Sepia (Sydney CBD) 03/2012

Earlier today we visited the Picasso exhibition. There the art was spread around the walls, mostly on canvas or wood. A leisurely lunch at Sepia provides a nice contrast. Here the art is all on porcelain, it titivates more senses and it's edible. It's a sensational meal touching the sense of taste, of touch, of sight, of smell and, with the clink of glasses, even of hearing. Of course to some degree every meal does this but not the way Sepia does. The meal invites a poetic response. *Writing of the food recently Terry Durack, food reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald, said it was "smoky, sweet, crunchy, creamy, soft, gentle, toasty, scented, clear, brothy, earthy, floral. The focus is on texture and contrast even more than taste – there's always a crunch, always a cream."
For us the meal we had was not focused on any element above any other except for it's incredible variety. Most of the courses had six or more ingredients, many had unusual flowers and herbs but all were handled with great care and delicacy. We would defy anyone to make a meal anything like this at home. Above all it was not only interesting it was satisfying and it was fun.
The restaurant is very quietly set out encouraging muted voices.Here is what we had:after an entree of Sydney rock oysters with a lime and vinaigrette dressing.Spanner crab and walnut salad, spiced tomato jelly, fingerlime, elk.Seared swordfish belly,ponzu and dashi jelly,pickled white cucumber, minted buttermilk.watermelon radish, miso mustard, shaved KatsuobushiSashimi of yellow fin tuna, Jamon Iberico, poached quail egg,soy dashi jelly,onion cream, wasabi powder, puffed buckwheat, red elk.Butter poached Bonito, carrot, saki clams,white sesame oil, chive, green tea.Soy glazed smoked freshwater eel, amaranth grain, sea urchin cream, arame seaweed, sorrel, nori and orange.Poached corn fed chicken breast, crispy sansho pepper skin, Saikyo miso custard, elderberries, wild rice, sprouting lentils, garlic flowers and buds.Char grilled miso beef filet, nameko, buckwheat cream, sea samphire, purplette onions, roasted mustard seeds, salt and vinegar potato starch.Coeur de Savoie, apple and plum wine vinegar, fried capers and parsley ($10) was an option we did not have.
We were then offered a small surprise, a strawberry on a bed of grated chocolate that we were told to tap with a fork.It proved to be an imitation filled with ice cream!Sandra now had a cheese plate,while I had the regular dessert.White nectarine, vanilla cream, gingerade and fingerlime.
"Autmn chocolate forrest" was the final course.
Soft chocolate, praline and chestnut, lavender cream,sour cherry sorbet, blackberry candy, green tea, liquorice, chocolate twigs, crystallised fennel fronds, blackberries.
And Tea/coffee, petit fours.
Meals like this are extraordinary. They are full of artistry and need a poet to write appropriately about them. We were not far from speechless.
Score: 19/20

* You can read Duracks complete review here: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/sepia-20100906-14xn0.html#ixzz1oavy11J4