Pier Restaurant, Just Desserts
Howard
22 November 2009
Dessert, Dinner, Modern Australian, Sydney, East
15 Comments
Print This Post
Email This Post
I’m not sure when it started, but lately I’ve eaten at more than one restaurant for dinner every Friday night after work. It would generally be two dinners with shared dishes and dessert somewhere else. Some people ask me how I manage to look ‘fit’ despite eating so much, little do they know, they just haven’t seen the size of my stomach nor my blood sugar levels. Which reminds me, I need to get myself tested in case I need to watch what I eat. In the mean time, I’ll keep going with my regular Friday night eating routine.
I heard some news on the grapevine that the Pastry Chef of Pier would be leaving soon, and that her creations are something that had to be tasted before she closes up her chapter at Pier. This news was also confirmed in this months Gourmet Traveler magazine. After having dinner at Sake Restaurant & Bar and not being too excited by the options on the dessert menu, we made a quick phone call to Pier to see if they had room for four people for dessert. Since it was a Monday night I didn’t expect any resistance, thankfully the drive to Pier was only 15 minutes away.
This is my first time at Pier, a restaurant which has such high regard and pedigree. It’s funny how my first visit here is for their dessert only, I’ll have to come back for a proper meal one day. But tonight, my focus is on the creations of Katrina Kanetani. We ordered one of everything on the menu, this was in early November so the menu might have changed by the time you read this post.
Soufflé $26
Sadly, soufflé does not get me excited. I don’t mean this one at Pier specifically, but soufflé in general. I’m not a soufflé expert, but this Pier one has what I think are facets of a good soufflé. It’s slightly gooey in the centre with a crispy top and exterior. Each bite is like biting into fairy floss, a melt in the mouth experience.
Migas : crumbs – grains – sauternes custard – mango egg - passionfruit ice cream $25
Ok, so this does look like egg yolk in a cup but it is much more than this. To put it bluntly, it’s one of the most creative and best tasting desserts I’ve had all year. As I’ve mentioned before in earlier posts, it’s got all the elements of a perfect dessert. It has crunchy textures in the form of crumbs and grains, smoothness and creamyness with the custard, the cooling effect of the passionfruit ice cream and then brought together with a mango ‘egg’.
I highly recommend visiting Pier just to have this dessert, just incase it is removed from the menu once the current Pastry Chef leaves.
Spring : pineapple & kiwifruit sorbet – honeydew – vanilla cannoli - mint & white chocolate snow $28
This dessert certainly tastes like spring, with its vibrant colours and refreshing seasonal ingredients. The crunch of the vanilla cannoli was the pick of the dessert dish, contrasting with the freshness and coolness of the fruits. It looks beautiful on the plate, reminds me of the pretty desserts I’ve had at Sepia and Jaan Par Andre (Singapore).
Blueberry Cheesecake - Ice Cream goats curd powder – ash – chestnut crumble - white chocolate yoghurt $27
Don’t judge a book by its cover, this tastes better than it looks. It’s best described as a deconstructed cheesecake. There are a million things occurring all at once with this dish, each scoop with the spoon uncovers a different texture or ingredient. The goats curd powder adds an interesting kick, not something I expect in a dessert but it works so well.
Chocolate and Tangelo salty – sour – bitter – sweet $28
I don’t recall much of this dish, as by the time it made it to me parts of it were all chopped and mixed up. I loved how the layers of chocolate were raised though.
At $28 a pop, these desserts are on the high-end of what I usually pay. In saying that, the desserts are really something special and it’s worth coming here just for them if you can’t fit in a full meal at Pier. With Katrina leaving soon, her replacement has some big shoes to fill.
I forgot to mention I was in the lovely company of lemonpi , Mitch and Yosunita for a late night dessert run, it seems like the dessert got the thumbs up from them as well.
Pier
594 New South Head Rd
Rose Bay NSW 2029
Phone (02) 9327 6561
w : http://www.pierrestaurant.com.au
joey@FoodiePop
Arwen from Hoglet K
lili - pikelet&pie
Helen (grabyourfork)
Betty @ The Hungry Girl
PlanningQueen
penny aka jeroxie
abercrombie || 
Belle@OohLook
Jacq
Howard
Ellie
I *love* Katrina Kanetani. She’s my pastry idol! I’m absolutely devastated that she’s moving overseas.
I’ll def have to find the time to come to Pier for dessert this December.
Karen´s last blog ..A C&C Christmas: Mini Christmas Cakes