March 2, 2012

Felix, Sydney CBD

Another day, another Merivale restaurant! Felix has been around for a while and I finally had the chance to try it when it was a colleague’s birthday and our team went out to celebrate for lunch.

Nestled in the Ash St laneway, the restaurant was packed when we went in. It was clear that this place is popular for a Friday corporate lunch and noise levels inside were very high.

I ordered a Bloody Mary to start off with. Do any of my readers enjoy Bloody Mary’s? I only discovered them last year and they have really grown on me. If you haven’t tried it before, I recommend giving it a go but it is an unusual taste – combining vodka, tomato juice, Tabasco sauce along with other ingredients – I always feel like I’m drinking a meal!

We decided to forgo entrees and jumped straight to the mains. The food came out incredibly fast which was noted and appreciated – they must be experienced in serving a busy CBD’s worker’s lunch!

Lamb pie, sautéed mushrooms and tarragon jus ($32)

The lamb pie came out piping hot. Shaped in a little dome, the pie may look a bit on the smaller side but my stomach was full after I finished it. I took pleasure in breaking open the pie and swirling the lamb inside with the tarragon jus as there wasn’t really any sauce inside the pie itself,

Spatchcock with iceberg and lemon ($32)

Duck confit, red grapes, walnut, frisee and radicchio ($32)

I had a small taste of the duck confit and it was amazing. Crispy skinned duck with sweetness coming from the grapes and crunchy texture from the walnuts and leaves. I would like to order this next time!

Pan fried mulloway with cabbage salad and cucumber crème fraiche ($32)

Rocket, cucumber, feta and walnuts salad ($10)

We also had some french fries and veggies for sides.

All of the desserts sounded amazing and it was hard to decide what to get. To make it even harder, we had a perfect view of the open kitchen where the desserts were being prepared and all of them looked delectable. Between the five of us, we managed to try four different desserts.

Pavlova with peaches, strawberries and passionfruit ($16)

Lemon pudding with raspberries

Mango and lychee tartlet with coconut sorbet ($16)

Chocolate mousse, hazelnut milk granita and caramel

I had the mango and lychee tart – it was so good and pretty too. Fresh summer fruits on top of vanilla bean cream and a crumbly pastry shell. The coconut sorbet was refreshing and I liked the extra touch of shredded coconut.

So my first visit to Felix was a good one and I can see myself coming back another time to try more of their yummy food – or maybe just dessert!