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Galileo Restaurant
The Observatory Hotel, 89-113 Kent Street, Sydney NSW.
Out There magazine - Issue 16
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Chef Harunobu Inukai has all the credentials. He trained under Joel Robuchon and has cooked for such high-profile folk as Bill Clinton and Keanu Reeves. At the Observatory’s Galileo Restaurant, he draws on French and Japanese techniques to create his own original style. It’s a tricky combination, but the meal gets off to a sensational start with a complimentary appetizer of steamed egg custard containing a tiny portion of duck foie gras and whimsically presented in an egg shell. The bread - sundried tomato, spring onion and natural sourdough – is also a treat. The caesar salad pasta entrée has slivers of green pasta with cos lettuce, pancetta and a poached quail egg on top. It’s a challenge, both in its substantial serve and the fact that the pasta and egg are cold.
One of the chef’s specialities is Kangaroo Island chicken baked for an hour in a salt crust. Ceremoniously cracked open at the table, it is moist and succulent, and the wait isn’t too long thanks to an attentive waiter who places our order while we decide on the entrees. The chef really lets his hair down with dessert, and there are oohs and aahs over the tasting plate of green pea brulee with vanilla infused lentils, sweetcorn icecream, and chocolate gnocchi with mandarin and passionfruit sorbet. A dedicated sommelier helps navigate the excellent wine list, and we wallow in the grandeur of a restaurant reminiscent of a Parisian salon. But sadly, Keanu Reeves doesn’t walk in the door.
© Christine Salins
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