Becasse

Lunch at Becasse

I'm not sure if i've mentioned this before, but my sense of direction is shocking. I have difficulty navigating supermarket aisles, much less the Sydney CBD. One effect of this is that I'm usually less inclined to go to restaurants in the CBD than elsewhere because of the trouble finding parking, not to mention the restaurant itself. Through some serendipity though, I happened to know exactly where Becasse was situated, and so when it came time to decide which restaurant to go to to kick of 2010, Becasse seemed an easy choice.

I also own Justin North's book 'French Lessons' and am aware of Becasse's status among the best of Sydney's restaurants, so my decision wasn't entirely motivated by ineptitude, just mostly.

Anyway, having the day off, I convinced my housemate to take a long lunchbreak from work- which didn't really take much convincing at all- so that we could take our time and enjoy the lunch degustation.

To start with, a selection of breads, of which i ate two platefulls. These were served with a cube of olive oil, which i thought was quite an impressive trick, and some smoked whipped butter.

The amuse bouche was a ceviche of perch (?) and was really quite flawless- there was the perfect level of acidity, and some nice heat from the chilli without overwhelming the delicate fish.

Salad of summer organic vegetables

A nice little plate of perfectly cooked baby vegetables, with a white carrot puree and a pea mousse. Light and delicious. You could probably also convince yourself that it was healthy, if you choose to be ignore the masses of butter and oil that i'm sure contributed to its tastiness.

Sauteed yabby tails and heirloom tomatoes

Ah, summer, the best of seasons. The one i look forward to all year, anticipating languid days by the beach and warm nights with beer in hand. I also always promise myself that this summer I'll be sure to eat my fill of heirloom tomatoes, otherwise known as tomatoes that taste of tomato instead of the ethylene gas-ripened bullshit we endure the rest of the year. However, their scarcity results in them only being found in a select few places, which, combined with my laziness means that i never do eat enough heirloom tomatoes.

I am always glad when they show up in restaurant dishes though, and this showcased their deliciousness perfectly. The yabby tails were soft and sweet, and the accompanying olive oil sorbet was wonderfully fresh, clean and refreshing.

Seared yellowfin tuna

Another very nice dish, still no missteps from the kitchen. This dish consisted of a piece of perfectly cooked tuna, fennel, crushed potato and a zingy herb dressing. In fact, this dish made my housemate a tuna convert, not having particularly cared for the fish previously.

Lyonnaise salad

This has to be the manliest salad ever devised. Confit egg, little crackling bits of caramelised pork jowl, fried duck liver and onions, all smothered with a bacon vinaigrette. I assume this is the sort of 'salad' that Elvis might have enjoyed in between his regular diet of fools gold loafs. Unlike the fools gold loaf though, which i have also tried to eat, this was actually delicious. It was also an enjoyably meaty counterpoint to the dainty dishes which preceded it.

Slow cooked suckling pig

I have become a real fan of pork over the last few years, and this was perhaps the porkiest of all the dishes I have tried in that time. Served with potato puree, peas, pancetta and a sage jus, this was as rich and hearty as a pork dish can be. The pork was perfect, soft and juicy with terrific crackling.

Creme fraiche pannacotta

It's funny, but like the earl grey pannacotta with plum sorbet I had at Balzac last year, this pre-dessert was the highlight of the meal. Not having had creme fraiche pannacotta before, it was a revelation, and with a dice of fizzy green apple and a lovely granita of kiwi, apple and mint, this was a brilliant palate cleanser and great dish in its own right. I'm even going to try and replicate this at home.

Banana creme brulee

So here it is, the final dish. It's hard to make out from the picture, but as opposed to a traditional creme brulee, this was actually served in a conical glass full of banana custard, interspersed with chunks of salted peanut brittle, topped with a piece of toffee and a scoop of milk coffee sorbet. This was a very nice dessert, the only downside being the pieces of banana in the custard, which I didn't really care for. Although that's likely only because I dislike banana. And yet I love banana flavoured things. Go figure.

Anyway, this was a terrific meal, with an extremely high standard of service to match the dishes, all of which were thoughtfully created, artfully designed and technically irreproachable. This was the first great meal I have had this year, and if they are all like this, then 2010 looks like it will be very special indeed.