Tweet

Gastro Park, Potts Point

There’s always a reason to celebrate, but it’s especially so on this particular week as we’re celebrating the birthday of my eating partner in crime, Astroboy. She’s made various appearances on the blog in the past few years and here’s a secret we’ve never revealed, she was actually the sixth member of es&t before being booted out of the team for not actually writing anything (lol).

We’ve been floating around a few ideas on where to go for this momentous occasion and in the end we’ve decided on Gastro Park, nestled away in Potts Point where Grant King (formerly of Pier restaurant) has made his new home. Newly two hatted for the SMH Good Food Guide 2012, it’s the new kid of the block that’s clearly here to impress.

At 6.30 on a Tuesday we’re one of the first tables to arrive, the staff are milling around but immediately jump to attention as we enter and I can’t help but admire the gorgeously sleek decor and the simplicity of the table settings.

However, it’s the giant octopus-like pot plant centrepiece and scientific glass containers which are my favourite part of the decorations.

Along with ala carte options not the menu, we’re also offered the choice of a seven or ten course degustation. To be honest it only takes us a few minutes to decide that we’re going to share a few of the snacks and simply order one of everything else! It gets a surprised laugh out of our waiter and he returns quickly with the bread to appease our hunger. He need not have worried, the silky smooth butter soothes the beasts within.

Snacks

We’re unable to resist the oysters, the enoki and soy are a clean, salty mouthful that leaves behind the faintest hint of the ocean, it’s a lovely way to start off our dinner.

When a colourful plate of shavings arrive at the table I’m not quite sure to make of the dish, a bright fuchsia granita nestled along side delicate shavings of foie gras, all concealing a thin slice of beetroot. It’s a combination that seems destined to fail, but somehow all of the textures dissolve all at once with a sharp mixture of sweet, tart and nuttiness.

I’m guilty of being the scallop fanatic in the group, on more than one occasion I’ve had accusing looks directed at me when scallops mysterious vanish from the BBQ (I’ll admit most of the time it is me lol). However, tonight the combination of scallops and tuna bone marrow are like a red flag and I’m unable to resist diving straight in.

The raw scallops are achingly fresh and are an acidic hit with the lime and salt immediately coming to the forefront. The translucent marrow is much-anticipated and cuts like jelly, but in the end I’m not able to really distinguish its taste from the scallop.

Splitting the single grissini is an exercise in restraint between the four of us, it’s a careful operation cutting it into equal portions but our reward is a lovely decisive crunch all embraced by softly salted blackmore short ribs, my only regret is that that there wasn’t a little bit more to share.

Entree

I’d read about the butternut gnocchi before our dinner, but somehow nothing prepared me for the aroma sensation when our waiter began to pour a beautifully clear mushroom consommé onto the vibrantly orange gnocchi. Created by spherification, the gnocchi holds it shape in our spoons and bursts only on contact with our tongues, immediately assaulting us with butternut and a sense of wonder. It’s easily the favourite on the table and we find ourselves fighting for the last of the consommé at the end.

Following up to the gnocchi is no easy feat, but I can’t help to just appreciate sheer prettiness of the textures of duck. Caramel and crispy, the duck pieces are cut so every piece is embraced by a layer of fat and skin, combined with delicate cones of tagliatelle and the earthiness of the mushrooms create a worthy successor.

I’m more than happy to see the second appearance of scallops at our dinner, served golden seared it’s the sweetness of the serrano ham and endive caramel that I think are the best batch. Of special interest is the creme carrot served in an almost custard-like texture which is the most fascinating part of the dish, it cuts almost as though it’s butter and in the end I smear it over everything.

Somehow it feels as though lately I’m unable to get away from salads, however this is unlike any salad you’re likely to have for lunch! The curly potatoes are eye-catching festive and provide a welcome crunch to the accompanying beetroot, bacon and strips of smoked eel. If I could eat 20 days of this salad I’d be a happy woman.

Mains

It’s at this point in the meal when the waiter suddenly arrives with a request from the chef, to photograph the dishes from the viewpoint presented to the diners. It’s the first time I’ve had such a request from a chef and it’s one I’m more than happy to fulfill, after all who knows better than the chef the most flattering angle of the dish?

It’s a lovely progression of meat as the mains have started, our second game dish of the night is a golden serving of quail, complimented by buttery girolles and a velvety smooth bed of artichoke puree. All in all it’s an unapologetically rich dish and appreciated all the more for it.

The crispy skin and perfectly cooked texture of the bass grouper is enough for me to enjoy this dish, the addition of the charcoal piquillo pepper is an intriguing one. Despite its appearance there’s none of the expected bitterness and instead we get the slightest hint of heat and sweetness that’s addictive, especially combined with the pearls of avruga.

A meat lovers paradise has just landed in front of me, a decisive slice of the beef fillet reveals a blushing center that’s eagerly soaking up the rich soubise. It’s the brainy looking meat texture that has us all confused for a few moments (Chicken? Must be chicken? Braiiinnsss.), and in the end we sneak a peek at the menu to reveal that I’ve just had my first taste of sweetbread.

The first bite of the crispy scaled snapper sounds like a crack, the secret behind this is all in the scales. Our waiter tells us during preparation all of the scales are individually removed before being deep-fried and placed back onto the fish. It sounds like a dish that is painstakingly time-consuming to create but the results are mind-blowing, it’s immediately my favourite of all the mains.

Dessert

Our chocolate dessert arrives in a shroud of mystery, it’s a crack of a spoon that breaks through the milky mandarin sphere to reveal a milky centre of honeycomb which oozes all over the plate. It’s teeth achingly rich but we’re unable to resist temptation and keep coming back for just one more bite.

The description of caramelised apple doesn’t do anything to flare up my imagination but it all changes when I actually try the dessert. The combination of piping hot pain perdu and sweetly golden apple is magical, the pain perdu is fried just enough that the centre is fluffy like the snuggle bear of my childhood, made all the better with spoonfuls of balsamic ice cream.

I don’t think there’s anyone out there able to resist the lure of nitro pavlova, already a beloved Australian classic the combination of egg whites and nitro create a cloud like puff which sits among spoonfuls of basil seeds and slivers of lightly sliced mango. It’s an intriguing dessert, but in the end novelty of the nitro has worn off and the dessert itself slightly one note.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with the menu at Gastro Park, it’s almost as though the chefs are playing with old classics, twisting them around and presenting them in ways to surprise and delight. Although the menu is on the upper end of the pricing in town, I’m glad I was able to visit with a large enough group to sample all of the dishes and get the full experience.

It’s easy to see how Gastro Park has won two hats after only six months, I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Gastro Park
5-9 Roslyn Street,
Potts Point, 2011
Ph: (02) 8068 1017
Web: www.gastropark.com.au