Element Bistro, Sydney
Although I’m quite slack in organising a catch up with my friends, I somehow managed to find a day that everyone was free and a day I actually had some money (damn snow! Why are you so expensive?!).
I was a bit at a loss to where we should eat, but then inspiration struck me.
M A took me here one night last year and I remember the atmosphere of the restaurant being really cosy and eating wonderfully delicious food that grabbed my attention despite how much of a sad sack I was that night. I also remember thinking, “I have to come back and blog about this one day… when I’m not so emo”.
I just didn’t realise it would take me so long. Haha.
Ocean Trout Fish Cake with Remoulade Sauce ($18)
The fish cakes were super crispy on the outside, but scrumptiously soft and flaky on the inside, while the remoulade sauce added a well-balanced tang to the dish.
Steak Tartare with Toast ($18)
Although we cautioned T that Steak Tartare is a raw beef dish, she was still surprised by how raw it looked; also, it turns out, when she read “tartare” she was actually thinking of tartare sauce!
The dish reminded me a lot of yukke, the Japanese version of steak tartare, because of the perfectly extracted yolk sitting on top. We weren’t too sure how to eat it, but we figured it should be the same as eating yukke, right? Surely. So we directed T to mix the yolk into the tartare, where she then spread quite a bit on a small, crunchy piece of toast.
The texture was a lot soft than yukke and a little more drier, but just as flavourful. Having finished the pieces of toast before her tartare, T remarked that it tastes a lot better with the toast. I quite liked pairing the pickled cornichons (or gherkin, I can never tell which) with a mouthful of toast and tartare.
Baby Beetroot, Blood Orange and Woodside Goats Chevre Salad ($18)
I loved the different flavour combinations that this salad had: sweet, sour and savoury all perfectly balanced with each other. The cheese was divine!
Slow Braised Beef Cheek with Soft Polenta and Bourguinon Sauce ($30)
T picked up her knife and proceeded to put it back down onto the table; the beef cheek was so incredibly soft! It was also perfectly seasoned and utterly succulently fatty. The dish was quite hearty and the soft polenta was delicious!
Confit Duck Leg with Carrot Puree and Pommes Sautees ($32)
The duck skin was as crisp as expected and the meat underneath… très bien! The carrot puree added a light sweetness to the dish and the potatoes with the sauce was wonderfully salty.
Pan-Fried Barramundi with Leek Gratin and Salsa Verde ($33)
I heart crispy fish skin. There’s something about it that so… satisfying. The skin on the barramundi was slightly salty (just the way I like it) and the fish paired so wonderfully with the leeks.
Creme Brulee ($14)
We were all surprised at how large the creme brulee was. The crack was most satisfying and thick, though M didn’t quite like the custard underneath as it was a bit too runny for her. I didn’t mind that it wasn’t as firm – the hard caramel and custard flavour totally won me over.
Pear Belle Helene ($14)
When I learnt that this dessert consisted of a poached pear stuffed with chocolate mousse, drenched in dark chocolate sauce and had almond pieces sprinkled on top, I knew I had to eat it… and I was definitely not disappointed.
The poach pear wasn’t as sweet as one would expect, neither was the mousse or sauce. It had that slightly bitter dark chocolate taste with an almost a dry quality to it. Paired with the vanilla ice cream with some dark chocolate crumble – freaking fantastic!!
Element Bistro is a very cosy restaurant with one blackboard wall dedicated to the menu. The delicious food comes out relatively quickly and it’s not a surprise that it has quickly become one of my favourite restaurants to eat at.
Element Bistro
163 King St
Sydney, NSW, 2000
Ph: (02) 9231 0013
Web: http://www.elementbistro.com.au/
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By squishies
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This article was written on 07 Aug 2010, and is filed under Dessert, Dinner, French, Sydney, CBD.
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Dericious…
Funnily enough whenever I eat yukke I'm always tempted to eat the egg yolk separately
No-one ever humours this request
stop being sad, start being hungry =)
lol… separately?? that’s… different =P hehe
i’m usually always hungry =P
looks like some lovely food especially that duck confit although that Steak Tartare looks very meaty and perhaps could do with some more herbs with it perhaps like cumulus inc does http://offthespork.blogspot.com/2010/06/cumulus-i…? i’m not a fan of steak tartare though but perhaps i just don’t have the courage to try as yet. great photos!
Awww the link doesn’t work, but I found it! http://offthespork.blogspot.com/2010/06/cumulus-inc.html Hehe…
There were herbs in there and I think it had the right amount =)
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What fantastic looking food and that creme brulee is ginormous! And it’s at my end of town too!
looks like the catch up was all worth it, that pear belle looks amazing!!
I like the name of the pear dessert
I'm a sucker for steak tartare too. The confit duck leg looks might tasty too.
I think when you say M you mean A for me! lol
Oops =P Sorry… My bad.