Universal Restaurant
- Author:
- Jackie McMillan
- Posted:
- Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Trip the tangerine light fantastic into Chrissy Manfield’s mostly al-fresco restaurant; packed and unpacked Tetris-style each evening. A Geisha Girl ($17) cocktail of sake, plum wine and elderflower shows exceptional balance, but it’s hard to take your eyes off the award-winning wine list. It’s so wide reaching it’s almost intimidating, but savvy staff offer good guidance. Or put your faith in menu matches… I wrinkled my nose at the NV Primo Joseph Sparkling Red ($17/glass) with the exceptional Wagyu Beef Shin ($30) only to have the smiling sommelier offer a complimentary glass. Lesson learned – magnificent match! The world palate of flavours makes each dish a journey for mouth and mind. The textural shock of a briny oyster rolled in cabbage in the Pork and Kimchi Consommé ($26) won’t be for everyone. Nor will the sharp acidity of Sticky Rice and Salted Duck Egg with Wing Bean, Pomelo and Cashew Salad ($23) which turns the matching 2008 Salomon Grüner Veltliner ($7) sweet; but both are adventures worth having! Simpler and suavely seductive, the Surface Ripened Goat Cheese with Black Truffle Mushroom Tortellini and Gruyere Chantilly ($28) goes down like a hot cheese course, setting the stage for dessert fireworks. Dismantle the sculptural Bananarama ($19) layer-by-layer, and marvel at the clarity of sorbet, cream, marshmallow and hidden crunch!
Universal Restaurant
Republic 2 Courtyard, Palmer Street, Darlinghurst
Ph: (02) 9331 0709 www.universalrestaurant.com
Modern Australian $$$$
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Story posted on Wednesday, 1 September 2010, filed under Booze, Dessert, Dining Guide, Modern Australian, Wine. Follow responses via the RSS feed.
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