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Guillaume at Bennelong, Circular Quay

We’ve heard quite a few friends singing their praises about the food at Guillaume at Bennelong, one of whom is a chef (I thought, if anything, that carries some weight). So on a total whim (despite having numerous of snow trips planned) we thought, “What the hey, why not try it out?”

I’ve always wondered what restaurant was situated in the Opera House itself, where the brown-tinted glass allowed both inside and outside parties to view each other – like a fish bowl, but with more angles… and with an enormous sail on top. When we arrived at the top of the stairs, it struck us quite suddenly that we did not know how to get into the restaurant.

We circled around once, trying not to peer into the glass windows in an attempt to see if we could spot the entrance from the outside. Feeling a bit ridiculous, I thought perhaps we should see if we could enter the restaurant from underneath.

Bingo! We managed to stumble into an elevator that took us up to the floor, where taking a sharp right took us through a narrow vestibule – its walls decorated with Guillaume’s achievements and awards. Being suitably impressed and awed, we stepped further into Guillaume’s domain and were quickly seated.

We were presented with a choice of an a la carte menu and the degustation. Taking a quick look at both, we quickly came to the same decision. I think we love degustations a bit too much and at $180, though we barely battered an eyelash at the price, our wallets cried a little.

The cornets were so tiny and adorable – almost too adorable to eat. Almost, but not quite. The cornet was beyond wafer-thin, super crispy and a perfect accompaniment to the wonderfully fresh tuna. The ratio of wasabi, mayonnaise and tuna was perfect, leaving us both wanting more and made us even more excited for the rest of our courses.

The sashimi was incredibly fresh with the right amount of acidity from the apple and finger limes and a delicate, sweet after-taste from the white peach puree. The cucumber, meanwhile, added a refreshing element to the dish.

I found it really hard not to scoff all the wonderful flavours down at once, and I really did try, but I found myself finishing before F and was punished by watching him savour his dish (serves me right really).

Never having seen what a whole truffle looked like (always have had it shaved or infused in some way), this dish looked quite interesting. I actually didn’t realise that it was truffle at first until F enlightened me.

F was a bit worried that the truffle would be over-powering in its flavour, but was surprised at how subtle it was and really enjoyed its earthiness. It was amazing how thinly the chefs had sliced the truffle; it was almost as thin as the cornet. I personally loved how it added depth to the creamy veloute, while the parmesan emulsion threw into the mix a strong (though not overwhelming) cheesy flavour without the sharp bite.

Oh! These scallops were absolutely divine; we have been so lucky to have had perfect scallops twice in a row. The scallops had a wonderfully scrumptious crispness on the outside, but utterly soft all the way through. I thought it was really cute that each scallop (blessed with three no less!) looked like it was wearing a dainty potato crisp hat.

We loved the different flavour profiles each component brought to the dish and marvelled at how they harmonised with each other. There was the salty, savouriness from the chicken jus, matched with the creamy, almost-but-not-quite sweet artichoke puree, the earthiness of the mushrooms and the freshness of the spinach.

Heaven on a plate… though I had once again eaten too fast and was left watching F finish his scallops (and feeling slightly tortured by now). I don’t really seem to learn, do I? Sigh.

Dory always, always, always remind me of Dory from ‘Finding Nemo‘ and I always seem to have a pang of guilt when it’s on the menu. She’s one of my favourite Pixar character… and I’m eating her! (Well, of course I’m not really, but you know what I mean). Sadly, the dory was delicious; it had a lovely, crisp sear and was well-seasoned.

I was ready to dislike the carrot and ginger puree, to be honest, as ginger is one of my arch enemies (possibly The Arch Enemy), but I was completely shocked at how much I loved the puree. It was slightly sweet, had a warming depth and it matched unbelievably perfect with the fish.

For me, it was the sweet Dutch carrots drenched in creamy tarragon butter that made this dish go from great to amazing. F, on the other hand, thought it was the puree that made the dish pop.

This was a table-side service dish, where our waiter poured the rich oxtail consomme onto our plates with a slight flair.

The braised oxtail was incredibly soft, literally falling apart at a touch – so much so that I totally disregarded my knife for this course. What really made this dish, on top of the sharpness from the horseradish and earthy mushrooms, was the consomme. It was so robust and hearty that it made a relative small dish feel much larger with its heaviness.

The Wagyu was full blood with a 9+ grade and boy, could you tell – the fatty meat just melted in your mouth.

This was a simple dish, but I think simplicity speaks for itself, having not the need to overly complicate what’s already perfect.

When our waiter dished out our serving of mashed potatoes with a professional flick of his wrist from a bowlful of the stuff, I refrained from (but really wanted to) asking for at least two more spoonfuls. It didn’t seem like it was enough mash (you should see just how much mash we normally have when we make it at home), but of course he knew what he was doing and it was the right amount – even for mashed potato crazies like us.

I wasn’t expecting much when I saw this dish on the menu, though I should know by now that I should never judge until I’ve seen and tasted the dish.

It. Was. Awesome.

The soup (mostly made from pomegranate) was sweet with a hint of sourness, which were boosted by the sweet and sour fruits in the dessert. The pineapple sorbet was gorgeous in its ambivalence and the whole dish was topped off by the slightly sour lime marshmallows.

Argh. Reading back on what I’ve written, the descriptions doesn’t do justice to the flavours we experienced. Sorry about that, it’s getting to that time where the brain stops functioning as well as it could be.

Sigh. It doesn’t even look like it could be awesome, but it was. Honest.

I adored the chocolate soufflé and I loved that it was baked and brought out in a small pot. The soufflé was deliciously fluffy and quite chocolate-y (I mean more chocolate-y than I thought it would be). The sour cherry ice cream was a beautiful, contrasting touch to the dessert and near the end I was grateful for it, as there may have been just a bit too much chocolate soufflé… just a bit… maybe.

Both F and I abhor liquorice – I don’t know why, but I personally find its flavour quite disagreeable. Despite this, we were willing to give the liquorice macaron a go… and once again, we were surprised that we quite liked it (though I don’t think we’d try liquorice candy any time soon). Our favourites were the strawberry tart, passionfruit jube and salted caramel.

Oh! This came as a bit of a surprise to us, but tea and petit fours aren’t included in the degustation (we’ve been too spoiled in this regard I think) and cost $8 per person.

While it was quite dark inside the restaurant, there were strategically placed spotlights to illuminate each table (you can imagine how grateful I felt – shooting in dim lighting makes me cry).

Walking back out, past all the awards and achievement plaques, we were reminded again at Guillaume’s brilliance. We loved the fabulous and surprising degustation with its amazing flavour combinations. It was interesting to see that while our first couple of dishes were a bit slow in coming out, it picked up and steadied to a good pace, as we ploughed through the menu. Our wait staff were lovely and quite attentive, which is always nice.

We found ourselves watching people on the outside inbetween courses. Tourists, joggers, theatre-goers; it was interesting to watch them walk by (or in the case of the joggers, they also hopped up the stairs… hectic) and be watched in return if they noticed the diners inside the fish bowl restaurant. Hours of fun.

Guillaume at Bennelong
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9241 1999
Web: http://www.guillaumeatbennelong.com.au/