Chiswick, Woollahra

Matt Moran and Peter Sullivan have come together to create this absolutely wonderful restaurant and bar in the Chiswick Gardens in Woollahra. It is a casual yet contemporary place where one can enjoy the food made from fresh and seasonal produce, and/or to have a quick drink at the local bar.

Having just been opened a week prior, it was the perfect opportunity to see what Chiswick had on offer and also, to celebrate the boy’s birthday.

At first glance Chiswick looks like a garden house – a gorgeous, serene looking place. Heading towards the entrance, you are first sighted with the bar - high tables and stools, creating such a casual feeling. For the diners, the casual yet contemporary restuarant is in the section next to the bar, almost like alfresco in a house. There are windows that surround the restaurant, overlooking the Chiswick garden outside. This definitely lightens up the feel when having a bite. You just can’t help but look outside and realise how beautiful the location is.

Chiswick is a restaurant that creates dishes that are designed to be shared. So, the boy and I decide that this time round, we’re going to focus on sharing our food, rather than having your regular entree and main. We opt for 3 starters and one main to share.

I start off with a Lychee and Thai Basil home made soda. It is absolutely wonderful – light and refreshing. Both flavours were apparent but yet subtle, and the soda water didn’t just make the whole drink fizzy.

Veal Sliders “Vitello tonnato”; $8 each

I almost dismissed the veal slider as it was on the “nibbles” section of the menu, thinking it was only those at the bar who could order this. Silly me. I straight away put 2 on order. The veal sliders are such a delight to eat. The veal patty was cooked to perfection – it was packed with flavour and was very moist. You really couldn’t tell veal was the protein that was used. Also in the slider was some green beans, char grilled capsicum and (with what I can only guess to be) some home made mayo. The bun itself is so incredibly light, something which completely suprised us both. I love how black sesame seeds are used on the top of the bun, it really makes it that much more visually appealing.

Crisp Butter Milk Chicken, Cabbage, Harissa, Mayonnaise; $20

How can you ever go wrong with fried chicken? The batter here is incredible. It was so crunch and had plenty of flavour, yet the chicken inside was still nice and juicy. You’re probably thinking it’s just chicken right? Well I can’t pin point what it is but it’s seriously some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. And let’s not forget that harissa mayonnaise – wow. The chicken itself is delicious, but paired with the harissa mayonnaise it is like gold. It has a bit of a kick to it but still retains that creamy, thick mayonnaise like consistency.

Char Grilled Scallops, Artichokes, Burnt Butter, Tarragon; $20

The grill marks on the scallops made the dish stand out. You could taste the char grill but yet it didn’t impact the delicate, plump and perfectly cooked scallop. I can’t believe that something so simple brought out the best out of something. The artichoke puree was lovely, and it was the perfect accompaniment to the scallop.

Char Grilled Moran family Grass Fed Beef, fresh horseraddish; $35

After watching masterchef and having the judges stress so much on letting meats rest after being cooked, you can understand why once you’ve had a perfectly cooked steak. Our piece of beef was cooked a little on the rare side but was very well rested. We had no blood pouring on our plate as we cut into our juicy steak. It was soft and such a pleasure to eat. It really was a great piece of meat.

Hand Cut Chips, thyme, Black Garlic Aioli; $9

We couldn’t have a main without ordering a side. These hand cut chips were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the in. That black garlic aioli is absolutely addictive. It is a bit on the strong side so only a little is required per chip, but that sauce disappeared in no time, most likely because I used some of the aioli to eat with the beef.

I thoroughly enjoyed dining here at Chiswick. I’ve been very lucky to be able to go so soon after it’s doors has opened. It’s exciting to see casual places pop up a lot more from those chefs who do own fine dining restaurants as it gives everyone a chance to see what these chefs have on offer, not only the fine dining food.

Chiswick
65 Ocean Street
Woollahra NSW 2025
Tel: +61 2 8388 8688

About these ads