured for 6 days. this is a perfect combination for a nice spring afternoon catch up with friends, pre event drinks or for unwinding after seeing the sights of sydney.
the meal service began with brasserie breads, single origin sourdough with pepe saya butter. i enjoy bread at 5 star restaurants and am a fan of pepe saya butter. knowing a 3 course meal was ahead of me, i took it easy on this occasion.
we started with a small amuse bouche with great texture and flavour. grilled fremantle octopus poke and crisp salmon skin.
the entrée was a beautiful arrangement of sweetness from the seared scallops, savoury saltiness from guanciale(a house cured italian meat, aged and hung for 3 months) red cabbage and endive brioche crumb. the somellier nicely paired this with a chardonnay from margaret river. not your traditional oak filled chardonnay, but a chardonnay that allowed the fruit to do the talking. perfect for this spring inspired entree.
the main was a wonderful arrangement of seared sousvide junee lamb saddle, and for added texture and flavour this was combined with a pea puree, a pea crisp and bourguignon sauce(red wine sauce). the main was paired with a geoff merrill caberenet sauvignon from mclarenvale.
we then cleansed the palate with a goats cheese and lime granita to prepare us for the dessert course.
the sweet dish was incredible like a party in your mouth. a glass filled with lemon curd, lightened marscapone, wild berries, violet flowers, and meringue in a deconstructed, yet beautiful arrangement. i hope this one remains on the menu for a long time as i am keen to have it many more times.
the meal was topped off with a divine cheese selection of blue cheese, triple cream bree and snow white chaddar accompanied by lavosh, guava, truffle honey which combined amazingly with the cheese in particular the blue cheese. this was paired nicely with an icewine from canada.
we also had a whiskey sampler of chivas 12, 18 and the new chivas extra. a perfect way to cap a wonderful night. we really enjoyed the new seasonal spring menu at bacar which celebrates australian producers, using consciously sourced ingredients, regionally grown.