Tomislav, Darlinghurst
It’s a week of farewells as we’re waving off our Teresa before she heads off to the Big Apple, in true es&t style we take it in our stride and use it as an excuse to eat, drink and of course be merry! The first stop on our itinerary is Tomislav, a relatively new Bistro which has opened across from the main King’s Cross strip, we’re drawn here by the reputation of Tomislav Martinovic and by rumour of his Heston Blumenthal inspired cookery.
The Tomislav signage is so subtle that we don’t realise we’ve been staring at the restaurant for at least 2 minutes while waiting for the lights to change. Stepping inside I take a moment to appreciate the decor of the natural red and orange painting adorning the wall which offsets the almost industrial like look of the rest of the restaurant. There’s a surprisingly great fantastic of the iconic Coke sign as well as the Harbour Bridge and I’m briefly envious of the diners seated on the balcony tables, however a quick gust of wind quickly resolves me of this envy.
Tomislav Interior
There are 4 of us at the table tonight and ordering dinner is simple affair with 4-5 dishes offered for each of the 3 suggested courses, between us I’m relatively certain that we’re managed to order about 80% of the menu! Our waiter is a champion and takes it all in stride handling the order like a pro.
Tomislav Martinovic
The restaurant is actually much smaller than I had thought it would be, a full side of the interior is taken up by the bar and open kitchen and our seats give us a fantastic view of the chefs as they put on the final touches to each of the dishes. I love having the opportunity to see Tomislav Martinovic work, he has a swift hand when cooking and it’s almost gruffly that he calls out, ‘Service!’ upon completing each dish.
Entrees
Poached Comboyne Hen's Egg, warm potato cream - $18
Our entrees come out in a flurry of dishes and I’m immediately taken by the oversized bowl used for the Poached Hen’s Egg. The egg is delicately poached with an almost perfectly runny texture, the yolks and whites have been swirled together throughout the mix and each mouthful feels like a mini breakfast.
Basmati Rice Risotto with Cured Scallops, Chives and Lemon Zest - $18
Oh Risotto my arch nemesis. It’s a best/worst case scenario when I spy the risotto on the menu, on one hand there’s the dreaded Risotto I only just recently tackled in March’s Daring Cooks Challenge and on the other there are my beloved scallops. Having squishies at the table means the scales are tipped and I can only stare grimly as the plate approaches the table. However my fears are very much unfounded as the Basmati Rice Risotto is wonderfully creamy with a citrus tang in the aftertaste, the cured scallops are delicate with a texture so soft for a moment I think they’ve been served sashimi style.
Roast Red Gate Farm Quail with Chilli, Coriander and Roast Pineapple - $19
There’s a moment of alarm when I spot the chilli slices scattered throughout the dish, curiously enough the chilli seems to primarily decorative as I can’t seem to taste it all in the dish itself. The Red Gate Farm Quail has been lightly roasted leaving the meat tender enough that the breast slices cleanly with a slight hint of pink and has a lovely soft texture.
Poached Yellow Fin Tuna with Egg Linguine, Parmesan and Celery Cress - $19
I think the table lets out a little sigh of appreciation when the Poached Tuna and Egg Linguine plate comes towards the table, simultaneously we all freak out a little when the oil begins sliding off the plate when we shift it over to the other side of the table for the better lighting. Oops!
I keep harping on about texture this and texture that but the tuna is so delicately cooked that the knife is almost pointless for this dish, the fish easily pulling apart at the grains. The Egg Linguine on the plate is a curious match, balled up almost carelessly on the plate serving as a creamy contrast to the Tuna.
Mains
o'Connor Scotch Fillet with Grilled Mango, Chives and Bone Marrow - $30
The Scotch Fillet comes out with the marrow still on the bone, giving an almost caveman like feel to the dish. Being lazy I like having my steak pre-cut for me, however I usually prefer for my meat to be served whole in case the meat slices begin to dry out a little over the course of the meal. No worries with this dish as the fillet slices are almost like butter to the mouth with no signs of drying out at all. The marrow is richly fatty and I scoop it up almost like butter to spread on the meat slices.
Egg Linguine with Jannei Goat's Curd, Broccoli and Anchovy - $28
Don’t be fooled by looks, this unassuming pasta is a taste sensation. The 3 relatively simple components of the pasta mean that a perfect bite – a nip of Anchovy, a generous forkful of pasta all smeared with Goat’s Curd gives you a simultaneously salty, yet al dente and creamy mouthful. The presence of the anchovy is nothing but irony itself as only 20 minutes before arriving squishies and I were talking about the depths of hatred people have for Anchovy, myself I have nothing against the delicious salty little morsels.
Pasture Burrawong Duck Breast with Olive Oil Sponge and Baby Beetroots - $32
One thing I’m loving tonight is the simplistic flare the chef is using when plating, the painted beetroot fan on the plate is easily the flashiest decoration we’re seeing tonight but it’s used perfectly serving as a path for the eye and we’re inevitably drawn towards the juicy slices of Duck Breast sitting in a shallow puddle of sauce. The Olive Oil sponge is a little denser than traditional sponges and vanishes quickly as we’re all eager for more of the sauce. The Baby Beetroot are a welcome touch of sweet on what is my favourite dish of the night.
At this point all chatter at the table has simply dissolved as we demolish each of the plates, stopping only to exclaim, ‘This is so GOOD.’ Our waiter has dropped by to ask if we need anything and laughs, a clear sign of appreciation, ‘This is why I work here!‘ he tells us when I tell him how much I love the duck. I love it when your waiters are as of appreciative of the food as the diners, it’s a clear sign of the caliber of the restaurant if it has that much support from its employees as well.
Wild River Saltwater Barramundi with Cauliflower, Parsley Crumbs and King Browns - $31
All night I’ve been catching the chef at the bench with a spoonful of green powder, delicately dusting the contents over a mystery dish. I’ve scanned the menu a few times but haven’t been able to guess which ingredient he was adding, but all of the mystery becomes clear when the Barramundi arrives. Serving almost as a mini salsa, the Parsley crumbs have been scattered about with King Browns – what a King Brown is I have no idea! My Google-fu has failed me at this point and is simply telling me that it’s a venomous snake, if that’s true it was a pretty delicious snake.
While I enjoy the Parsley and Cauliflower mix, I find the Barramundi itself a little disappointing. Having gotten used to meats that fell apart at the touch of a fork the fish is almost reticent in nature and it’s a bit of a battle to pull apart the flesh.
There’s a wonderful use of colour with all of the mains. When all of the mains have been polished off there’s a colourful array of plates on the table with the remnants of each of the sauces – Yellow, white, red and green.
Dessert
Dark Chocolate Mousse with Toasted Hazelnuts and Vanilla Ice-cream - $14
The Dark Chocolate Mousse hides a dark chocolate hazelnut center, and despite the richness of the cocoa powder and mousse is still a pleasure to eat, especially when topped with spoonfuls of Ice-cream. The hazelnut crumbs hide a surprise element of Pop Rocks which crackle in our mouths! I’m happy to see the plate from our entree reappear, the wide surface is a perfect match for the shades of the dessert.
Caramel Pudding with Yoghurt Sorbet and Caramelised Walnuts - $14
The bowl is actually much deeper than appears in the photo, beneath the caramelised walnuts is a creamy caramel pudding which has a surprisingly mild flavour and was not at all overwhelming as I had feared. The sweetness of the pudding is contrasted by the sour tang of the yoghurt and finished off with the crunch of the walnuts. Despite its simplicity it’s actually my favourite of the two, the flavour combo is strange but also strangely addictive.
Tomislav has been fantastic for our night out, the flavour profile on the night was perfect for all of our tastes. Looking around we also notice that there are no salt or pepper shakers, and at no point were we offered any – the fact that we didn’t realise this until the end of the night simply shows that extra flavouring wasn’t even thought about. Service is friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere in the restaurant is lively with people laughing and chatting with no concerns about volume.
My only regret of the night? Not trying all of the desserts! Nevermind, there’s always next time.
Tomislav
2/13 Kirketon Road,
Darlinghurst, NSWm 2010
Ph: (02) 9356 4535
Web: http://www.tomislav.com.au/
Spots available : Deus Cafe and Jed Wines degustation dinner
March 18th 7pm
Deus cafe and Jed wines are working together on a degustation with matching wine dinner, Four courses (including in-house aged sirloin) paired with Jed wines, plus canapes and sparkling on arrival. All for only $80, call Deus Cafe for bookings. For more information check out their Facebook page below
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jed-Wines/267489226796#!/photo.php?pid=3373740&id=267489226796
Author
By Minh
Minh is a food, photography, tv loving girl who on occasion likes to think that she can cook. I can't hold my drink for what its worth and have an unhealthy obsession with green tea products.
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This article was written on 17 Mar 2010, and is filed under Dinner, Modern Australian, Sydney, CBD.
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call me wank, i am sucker for food plated on black slate tile! hahahah so flashie! I love how all the meat are so thinly sliced especially the duck. Did you guys get to chat with tomislav???
.-= billy@ATFT´s last blog ..Two long lunches at Melbourne Food & Wine Festival – World’s Longest Lunch and Viet Lane Sunday Lunch =-.
King Brown should be a mushroom
Oh I really want to go here and after reading your review I just want to go even more! I have to agree with Billy – the black tile looks great as a plate… maybe that’s why that tuna dish looks so enticing to me hehe. I think King Browns are a type of mushroom
.-= Jacq´s last blog ..Quay, The Rocks =-.
King Brown = Mushrooms. Ok, so this is a must-do; after yours and a couple of other very favourable reviews. Thanks.
I am loving the presentation here!I am eyeing that scotch fillet with marroow mmmmmm mayb I should ask to go here next week haha
That beetroot smear is seriously dramatic! The presentation here is superb and the flavours sounds enticing.
.-= mademoiselle délicieuse´s last blog ..Café Ism, 17 Dec 2009 =-.
Thanks for the King Brown tip guys! Shows I shouldn’t be doing research at midnight haha.
Billy: Haha I know, I love that plate! Man you know me, too shy! Didn’t have the guts to go up to him lol
Luke: Thanks for the tip!
Jacq: Totally recommended, it was heaps more casual than I thought it’d be and really fun.
Gobsmack’d: Let me know what you think if you do end up going!
FFichiban: Mmmm marrroowww <3
mademoiselle délicieus: I’m a sucker for great plating and this one had it all!
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Heading to Tomislav for dinner tonight, so excited about finally trying these gorgeous dishes!
.-= Zina @ tastedbytwo´s last blog ..Recipe: Sticky Date Pudding =-.
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