Make the Marque!

 I was reading the Qantas magazine this afternoon and came across a write up about Marque Restaurant.  Mark Best, the chef, was quoted as "the black sheep of the Sydney chef flock, a wilful contrarian as interested in challenge and provocation on the place and in the glass as anyone in the industry."

A wilful contrarian alright as I discovered.  When asked what the degustation consisted of, the waiter said that it is a surprise. To which we asked what happens if it is something which we might not like eg lamb or rabbit ...  the waiter said we can advise them and they will prepare something else.

Hmm... taking a risk here... anyway, ended up telling the waiter what we didn't like and left the rest to them... hope we will not be disappointed.

We were offered two types of bread to start with, either the rye or the sour dough.  Both were very nice and they came round with the bread until you tell them to stop.

The Amuse Bouche was served... we were not sure what it was as it looked like an egg.  We were then told that it was egg yolk and something else and to dip the sticks in the creamy yolk concoction..  I was a bit hesitant at first... raw egg yolk... ewww... must say though, it tasted wonderful and did not have the raw egg feel to it.

The first course for the degustation was Almond Jelly with Blue Swimmer Crab, Almond Gazpacho, Sweet Corn and Herring Roe.  Totally exquisite.  The almond gazpacho was very light and fluffy.  This dish was very tasty and light.

Feeling more confident, we looked forward to the next course - it was a sliced abalone with chestnut and wafers.  As you can see, the whole dish looked very simple and not very appetising but the combination of the various tastes, salty and crunchy was great.

We asked for Marron and this was the next dish - Marron with eastern european spice.  This was a twist and the spice made it feel like an indian dish.  Nevertheless the marron was cooked very well and remained juicy.

Course 4 was another simple dish - potato ribbons cooked al dente in ham stock and sprinkled with pea powder.  Different in the sense that the ham stock had infused into the potato giving it that salty ham taste while the pea powder added some colour to the dish.

For main course, we had the roasted muscovy duck and eggplant and dried scallop.  The duck was tender and I wished I could get another slice!

The other main course to be served was the wagyu sirloin with burnt cucumber, blackberry and earl grey tea!  What a combo and was sensational!

Despite the servings being delicate and light, we were ready for our dessert and feeling quite full at this stage.  The first dessert came in a shallow saucer of creme caramel flavoured with Sauternes.  Exceptional!  This dessert was really light and the Sauternes was wonderful.

After this dessert, their version of Tiramisu was a bit of a let down to me. I felt that there was too much mascarpone although it was light...

Ahhh... great French cuisine.

By the way, they also do a set lunch menu which is booked out a month in advance.

C'est Magnifique!

This was the expression of my client after she has had the Chocolate Souffle last night at Guillaume at Bennelong.  She had waited since March to have this souffle.  I must admit the desserts were really wonderful, the souffle tasted light.  It arrived in a little dish with a vanilla and cherry ripple ice cream served by the side.  The waiter then showed us how it was to be eaten i.e. to push the ice cream down towards the middle of the souffle (refer picture).  The result was a great taste sensation with the crispiness of the souffle on the outside blended with the melted ice-cream on the inside.  I never thought of eating my souffle this way!  We also ordered the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee and that tasted wonderful too with the green apple jelly and the green apple sorbet - great combination!

You must wonder why I started with the desserts... well, I thought that was the best part.  For entrees, we ordered the West Australian marron - served with delicious crispy pork belly and marron consomme.  We also had the Scallops gently sealed and served with cauliflower puree, Shiitake mushrooms, spinach and chicken jus.  I had the Scallops and I must say I have had better.  Was quite disappointed as the Scallops were a bit over cooked.  My clients enjoyed the Marron though together with the consomme.  Oh... they also serve a selection of breads (about 3 different types) ....

For mains, both of us ordered the Beef Tenderloin.  You know how you expect the beef to just melt in your mouth?  Well, this one didn't.  It was seared to a crisp outer layer but the insides did not melt in the mouth and  the merlot sauce was a bit overpowering.  Hmm... we were told the sauce was meant to be like that...

If  you are thinking of forgoing desserts, order a cup of coffee or tea instead as it is served petit fours.  I must admit this was one of the best petit fours I have had in the sense that they tasted great and there were about 6 different varieties! 

I think the entrees and mains in this restaurant would be rated a 6/10 (for the price and the taste and portion sizes) but I would rate the dessert an 8/10.  Anyway, I guess if you are out to impress a special someone, the million dollar views would overshadow any of the shortfalls in the food!

Chocolate Souffle

Chocolate Souffle

Creme Brulee