March 18, 2015

Glass Brasserie, Sydney CBD, Sydney

Guest blogger edition

Finally I get to try Glass Brasserie for dinner! I’ve only previously eaten here for the decadent breakfast buffet (one of the best I’ve had) and have been dying to try this place after rave reviews from numerous people I know. So on this Wednesday night we decided to try and avoid the peak period rush and dine here for dinner. It was surprisingly full for a Wednesday night and I was glad I made a booking.

The service here was impeccable and very deserving of its one chefs hat. From table sitting, menu explanation, timing of dishes, re-filling of table water and Luke Mangan himself was doing the rounds and chatting to the guests! Only gripe was a small error on the bill but it was very promptly rectified.

We went with 2 entrees, 2 mains, 1 dessert and 2 cocktails and this was way more than enough for the two of us. Especially with awesome housemade bread we got to start.

Fresh housemade bread with olive oil – two types of bread to start with, both equally tasty. Warm and fluffy on the inside and nice and crusty on the outside. We smashed these down before any of the entrees arrived.

Pimm’s fruit cup – Pimms with fresh fruit, Cointreau and ginger ale – $16 – A pretty decent chicks drink. Light, refreshign and very fruity with little alochol taste. Basically tastes like fruit punch 😀

The Australian by Luke Mangan – Tanqueray Gin, Cointreau, Hennessy VS Cognac, kaffir lime leaf, ginger, Luke’s syrup and cranberry juice – $19 – This is Luke Mangan’s signature cocktail. Served in a martini glass and combining a varied assortment of mixers and flavours, it was definitely the better of the two cocktails. Complex yet subtle on the taste buds.

Free range egg omelette of snow crab, enoki, mushroom and herb salad, miso mustard broth – $29 – First dish of the night and it was a freaking stunner! Recommended by Luke when he walked past our table, it definitely set the bar very very high for the rest of the night! The miso mustand broth was simply amazing. The only problem is there wasn’t enough of it! The dish had an Asian feel to it with coriander, chili, enoki and other herbs. Inside the omelette it was choc full of crab meat.

Moreton bay bugs, confit pork belly, pickled green mango, papaya, chili and tamarind – $31 – Another amazzzinggg entree. Crispy pork crackling on the pork, and the subtle, delicate flavours of the bug meat brought together with the tang of the green mango.

Berbere spiced Nolans T-bone 450g, piperade jus, pomme dauphine, truffled Pecorino – $56 – Man this was one huge steak! It comes with a piperade jus (a nice sauce made from bell peppers) but honestly, the spice rub on the meat is so freaking delicious you don’t really need to use the sauce and there’s already plenty of flavours. The chefs here really know what they’re doing, with the steak coming out with the perfect amount of charcoal-ness but still nice and juicy on the inside.

The steak comes with a side of these little potato gems topped with shredded parmesan

Parmesan and truffle fries – $13 – you cannot go wrong with parmesan and truffle fries- nuff said

Braised wagyu short rib with Pedro Ximenez, horseradish, carrot and cumin puree, red onion, piquillo peppers – $49 – I liked the T-bone as the better of the two mains, but this wasn’t bad either. The rib was so beautifully soft and the sauce simply tantalizingly tasty.

Coconut panacotta, pineapple, mango, rasberries, blueberries, fennel ~20 – By the time we ordered desserts, we were well and truly stuffed. Nonetheless, we just had to try one of the desserts. We chose the lightest sounding one and luckily this one was perfect. Kind of like a fruit salad with the different berries, mango and coconut flavours. It was very refreshing and a perfect end to the meal.