5th January 2012
After some house inspections around the city and some other tasks i decided to treat myself with a lunch at a new Hat Restaurant, Albert Street Food & Wine. Set up in the heart of Brunswick on Sydney Road, it was a fairly low key venue.
Very open with high ceilings and with a minimalist wood interior, the building was broken into two sections with the shop filled with wine, cook books and produce for sale (which i wandered through and nearly bought the excellent desert cook book) and the main dining room separated by the kitchen.
After taking a seat at the bar i decided to really treat myself with 3 courses (although some slightly healthier options) but no alcohol given my recent health kick. I started with a Sprite and settled in to read the moderately extensive menu that was broken up into several sections - Charcuterie, To Start, Pizza, From The Grill, Pasta, Other Mains, Sides and Cheese & Deserts. The drinks list was very extensive and the menu itself had the separate wines by the glass and beers included.
For entree i started off with a dish of spicy fried cauliflower, baby peppers and tahini yogurt. Crunchy vegetables and a very nice tahini yogurt were excellently balanced, although the spicy was a tempered paprika spice rather than chili spicy. A very well balanced dish and a good start.
The main course i went for the special of chicken breast and leg with very crisp skin, roasted peach and peach jus and witlof salad with a side of kifler potatoes. The chicken was perfectly cooked and wonderfully moist (very likely use of a sous vide machine) but still maintain a crispy skin. Balanced with the roasted peach flavours and the salad it was an excellent dish. However the kifler potatoes were not as crisp as they should be and fell flat and a bit soggy.
Desert provided a little bit of a disappointment followed by a solid recovery. Initially my reason for choosing to come to Albert St was the fantastic deserts offered in particularly the famous PS Snickers. After looking at the menu i was disappointed to see it nowhere to be found and was told it was an occasional special that wasn't available today.
Instead i went for the Mandarin & Chocolate Marquise which was far from a disappointment. Layers of chocolate mousse and mandarin (grand marnier) soaked sponge was an exquisite delight. Combined with a mandarin sorbet, mandarin segments and sugar coated rind, it was a masterclass in desert cooking and technique. Truly Amazing.
Some teething problems with some of the main that may be worked out in the upcoming months as the restaurant hits it's stride (had been only open for a few months) but as is it was a quality showing and worthy of a hat. Desert as you may expect from a chef renowned for deserts was amazing and the food was very reasonably priced and good value. Service was charming and efficient and it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
