squishies 21 December 2009 Dessert, Dinner, Modern Australian, Sydney, Lower North Shore 8 Comments  Print This Post  Email This Post

F’s sister wanted to surprise him with a belated birthday dinner, but she wasn’t sure how I wanted to let him know about the dinner without giving away that it was for his birthday. It took me a while, but I made up some story about a small civil ceremony a friend was having and that F just had to be there because I already had RSVP’ed for two (weak I know).

We ended up getting there before everyone else and so I had to make up some story about how they were running late and for us to be seated first (I guess technically not really a story, because they were!). The surprise kind of fell apart when he overheard the number of people the booking was for (six) and the name the booking was under (Belinda). I lamely tried to hold it together by muttering that my friend’s mother was called Belinda and that I did tell him earlier that it was a really small civil ceremony, but he wasn’t buying it. Sigh. I realised then that organising secret dinners can be hard work but keeping it together til the last minute is even harder!

Grilled Turkish Bread with Rouille, Smoked Eggplant and Broad Bean Dips ($8.50)

Our exclamations of how famished were received with a laugh from our waitress and she asked us if we would like to get the Turkish bread with mixed dips while we waited for the rest of our party to arrive. Unhesitatingly, we said yes.

There is always something on the menu that’s totally unfamiliar to me. This time it was Rouille and Wikipedia is ever helpful in telling me that rouille is a sauce made from olive oil with breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron and chilli peppers.

By the time the dish came out, the rest of our party arrived and we were all heartily digging in. The broad bean dip was a big hit with us (though personally it kind of tasted like humus), while I seemed to be the only person who really liked the smoky eggplant.

Grilled Oysters with Smoked Paprika, Chorizo, Tomato and Onion ($3.50 each)

On finding that he actually likes oysters though only when cooked, F eagerly ordered this dish and was not disappointed. The heat from the smoked paprika and chorizo was, so I was told, a very nice compliment to the warm oyster. Everyone seemed to like the oysters a lot – so much so that they ordered another plate!

Grilled 1/2 Shell Scallops with Chilli Hollandaise and Asian Salad ($19)

While I couldn’t try any of the oysters (chorizo AND smoked paprika would have sent me jumping into the harbour, I’m sure), I eagerly dug into the scallops. Unfortunately for me, I forgot about the “chilli” component in the hollandaise sauce and I had a moment of creamy bliss before the fire. Sigh. The scallop was fairly decently grilled, being juicy and slightly firm though on the verge of being over-cooked, and paired quite well with the sauce.

Gorgeous view

As we finished off the remnants of our entrees, we were treated to a pretty sunset and the sun slipped from view just as our mains were served.

Pan Seared Tuna with Tabouleh, Garlic Toum and Romesco ($28)

Nausicaa finding her fish being perfectly and tastily cooked, shared it amongst us and I had to agree: it was deliciously cooked. I thought the sauce was wonderfully creamy, matching very well to the fish.

Salt & Pepper Squid with Chilli Sambal ($26)

The squid was soft and moist – surprisingly the chilli sambal wasn’t very spicy. Though to be honest, I didn’t have much of this dish as I was too busy digging into my main.

Pan Seared Ocean Trout with Coriander Rice, Asian Salad and Chilli Jam ($28)

The fish was very well cooked and seasoned but I think the coriander rice and Asian salad was just a bit disappointing for F.

Pino's Lamb and Rosemary Sausage with Crushed Kifpler Potatoes and Red Wine Jus ($28)

Sadly, I never found out what the lamb and the sausage was like, but from the empty plate I saw being taken away said something I should think! Hehe

Grilled Beef Tenderloins with Pumpkin and Smoked Sweet Potato Mash, Red Wine Jus and Tomato Fondue ($29)

While the beef was wonderfully succulent and tender, there was an overwhelming taste of… well… the char from the grill. I got a bit distracted by it and was grateful for the wonderfully creamy mash, crisps and the quite lovely sauce.

Creamy Mash ($7)

This mash reminds me of the time dad instant mash with not enough milk and too much of the dehydrated potato. His mash was quite thick, but interestingly, this mash wasn’t – it wasn’t dry either, even though it looked like it was.

Assorted Cheese Plate with Grapes and Crackers ($22)

F decided to be different and ordered the assorted cheese plate (I know I’ve said this before, but cheese plates are not dessert!). He thought the cheese were nice and creamy with a smooth texture – and the blue wasn’t too overwhelming. The grapes were a nice touch, as it brought a refreshing sweetness inbetween bites and cheeses.

Cracked Mocha Creme Brulee with Biscotti ($12.50)

I heard that the creme brulee was only “okay”, though much fun was had in cracking the top, as it was satisfyingly substantial.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberry Caramel ($12.50)

The panna cotta was well liked and the raspberry caramel was enthusiastically mopped up with each mouthful. The fairy floss added that extra bit of sweetness to the dish.

Menage a Trois of Summer Berries with Mascarpone Mousse and Crisp Meringue ($14)

I was drawn in by offering of luscious berries, mascarpone and meringue. I thought it was a really nice surprise to get a big ball of berry sorbet on top of all that yummy goodness. It was a really nice, refreshing dessert, but to be honest, it was a little much. By the end of it, I was quite sick of the mascarpone.

Big Ol' Smily Face Himself

Ripples at Milsons Point was a more casual dining experience than I expected. We all were dressed up and I was surprised (and a little embarrassed) to see pretty much all of the customers in casual clothing. In saying that, it’s a laid-back type of restaurant with gorgeous views and great wait staff.

Ripples at Milsons Point
Olympic Drive
Milsons Point, NSW, 2061
Ph: (02) 9929 7722
Web: http://www.ripplescafe.com.au/