lastminute lovely Nicole spent a recent Sunday afternoon at Sydney’s hot new restaurant – a fave with A-listers – and rediscovered her love for a good long lunch.
Mention the words ‘long lunch’ and my ears instantly prick up. Reveal this lunch is at a celebrity chef restaurant and well, that’s enough to have me jumping online to peruse the menu and try to narrow down the options, (not an easy task in this case, I might add!).
Chiswick, located in the lovely but small Chiswick Gardens, is the latest venture from Matt Moran and Peter Sullivan, the men behind Sydney fine dining restaurant Aria. Opened earlier this year, it has quickly found its niche. And if the difficultly to secure a booking – especially on weekends – is an indicator of its popularity, Chiswick is killing it.
The celeb factor could be a contributing factor to all the fuss. Jennifer Hawkins, Melissa Hoyer, David Campbell, Karen Martini, Jessica Rowe, Hayden Quinn and Eamon Sullivan, are just a sample of the stars taking to Twitter to shout their love for this restaurant.
With a booking for the second lunch sitting of the day at 2.15pm (told you it was busy), we rock up to the leafy streets of Woollahra, somehow securing a car spot right outside (we might not be celebrities but this certainly kicks off our lunch VIP style).
On entering the restaurant, we’re greeted by the warm and friendly staff (no pretentiousness here) and shown to our table. Self described as a ‘neighbourhood restaurant’, it has a cosy yet sophisticated vibe and is full with a mix of couples, girls groups and families.
Starting with homemade sodas (how could I resist) and apple ciders, we peruse the menu – broken down into nibbles, small plates, mains, ‘to share’ and sides – and make some tough decisions.
Thankfully, our friendly and knowledgeable waiter is ready with his recommendations.
The 150 square metre kitchen garden – which we can see to the left of our table – is a strong factor in the seasonal menu and we’re advised that beetroot, rhubarb, snow peas, chives and tarragon are among the current crop. What’s not to love about produce picked in the morning making its way to your plate by lunchtime?
Aside from seasonal produce, Chiswick is also big on sharing which fits perfectly with the philosophy shared by my foodie friends and I – why try one dish when you can try many?
Food arrives quickly and the first small plate we sample is the ‘char grilled scallops, artichokes, burnt butter and tarragon’. The scallops are cooked to perfection and it’s the ideal first dish.
Next up is the ‘crisp butter milk chicken, cabbage and harissa mayonnaise’. Affectionally referred to as ‘KFC-plus’, the crunchy on the outside, super tender on the inside pieces are complimented with the freshness of the cabbage and creaminess of the mayo. That’s what I call “goodification”.
While all the ‘to share’ options are tempting (I am so going back to sample the pie), we can’t go past the ‘wood roasted Moran family lamb with chickpeas and mint’.
My concerns that the signature dish couldn’t possibly live up to all the hype are quickly forgotten as the four-hour slow-cooked lamb falls apart at the touch of my fork. This, my friends, is what a Sunday roast should taste like.
While a slab of meat might be the thing of dreams for men folk, I am grateful for the addition of the ‘beetroot, quinoa, pumpkin seeds and feta salad’.
And a tip if you do go? You MUST order the chips. Our order of one serve of the hand cut chips served with thyme and black garlic aioli is quickly upped to two and there isn’t a single one left. Perfect comfort food for a cool winter’s day.
There is, of course, room for dessert.
Sampling each other’s choices, the ‘poached quince crumble with ginger ice cream’ is presented in a deconstructed style and the ginger ice-cream, we remark, is the strongest we’ve ever tried.
I am a sucker for apple desserts in winter and the ‘caramelised apple tart with vanilla ice cream and marshmallow’ is a winner for the cooler months.
Trusting a recommendation I received pre-visit, I opt for the ‘rhubarb éclair with poached rhubarb and custard apple’. It is truly divine. While the largest of the desserts we ordered (lucky me ;)), the biscuity éclair is actually very light and the combination of flavours strangely reminds me of scones with jam and cream. The mint (from the garden) tea is a deliciously fresh accompaniment.
We’re the last table to leave the restaurant section (a good sign of the success of a long lunch) but are encouraged to make our way to the share table bar section, adjacent to the open kitchen.
While we decide to call it a day, we happily tick celeb spotting off our list as we head out the door, with Matt Moran himself chatting at the bar with Australia’s favourite chippie and ex-travel reporter Tom Williams and former Silverchair bass guitarist Chris Joannou amongst other stars.
Celebrity chef restaurants can be overpriced and over rated but Chiswick gets it right. I’ll be thinking of an excuse to return again soon and suggest you plan a visit too – just be sure to book ahead!
