I have to say I'm loving food deals and events that are rolling out this autumn/winter period. Merivale had the food meal deals for Sailors Thai and Mad Cow from May to July. Sydney Westfield has now introduced "The Chef's Club" - Top Chefs, Set Price of $30, Tuesday nights. The restaurants participating are Cara & Co; Quarter 21; Chat Thai; Chinta Ria; Speido restaurant & bar and Xanthi.
You can view what's on offer here: Westfield's Chef Club Offers
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| Quarter 21 - $30 The Chef Club meal deal |
One would not expect a fancy restaurant to be tucked inside a large shopping complex but this doesn't make the food any inferior. I adored my first experience at Quarter 21 (Q21) and it helps not to be familiar with his Becasse restaurant on Clarence Street. Whilst I sitting waiting for my friend C, I could smell the wonderful aromas of the main dish - the suckling pork. The food was presented beautifully and cooked to perfection while the service was impeccable. It had all elements of presentation, taste and smell appealing to the senses. The flavours were punchy and ingredients mixed together with unique textures. It reminded me a lot like my experience at Altitude restaurant without the amazing views of Sydney. Though, I would rather pay less without the views and Q21 still had a quite an intimate setting with nice bronze lamps cascading the restaurant.
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| Bronze lamps |
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| restaurant decor |
What a perfect compliment to have a bakery store next door selling your freshest baked bread and catering your complimentary sour dough for your restaurants. Still warm and fresh from the oven, the sour dough with specks of seeded grains was crisp. Though, the complimentary butter was a little bit too creamy in this instance. I normally douse all the butter otherwise.
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| Complimentary sour dough |
A forestry creation was served up next as the entree. Pretty colours immersed together from fresh ingredients to form what looked like a little forest with micro leaves such as red radish sprouts. Thinly sliced cured beef (not overly salty) sweetened by the picked mushrooms with smoked celeriac and madeira (portuguese wine). A perfect blend of ingredients that tastes so great. Served cold.
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| Entree: Cured grass fed beef, pickled mushrooms, smoked celeriac and madeira |
Now for the most exciting meal of the day, the roast leg of suckling pig, parsnip, brussels sprout and honey clove jus. The smell that trickled across to my nose and preparing me for indulgence as I delved into this crispy suckling pig. The suckling pig was cut into thin slices and it was very tender with more meat and less fat, surrounded by tiny soft bite-sized parsnips and brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts were never my thing but they unfolded leaf by leaf as I pulled them apart before I devoured them. They were nice with the honey clove jus because it added sweetness to the dish but unfortunately they were burnt.
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| Main dish: roast leg of suckling pig, parsnip, brussel sprout and honey clove just |
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| Main dish: roast leg of suckling pig, parsnip, brussel sprout and honey clove just |
The wine offered to complement the dish was a pinot noir. It is much lighter in colour than other red wines as they are produced from black grapes. It has flavours and aromas of roses, fruits, black cherry, berry, currant and plums. I actually really like wine and will order it from now because it is medium in strength. Cheap wine tends to be more bitter, dry and you can get drunk easily. This pinot noir wine was not as bitter and was a lot smoother too.
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| Pinor Noir |
So isn't this a great deal? $30 for an entree + main + a glass of pinor noir. Usually free house wines or discounted wines are horrible to drink but everything on this Chef Club menu was sensational. I enjoyed every minute of it. The entree dish changes every week using fresh produce while the main dish changes every month. Looks like I'm be coming by next month on a Tuesday night again.
After the sensational meal deal, C and I couldn't help but choose a dessert to share seeing everything else was so marvelous. There were a selection of desserts - souffle du jour, a chestnut Mount Blanc, banana creme brulee, a passionfruit and vanilla bombe and a chocolate pudding. I asked the waiter to describe in detail the desserts and I loved the sound of the passionfruit and vanilla bombe. It was a meringue shaped like a volcano encasing a passionfruit and vanilla ice cream with rhubarb pieces and sorbet, yogurt and candied macadamias. I don't really like meringue so much because it's a little too sweet but when you mix it with sour passionfruit in an ice cream, it becomes a fairy tale story. Rhubarb is like mini sweet celery to me but for some reason I have acquired a taste for it and macadamias have always been one of my favourite nuts. I read on the Q21 website that they can design and cook food to our tasting and that sounds idealistic. Perhaps I should have a chat to the talented chef Justin North because although the food is of excellent quality, there is always something in his dishes that I don't particularly like ie. brussel sprouts and meringue.
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| Passionfruit and vanilla bombe, yoghurt, rhubarb sorbet and candied macadamias |
Summary Review of Quarter 21:
Food rating: 9/10
Service rating: 8/10
Ambience rating: 8/10
Price: $$ (affordable - only on deals can be expensive otherwise)
Overall rating: 8.5/10
Quarter 21
Level 5, Westfield Sydney
Cnr Pitt St Mall & Market Street Sydney
PH: (02) 9283 3440
Website: Quarter 21 Website
Opening Hours
Lunch and dinner Mon-Sat, Sun lunch
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