Sugaroom Restaurant & Wine Bar, Pyrmont

22 Jun 2012

If you’re looking for a respite from the noise of Sydney CBD we think we’ve found a restaurant that is pin-drop still yet not eerily so, at Sugaroom, prices are steep, it is fine dining after all but we found our service was to match, attentive and unintrusive.

We’re early for our 7pm booking on a quiet Wednesday evening at Sugaroom, so we sit by the island of grass across from the restaurant listening to the sounds of the night. It’s so quiet that we can hear water gently lapping by Johnstons Bay, which is how close Sugaroom is positioned to the bay. It’s time to get seated and being such high rollers, Ash and I, want to be seated outside even though it’s pitch dark and only the outlines of the surrounding buildings are visible. I booked us dinner for Ash’s birthday here because I know he likes candles and glassware and secretly I do too even though we don’t frequent these types of establishments.

: Bread and butter $2

Three slices of soft wholemeal bread and a perfect disc of butter, a sprinkling of salt and everything is commencing nicely. Whilst waiting for our entrees to arrive, our waitress decants a bottle of 2011 Oakland Semillon sauvignon blanc from SA, it’s sweet and easy to drink so I’m ‘sipping’ my wine a bit too quickly and within a couple of minutes later I’m bright red. Note*: although tipsy throughout the meal, the rest of this post was constructed sober.

: Tea smoked salmon, fennel, celery heart and orange salad, lemon aioli, garnished with capers $23

Couldn’t really taste the tea although the flavours of the ingredients are well-balanced and makes a delicate starter. I’m thinking about how celery heart, oranges, capers and fennel would make a kicker salad at home.

: Deep sea bream, zucchini agrodolce, parsnip fondant, lemon beurre noisette $36

This was my main, a moist piece of bream fillet sitting on a bed of heavenly earthy parsnip fondant drizzled with beurre noisette altogether had a mouth-watering aroma and the bit of watercress gave freshness. I hadn’t known what an agrodolce is (source: Wiki, an Italian sauce reduced from vinegar and sugar, hence ‘agro’ sour and dolce ‘sweet’) some Italian and French food has me looking up their meanings, I love discovering new ways of cooking though because I learn more about food from cuisines other than those I’m familiar with. A beurre noisette is made by cooking unsalted butter in the pan until the butterfat and milk solids separate and become a hazelnutty brown, (okay I’m just reciting Wikipedia now) wow, the brown butter made the dish so fragrant. I’m definitely recreating that at home with parsnip fondant to pair with steak.

: Chargrilled beef fillet, olive and sage gnocchi, confit tomatoes, red wine jus $42

The beef fillet glistens with its juices and is wonderfully caramelised, I was able to wrestle a piece of beef to taste from Ash and he has reason to put up a fight because it just melts-in-the-mouth, the gnocchi is pillowy and gorgeous doused in red wine jus. Am experiencing major food envy at this moment.

For dessert we could choose between either the passionfruit pavlova or the chocolate crème brulee. Problem: we both wanted the crème brulee but it would be better to have shots of both desserts. Solution: two crème brulees it is. As a blogger I try to showcase a wide variety of meals, not this time, too bad those reading this post, this dessert was difficult for me to pass up on, you’ll understand why.

: Chocolate crème brulee, raspberry marshmallow, macerated strawberries $16

Do you ever find that when you’re around someone, you make noises whilst eating delicious food, it’s like the affirmation for what you’re tasting has to be expressed gutturally. Combination of chocolate, marshmallows topped with crunchy sugar and strawberries turns anyone into a moaning, groaning mess.

Everything on the menu sounds fantastic, we leave satisfied and with bellies full of lovely food.
Sugaroom Restaurant & Wine Bar
2/1 Harris Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009