Becasse

I've wanted to eat at Becasse even before they relocated to the CBD. The fact that they won "Restaurant of the Year" got me even more excited. After managing to get some friends together, we made an appointment and headed there for dinner. The place is cosy and is actually quite spacious. The noise level rises to a hum of diners' chatting and the clinks of cutlery. From where I was sitting, I could see a little of what happens in the kitchen. The kitchen staff seems quite relaxed, working at a comfortable pace, which is good to see.

The waitstaff was nice to ask if we wanted our bags placed away as we were all carrying huge bags on top of our ladies bags. We opted for the degustation menu while the guys took the matching wines as well.

Canapes

The first dish was a trio of canapes that was more of a sampling. The loud burst of cheese combined with the fresh sweetness of tomato on a light as fluff pastry was a surprising welcome to our taste buds. It was so good, a burst of flavours in our mouth. It got us even more excited with what else is to come.

Amuse Bouche

Next came the "Amuse Bouche" in a macchiato sized cup. I can't remember the soup but the uniqueness came from that it was topped with a mushroom froth. Yummy~

Salad of Belgium Endive, quince and truffle with balsamic jelly and shaved Brazil nuts

Wine Accompaniment - 2006 Shaky Bridge Gewurtztraminer, Central Otago

We were served with the salad after and it was another great dish.

'Kunsei' smoked Petuna ocean trout with a salad of Queensland spanner crab and watercress oil

Wine Accompaniment - 2006 Babich "Black Label" Sauvignon Blanc, Malborough

The ingredients were really fresh and the spanner crab combined with the ocean trout was a real treat.

Slow cooked fillet of blue eyed cod with pickled pearl onions, soubise puree, Manzanilla sherry and Beetroot gastrique

Wine Accompaniment - 2005 Jean-Marc Brocard Petit Chablis, Burgundy

Words cannot describe how good the blue eyed cod was. All of us agreed that this was excellent. When you take some sips of the matching wine and go back to your dish again, suddenly you get a different taste. The sweetness of the blue eyed cod becomes evident and shows its presence.

Pan-fried Barramundi with a ragout of mushrooms and duck confit

Mosaic of Glenloth pheasant and mushroom with a salad of salted grapes, port and vejuice reduction

Wine Accompaniment - 2006 Meerea Park Viognier, Hunter Valley

By this time, I was starting to feel a tad full and we were not even onto our mains yet. The pheasant went well with the salted grapes. After the sweetness of the fish, our taste buds were greeted with a savoury dish.

Wine Accompaniment - 2004 Principia Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula

The strong taste of the fish was evident in the Barramundi. It was pan-fried to a nice crisp skin with the meat still juicy and tender. The mushroom and duck confit complimented and really brought out the fish as the main host.

Mains - Roast Wagyu tri-tip with potato galette, Dutch carrots and Bordelaise sauce

Wine Accompaniment - 2002 Clairault Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River

You get to choose a choice between the 2 mains. I chose the roast wagyu. It was tender and had a really meaty taste to it. This is definitely a meat lover's favourite. Be a little careful as there are some cubes of pure fat which I thought was potatoes. For those whom are health conscious, you might want to just not eat those cubes. The expression on a health conscious friend of mine who bit into the whole thing and ate it was just hilarious!

Mains - Roast cutlet of Castricum lamb with braised neck, creamed potato and piperade sauce

Wine Accompaniment - 2005 Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Some others on the table ordered the other mains and based on the speed of how fast they clean up the plate as well as the subsequent expression of bliss on their faces. I'll say that it was good!

Pineapple and pomegranate salad with edelflower granita

By this time, I was really really full. I couldn't even finish my mains which I have pangs of regret now. We were served a palate cleanser after the mains. Have I mentioned that I love pineapples. The pineapple and pomegranate salad was really refreshing. The pomegranate adds a different dimension in terms of texture when you bit into the salad. The smell of the edelflower was also welcomed and the sweetness of it against the sourness of the pineapple was like my taste buds having a joyous dance.

Becasse

Mille Feuille of poached pears, vanilla mascaporne and spiced crumble with cinnamon ice cream

Wine Accompaniment - 2005 Keith Tulloch Botrytis Semillon, Hunter Valley

You also get a choice of 2 desserts. There was a unanimous vote for the poached pears. It was a superb dish to finish up the whole degustation. The other choice was the lemon tart with poached rhubarb and honeycomb with orange nougat glace.

Overall, it was a fantastic degustation. Well thought out and according to one on my table who has been to a few degustation. The wines were matched perfectly with the dishes as a lot of them brought out other flavours in the dishes upon resuming your food.

The whole thing lasted more than 4 hours for us but it was definitely time well spent eating, drinking and catching up. I will definitely come back next season for their new degustation.

Total Score ~ 23/25
[Taste - 9.5 (10) , Presentation - 5 (5), Service - 4 (5), Value for Money - 4.5 (5)]

Degustation - $120

Degustation with matching wines - $170

Location:

204 Clarence Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: 9283 3440