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From: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/06/19/1150701476996.html
The Tearoom Gunners' Barracks
By Simon Thomsen
June 20, 2006
At last, people who take tea (and food) seriously. And what a view.
Address: Suakin Dr, Georges Heights, Mosman
Phone: (02) 8962 5900
Style: Restaurants, Cafes
Cuisine: Modern Australian, Cafe Fare
Hours: Daily lunch, noon-3pm; morning and afternoon tea, 11am-5pm.
Price Guide: Entrees $18-$20; mains $35; dessert $15; teas $28-$55.
Summary: Historic location with an awesome view, charming food and a fine tea list
Sorry Harry, Tim, Mark, Guus, Eddie and the rest of you Johnny-Warren-come-lately supporters, but I don't care who wins the World Cup. I know FIFA claims a total audience of 33 billion. On a planet of 6.6 billion people, it shows how much satellite TV has improved, but tea is my game and it has even more fans.
Annual global tea production is about 3.15 billion kilograms which, by my back-of-the-napkin calculations, equates to about 252 billion litres of the black liquid stuff. To put it another way, the world drinks half a Sydney Harbour full of tea a year.
But too many restaurants treat tea drinkers as an afterthought. Their coffee has improved, but teas remain dodgy and limited - why do you think it's called English Breakfast tea?
Which leads me to the Tearoom at Gunners' Barracks and that quaint English habit of "tea", in the finger sandwich, scones, pastries and cake sense. The well-dressed gatherings around the three-tier silver cake stands suggest that they're rather good at upper-class rituals in Mosman.
The first thing that amazes me about The Tearoom (sibling of the Queen Victoria Building Tearoom) is the view. Until 2002, unless you'd joined the army, you never got to enjoy this spectacular clifftop view above Chowder Bay across the harbour.
The 1873 sandstone building, once the officers' mess, has been beautifully restored. A broad timber deck encourages alfresco dining on warmer days. Inside there's a genteel charm thanks to Florence Broadhurst wallpaper, Venetian Murano glass chandeliers, padded tables with double damask cloths and comfy fabric chairs.
Many of the former team from Luke Mangan's Salt, including restaurant manager Ali Pinnington and chef Marc Philpott, relocated to the Tearoom. The service, though deferential, is not as polished as a warrant officer's boots, can go a little AWL at times and the interesting wine list was largely a mystery to our waiter (along with some of the dishes).
If you're not in the mood for high tea, the lunch menu has a dozen dishes, plus one of the city's better vegetarian menus. Philpott's food has a delicacy and lightness, even in his bolder dishes. He loves herbs and micro leaves on visually busy plates.
It begins with a pleasant amuse bouche - a shot glass of fennel veloute - and warm, house-baked rolls.
Spiced eggplant tart ($20) teeters on the edge of being too vinegary, but weaves a complex tale with success. The roasted eggplant is an airy puree in a crisp pastry shell, with a strong citrus note from a Herbie's spice blend that combines kaffir lime, turmeric and lemon myrtle and the appealingly sour note of tamarind, plus the slightest whiff of honey sweetness. Among the accompanying jumble of micro leaves, there's a scattering of warm, crisp, brown pan-fried haloumi for texture and salt, while the creamy scent of coconut tippy-toes across the whole lively entree.
Roasted rabbit loin ($20), prepared like a crepinette, stuffed with chorizo and a mushroom duxelle, is no less fabulous. The tender meat is as achingly soft and lustrous as a baby's cheek. Thin slices of chorizo give it texture and a hint of smokiness. The sliced loin leans against marvellous, coarsely rustic tomato fondue over pan-fried gnocchi, lifted by a tarragon pesto. The shallow bowl also holds a small jumble of rabbit food (aka salad) flecked with feta and nashi pear matchsticks. It's refreshing, but it didn't need to vie for attention with the core of the dish.
Tempura zucchini flowers on lightly curried chickpeas with vinegary beetroot looks like a train wreck, the flavours its victims. The tempura batter is more leaden than light and the colour of tarnished copper. I shouldn't be surprised, but am, to find the flowers filled with zesty, intensely salty feta. There's a bit of heat coming from the chickpeas along with plenty of earthy cumin flavours. And, of course, there's a small shrubbery of leaves.
Venison with cauliflower custard, jalapeno and chocolate is reminiscent of Philpott's days at Salt. Slices of sumac-dusted rare meat are a great match for the creamy, full-flavoured custard timbale and the sauce, with the subtle bitterness of Belgian chocolate. I like the clever reference to Mexico's mole. And what's that I spy in the corner? You guessed it! A salad of micro herbs, this time jazzed up by slivers of braised ox tongue.
Tea plays its part in the Earl Grey and honey ice-cream with a wickedly oozing chocolate fondant, but quince souffle was a little too gritty and undercooked.
And then it's the moment I've been waiting for: a cup of tea. The Tearoom lives up to its name with 29 teas, from Australian Daintree to little-known African black and Silvertip white tea. They cover four pages of extensive tasting notes. My catholic tastes choose Darjeeling ($4). I love the ornate Royal Albert Country Roses china, but worry for the industrial designer who never thought about how well heat would conduct to the handle of the silver teapot. But sipping it, with that wondrous view, I'm lost in my own world cuppa.
[ 本帖最后由 jasonnewman 于 2007-10-16 19:50 编辑 ] |
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