Sepia, Sydney

For my birthday, the boy organised for us to go to Sepia. He had it booked over 7 months ago to ensure we had no issues of finding a place to eat, especially considering it was going to coincide with all the other celebrations during the festive season and Christmas parties. Having it booked so long ago, it really didn’t hit me up until we had to plan our December weekends as they were getting booked out like no tomorrow.

With friends telling me how amazing this place was, I was very excited for my turn to come around.

For a Three Hatted restaurant, I find the decor to be comforting and inviting. I definitely felt comfortable.

The waiters greet us with such delight and show us to our table giving us some time to decide what to order. It’s pretty obvious that we would go with the degustation menu at $160 per person, why wouldn’t we for such a fine occassion? =P

NSW Premium Rock Oysters with Lime & Rice Vinegar $5 each

We order oysters that are served with lime and rice vinegar which was highly recommended by our waiter. The oysters were so fresh you could almost taste the ocean waters. I’m not the biggest fan of raw oysters but these babies were delicious. We find the lime and rice vinegar sauce to be the perfect as it added tang and zing.

Note: oysters are not part of the degustation.

Amuse Bouche – Reverse Nagiri with Soy Wasabi Jelly

An innovative concept that was executed very well. The rice puffs added textures as they burst in the mouth.

Kampachi Yellowtail, Yukaru, Sheep Yoghurt, Tonburi, Celery, Baby Radish Pickled aka Seaweed, Spiced Duck Skin

The quality of the yellowtail has been the best I’ve ever eaten. It was fresh, clean and super easy on the palette (I’m not the biggest raw seafood fan). The spiced duck skin really brought out all the flavours and had such a delicate crunch.

Sashimi of Yellow Fin Tuna, Jamon Iberico, Poached Quail Egg, White Soy Jelly Dashi Onion Cream, Tasmanian Wasabi, Puffed Buckwheat, Red Elk

Again, we were very impressed with the freshness of the sashimi and how easy it was to eat. It pairs well with the dashi cream; it is a combination I quite like. The quail egg of course had its yolk oozing out. Oh yes.

Butter Poached Port Lincoln Squid, Barley Miso Cured Egg Yolk, Lemon Wild Woodland Sorrel

I’ve never had squid oh so tender and buttery. It was in awe and wish all squid to be cooked and eaten this way!

Charcoal Smoked Freshwater Eel, Yuzu Curd, Green Almonds, Tapioca, Licorice Watercress and Nasturtium

The eel had a grand smokey flavour which was mind blowing. It was ever so tender and juicy that it didn’t even require a knife to break it up. The yuzu curd was a nice suprise with a refreshing citrus flavour counteracting the smokiness of the eel.

South Australian Lamb, Goats Cheese and Sake Kuzu Dumplings, Black Olive Miso Vinaigrette, Fennel Molasses Japanese Land Seaweed

We were ready for the meats and what a great start it was. The lamb was cooked medium rare, which is how we prefer to eat it. The miso vinaigrette packed a punch and was offset by the sake kuzu dumplings. We really enjoyed the combination.

Seared David Blackmore Wagyu Beef, Nameko Mushroom, Barletta Onion Red Onion Juice, TasmanianWasabi, Fried Potato and Kombu Crumb, Citrus Soy

We were lucky to have quite a decent amount of fat on our piece of wagyu beef to help keep it incredibly tender and juicy. It was one of those moments where the beef literally melted in the mouth and we were just taken to our happy places. I am a huge fan of red onion anything and this “juice” was more like a thick sauce reduction which worked beautifully with the seared beef.

Optional Cheese Course: Saint Agur and Mascarpone Cheese, Crystallised Macadamia, Celery Cress, Roasted Chicory Granita

We didn’t realise this dish was at an extra charge until the end. It’s a cheese dish that’s meant to be somewhat of a palette cleanser. It sure was different but I would say it is only for those cheese lovers because it is quite tart and quite strong. Sadly, not my favourite.

Pre Dessert – White Chocolate and Ginger Cream with Caramel and Leek Jelly, Carrot and Hibiscus Granita

The flavours were interesting in this dessert. I’m not a fan of ginger but I felt that it was balanced out perfectly by the sweetness of the white chocolate. The granita lightened the dish up with the flowery hibiscus. I don’t think I could taste too much of the leek flavour of the jelly, but I felt that component just got lost between the cream and granita.

“Summer Chocolate Forest”

Sepia’s infamous dessert with soft chocolate, hazelnut and almond praline, rose geranium cream, sour cherry sorbet, blackberry jellies, green tea, licorise, chocolate twigs and crystallised fennel fronds. It had so much going on that it really did feel like you were in an enchanted forest, a delicious one at that.

Thank you to Sepia for providing an exceptional meal. It really does live up to its Three Hats that it got awarded for 2012 and now 2013. It was amazing right from the start and did not disappoint. What a great birthday meal it was and I can’t thank the Boy enough for spoiling me with such a treat. There is an a la carte menu and Seasonal Four Course menu at $130 per person available also.

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas! x

Sepia
201 Sussex Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: +612 9283 1990

http://www.sepiarestaurant.com.au

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