Dinner at Tetsuya's

Dinner at Tetusya's

I was a bit apprehensive about dining at Tetsuya's. I mean, it's the country's most prestigious and acclaimed restaurant and as such had for me more or less represented the pinnacle of Australia's dining scene, which sets an incredibly high level of expectation. In lieu of this, I'd avoided the restaurant until now,convinced I'd set my own expectations so sky high i could only, feasibly, be disappointed.

On the occasion of my 26th birthday, however, my mum simply wouldn't take no for an answer and booked us in. Deep breaths, and.. we're in:

Pacific Oysters with Rice Vinegar and Ginger

This was actually an optional course, carrying a supplementary charge. Given it was my birthday though, and the great things I'd heard about tetsuya's oysters, it really left us with no choice at all. And a great choice it was. My mum, oyster fork in hand, bless her, seemed a bit wary of how to approach eating the oyster, swimming as it was in the dressing, until I picked up the shell and slurped it down in one go, encouraging her to do the same. Brilliant, almost the best oyster of my life- no small compliment, given oysters are my hangover cure of choice. In fact, these were second only to the one served at the fat duck.

Sashimi of kingfish with blackbean and orange

Stunning. It might be the case that every ingredient in the world has one, or several, other ingredients which perfectly accentuate their natural flavour. If this is the case, then Tetsuya's has nailed it with the kingfish.

Soft roast scampi tails with herb and citrus oil

Another incredible dish. It's amazing how much the simple act of grilling can transform an ingredient's flavour, as was the case here with the fennel. The scampi had that just-set consistency typical of sous-vide cookery and the dressing was spot-on.

Salad of confit ocean trout with zucchini & non-pasteurised roe

Tetsuya's signature dish, apparently having undergone another transformation, this incarnation served on its side instead of upright, and additionally seasoned with what tasted like a curry oil. At any rate, the ocean trout was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. A magnificent dish befitting its signature dish status.

Scallop with fregolone and togan

Togan? To be honest, I didn't know what it was then and I don't know now, other than to say it had a vaguely cauliflowery/new-potatoeish level of starch. The scallop was sweet and delicious and the fregola (fregolone?) well cooked and seasoned.

Raviolo of octopus with oregano and black olives

With my own cooking most closely aligned with italian cuisine, I really thought this would be a knockout: simple italian flavours prepared by Australia's top kitchen. Unfortunately, it was really rather ordinary, with there being a strange textural contrast between the pasta and the octopus filling- a harsh criticism perhaps, but sous vide can, and has, been used to provide a perfect textural harmony of otherwise disparate ingredients. Furthermore, as a purely personal criticism, the sudden thrusting of familiar italian flavours jarred with the asian fusion flavours of the dishes which had preceded it.

Breast of chicken with corn and foie gras


Sadly, this dish was the most disappointing of the evening. Unfortunately, the chicken was unacceptably overcooked, a real shame given the perfectly cooked chunks of foie gras lobe and a silky corn mousse. This could have been amazing given a bit more care.

Sirloin of Wagyu with braised leeks, sancho and soy

After the french/italian misfirings of the previous dishes, I was glad to see a return to Japanese cooking yield a stunning result. A thin tataki of wagyu, served atop leek and nicely sauced and seasoned, this was exactly the kind of red meat hit that was needed at this stage of the meal.

Fig ice cream with caramelised fig

Look, I'm all for seasonal produce, but this was just crushingly ordinary. Really, this was the sort of dish that I could put together in a couple of hours at home, with nothing special about it whatsoever.

Cannelini beans with mascarpone and soy caramel

The key component to this dish, not listed on the menu, was the blue cheese which played a significant role in this dish. Paired with the soy caramel and mascarpone, it was a strange mix of sweet and salty which worked better than expected and was a timely reminder of the depth of knowledge of the cooking staff who work behind the scenes.

Chocolate fondant with hazelnut and praline

A special dish, prepared for my birthday, this was truly a nice surprise. There was a candle stuck into the vanilla ice cream on the left, but I yanked it out prior to taking the photo, which accounts for the misshapen quenelle. A nice touch, and a lovely dessert.

The meal as a whole is difficult to categorise, though I am confident in saying that it met my expectations, which is definitely quite an accomplishment. A lovely meal, and I also want to mention Tetsuya's incredible lack of pretence and the warmth of the staff and the dining room. Having mentioned I was a keen cook, I was invited not only into their kitchen for a peek into a behind-the-scenes look, but also in order to help out whenever i liked. I think i'll take them up on this.