Onde, Darlinghurst
A Wave of Delicious Dishes
I met up with Sam at a rather early time of 5:30pm (traffic up to Darlinghurst was surprisingly light and I had over-compensated), where we loitered around til 6pm – Onde’s opening hour. Both Ram and Margie were running late, but we were fairly confident that we would be given a table (seeing that 50% of the group was present), as they don’t take bookings.
Onde is situated just off the busy main artery that is Victoria Road – a drab grey little building incongruously sitting next to a bright blue retail store. If I was a bit put off with its exterior, it did its best to welcome me with a cosy and warm interior, with a touch of modern funkiness.
I’ve read a couple of reviews of Onde on Eatability and it seemed that the majority of complaints, besides the inability to book a table, came from elbows being jogged due to the smallness of the place. Taking in the layout, I could see how that would bother some people, but I personally like the snugness of it all.
Sam and I had perused the menu whilst waiting for the rest of our table to arrive, and when they did we were mostly still undecided on what should be ordered – everything sounded so delectable! After much, much, MUCH agonising over the menu blackboard and deals made (to the amusement of our helpful waiter) we finally decided on our orders.
Duck Liver Pate
I’ve always been a big, big fan of pate. I’m not sure what it is about it, but I absolutely adore its taste and texture. It goes without saying that this was one of the dishes I insisted on – not that it took much convincing my friends, thankfully. The crunchy cornichons with its tart tang went very well the silky smoothness of the pate and its distinct flavour was heartily given two thumbs up from everyone. The accompanying bread was lightly buttered and toasted perfectly – crunchy yet soft.
Pork and Duck Terrine
We debated whether we should have two pate dishes instead of getting something else for variety, but our eagerness to try the terrine won over. We found it less spreadable and kind of more chunky than the pate; Sam mentioned that it seemed have a “hearty meatiness” that’s not found in a pate, and I think he’s got that spot on. The pork and duck was delicious together, accented by pieces of green olives. We had to order more bread for the dishes, but I suppose having to stop or slow down in eating made us savour the scrumptiousness of the pate and terrine until more slices of the yummily toasted bread arrived.
Roulade of Eggplant, Capsicum, Zucchini, and Goat
Another dish that was a must-eat on everyone’s list, only because it sounded rather interesting and strange. We asked what a roulade was and our waiter helpfully explained (which I’ve typically forgotten but Wikipedia knows) – his description of the dish sealed the deal. It was hard to share this dish – not because of its size, but of how flavoursome it was and deliciously so! The roulade was served cooled, which Sam noted that it seemed to make the capsicums sweeter and the vinegar a bit tangier. I was a bit too eager to dig into this dish so I didn’t really note how and what it tastes like, but I know I was left wanting more of it and was sorry to see it go so quickly. It kind of felt like a present, where we could unravel it to see why it made our tastebuds dance for more – though all it revealed was its simplicity of vegetable slivers lightly dressed with vinegar and accompanied by the strong goat’s cheese. Maybe simplicity itself was the key to such deliciousness?
Confit Duck with Caramelised Apple, Mesclun, and Walnuts
Margie and I struck a deal – if I were to get the twice-cooked chicken, she’d get the duck, as we both wanted to try both dishes. The duck was absolutely delectable – so juicy and fatty. Its skin was crispy (I adored the amount of crispiness it had – not too hard, not too soft) and the meat practically fell off the bone, as if it was ripe for the picking. The combination of the sweet caramelised apple and crunchy, slightly bitter walnuts seemed odd, but they worked rather well together.
Grilled Lamb Fillet with Radicuho, Cherry Tomato and Anchode
Ram had chosen this dish straight off the bat and he wasn’t disappointed: the lamb was cooked to perfection – succulent and tender. It must have made an impression on him, as he still talks about how delicious it was, and I can honestly say that it was really that good to warrant such a fond memory. The lamb was so well-balanced with the vegetables and sauce.
Grilled T-Bone with Chips and Red Wine Butter
Sam wanted the duck, but chose the T-bone because of the deal Margie and I had and he reasoned that he’ll get to taste them anyway (which was true, as we were all sharing… to an extent hehe). The dish looked a bit disappointing, compared to the presentation of the other dishes, but it totally made up for it by being absolutely mouth-wateringly tasty. The unassuming T-bone was cooked rare (as requested by Sam) and while the photo looks like it was bloody (I actually did think it was bloody when I first clapped my eyes on it), it was really the red wine butter that gave it that impression – it wasn’t bloody at the least. As Sam cut through the tender meat, it revealed a perfectly rosy hue and upon eating a slice, juicy flavours would burst onto the tongue, mixing with the creamy red wine butter. It had to be one of the best steaks I have ever tasted. The chips were scrumptiously crunchy and were a good side for the T-bone; I couldn’t help but wonder how their mash would taste if they ever made it… Gorgeously buttery I would imagine.
Twiced Cooked Chicken with Chickpeas, Broadbeans and Peas
I know by now it seems like I’m gushing over the food – I can’t help it! They were really that delicious to me. Having said that, my gushing doesn’t stop here: this chicken was amazing. It was everything a chicken I think should be: juicy, soft, flavoursome and had a well-seasoned skin (chicken without skin always seem incomplete to me). The legumes languishing in the sauce accompanied the chicken so well, I could not imagine eating one without the other.
By this stage, I was struggling to finish the chicken and the others were at various stages of fullness. Determined not to waste a single morsel, we bargained with each other on finishing various bits and pieces of our dishes (I’m not sure how that worked, but it did).
There was a question raised on whether it would be smart to order dessert, seeing how full we were feeling already, but that was politely yet firmly stomped out by the rest of us, as we’ve seen some of the desserts floating by and were positively craving for them.
Meringue with Strawberries and Cream
Margie chose one of the more popular desserts – judging by how many of these that were ordered and floated by during the course of our meal. And boy, did we find out why! I think the simplicity of the dessert made it all the more heavenly.
Honey and Walnut Parfait with Apple
We had forgotten that the parfait was served with apple and thought they were cucumber! This misconception was quickly dispelled as the sourness of the granny smith dispersed on our tongues, intertwining with the strong peppermint that was nestled amongst apple slivers. The parfait itself was delightfully sweet, though not overly, and creamy. This was Sam’s chosen dish, remarking that he found “the parfait by itself to be very sweet and the taste of honey can be cloying, but eating it with the apple helps to balance it out”.
Chocolate Terrine
Rich and so good with the cream. It was a bit rich for me after a while though, but Ram loved it through and through.
Pear and Frangipani Tart
I ordered the tart on the basis that it had flowers in it – a bit lame I know, but I was really curious how it would turn out. The tart was the right amount of crumbly-ness and buttery-ness; at first taste, the pears have been wonderfully tendered to, and when I started to wonder where the frangipanis were, I realised that it’s been there all along: a subtle underlying airy sweetness that was elusive if I wasn’t paying any attention to it. I absolutely adored this dessert – it was easily my favourite of the four, which was followed closely by the meringue with strawberries. I wasn’t alone with my adoration, Sam loved it too. “The tart wasn’t overly sweet and there’s a light floral kind of sensation or taste that just seems to travel up the back of your mouth up into your head. If that even makes sense,” he added. It does, Sam, it does.
I loved how casual and relaxed Onde’s ambience was; from our friendly and efficient waiter to the chatty customers. And I love dining at a place where I don’t have to worry if I were to burst out laughing because no one would bat an eye (which was most probably because everyone else was doing the same thing).
There was another thing that really struck me about Onde. A rather large family had settled down for dinner while we were there and I had noticed a basket of toys on the table; the kids were playing with some on their seat, on the ground, under the table. When the family left, I happened to glance over and saw the basket with a couple of toys lying scattered about on the table top. I thought the family had accidentally left it behind and was about to notify our waiter when he came over to give the table a last wipe-down and packed the toys away. For some reason, I found it utterly sweet.
Onde
346 Liverpool St
Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010
Ph: (02) 9331 8749
Fax: (02) 9331 8759
Web: http://onderestaurant.com/
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By squishies
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This article was written on 29 Nov 2008, and is filed under French.
Current post is tagged
Darlinghurst, Dessert, lamb, poultry, steak
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im also quite the lover of pate soooooo.. you could say ‘you had me at hello!’ – or more like had me ‘duck liver pate’
pics are amazing (no surprises here), and loving the descriptions of everything… literally feel like im tasting and eating each of the meals as i ready through and look at the pics *droooools*
not a fan of eggplant, even go as far to say that i HATE eggplant but reading the review i now have a slight urge to try that dish… nice work
OOhh yummm the mains all look so gooodd! I won’t know which one to get if I go (which I really want to now haha)
Also really nice to meet 2 of you today ^^!
FFichiban’s last blog post..Macchiato – Sydney CBD, Sydney
I just love pate’s and terrine’s! When I want something more like a meat loaf, I go for the terrine. But the smoothness of pate’s are always on my craving list!
Thanks for sharing these amazing photo’s of this amazing meal! I would be passed out on the couch in a food coma!
abercrombie: hehe don’t knock it til you try it! The roulade was most excellent.
FFichiban: Tell me about it – we seriously took ages to decide and we didn’t even know what they looked like! If you do end up going, let us know how it was? =)
I wasn’t there yesterday =( Sorry to have missed you! Perhaps at the next foodblogger’s meet! =)
White On Rice Couple: That was the first time I had terrine, but I don’t think it will be the last! ^_^ Will be looking out for them in Paris when I go next year… muhahahah XD
Haha, we practically rolled back to the car after that massive meal! =D
Hi – I love your site! I started visiting probably 2 months ago and has been regularly on your site. I am an enthusiatic foodie myself and I love cooking – so I enjoy all your baking challenges as well. I read all your commentary – especially as it has given me good ideas on places to visit.
I couldn’t help but comment on this post – the ‘frangipani’ tart I think should be frangipanE. Frangipani is a flower – which is why you said you ordered the desert – but I don’t think this tart contains any frangipani. I think this desert was named frangipane which is a sugar almond mix thats commony used in tarts. I didn’t know this until I was watching cooking shows one day and came across a recipe for a cherry frangipane tart.
I hope you don’t mind my comment – but just don’t get tricked again
Hi AUU, I’m glad you like our site and thanks for reading! =D
I most certainly don’t mind your comment – I appreciate you setting me on the right track. =) I have to remember that frangipane is not the wrong spelling of frangipani… one day it’ll stick!
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