Restaurant Atelier

Restaurant Atelier
The Snook and I have been talking about visiting Restaurant Atelier for years, since way back when it was still on King Street in Newtown. Now that they’re in Glebe, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of there being a one-hatted restaurant within walking distance of our house. So this year, the Snook finally booked us in for my birthday dinner.

My first impression was one of extreme coziness. We had a cushy corner booth with a view of most of the dining room, which was rapidly filling up. We ordered a G&T and a martini to start, and Snookums was pleased that the waiter confirmed his choice of gin. (That always gets you five points with the Snook.) We perused the menu. I was drawn to the seven-course degustation, but then I heard one of the servers telling another table about the night’s special: slow roasted pork loin. It sounded goooood. When she came to take our order, I asked whether there was any chance that we could get the pork as one of the degustation courses. “That might be able to be arranged,” she winked. “I have an inside line with the kitchen.” (Later I realized that this was the famous Bernadette, partner of Darren the chef.) We decided to splurge and go with the matching wines as well. What the hell.

People, it was brilliant. Read on if you want to hear about the food in excruciatingly delicious detail.I was hooked from the very start, when they brought out their in-house sourdough with French butter and homemade olive tapanade. (My eyes rolled back in my head every time I tasted that butter. It was THAT GOOD.) The first course was a steamed seafood gow gee (aka gyoza), and it was very nice. Dumplings are all about the texture for me, the gluey-ness of the inside contrasted with the wrapper. (That’s why I like my dumplings steamed, then fried.) The second course was the Snook’s favorite for the night: “Confit of Tasmanian Ocean Trout & Foie Gras Terrine, Creamed Avocado, Octopus Carpaccio & Wasabi & Dashi Jelly.” The terrine consisted of two layers of trout with a slab of foie gras in the middle, wrapped in grilled eggplant. The octopus and “jelly” were really just two little bites, but they were really zingy and fantastic. Snookums thought he tasted a hint of something smoked in the mix, which Bernadette confirmed was smoked salt(!).

Next came the “Wagyu Beef Tartare w Parsnip Ice Cream, Quail Egg & Pickled Mushrooms.” I honestly didn’t realize there were mushrooms in this until now. I knew that the beef had a strong taste of pickle, but I figured it was just minced up gherkins or something like that. Huh. The parsnip ice cream was a bit of a gimmick, but I’m never one to turn down a novelty. We both enjoyed this dish, but both of us felt that the pickle somewhat drowned out the savoriness of the beef.

Next was my favorite: “Seared Yellow-Fin Tuna w Pomme Mousseline, Kangaroo Island Marron Tail & Samphire.” (On the menu this comes with Moreton Bay Bug, but I think they switched it up since they were using the Bugs with the pork special.) I absolutely loved this tuna. It had a lovely peppery, slightly charred flavour, like meat that has been cooked on a grill to perfection. I’m drooling a little bit just thinking about it. Seriously, I’m a recovering pesca-phobe and I’d eat this tuna every day of the week.

Our last savoury course was the promised pork loin. It had Moreton Bay Bug on top, and there were some sort of lentils around the plate as part of the sauce. It was more heavily spiced than I’d expected, and I was worried that the Snook wouldn’t like the strong scent of capsicum. (He’s not a fan.) But we both happily cleaned our plates. On to dessert!

(I should mention that each of the first five courses came with a matching wine. I’d balked a little bit at first at the additional $50 for the wine, but in retrospect, it was a great deal. They were all excellent choices, and they definitely weren’t stingy with the pours. The Snook also points out that the wine seems more expensive just because the food is such great value. They could easily charge a hundred bucks for the degustation, and then the fifty wouldn’t seem so big in comparison.)

Anyway, the “pre-dessert” consisted of a miniature “Tonka Bean Creme Brulee” with a balsamic strawberry and a polenta biscuit. I’ve got no idea what “tonka beans” are, but the creme brulee was divine. Crunchy, blistered sugar on top gave way to smooth custard below. It was lovely. The real dessert blew it out of the water though: “Caramel Souffle w Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Whisky Creme Anglaise.” OH. MY. GOD. Bernadette had poked a small hole in the top of the souffle and showed us how to pour the whisky creme down inside. It was soft and squidgy and wonderful, like the inside of the best French Toast you’ve had in your life. The salty caramel ice cream made a nice contrast (though the Snook said overall he thought it was a little too salty). But that souffle was definitely one of the sexiest desserts I’ve ever had in my life. Highly recommended.

And that was the meal! Oh, wait. Bernadette brought me a birthday candle with our truffles and chocolate at the end. That was nice. Excellent food, great service, and a lovely cozy atmosphere. I really recommend it. (I’m also intrigued by their mid-week dinner special of three-courses for $60. This would be easily as good a value as Oscillate Wildly, and probably easier to get a booking.) We paid the bill and then stumbled out the door. Needless to say, after six glasses of wine and a cocktail each, we pretty much collapsed as soon as we got home. As far as I’m concerned, a food coma and a bit of a hangover is a small price to pay for such a magnificent meal…