Chiswick, darling

To the next place! You must know that I eat my way much faster than I can write...On this occasion I have found myself in the company of the Eastern suburbs poshies at Chiswick in Woollahra. The old Pruniers restaurant site had sat deserted for some years before Matt Moran waved his magic wand over the place. With a nifty looking overhaul and a kitchen garden out the back, what's not to like?

Manicured lawns and a country townhouse revival has made Chiswick a welcome 'addition' on Ocean Street Source: GQ

It was a hump day (Wednesday) night that we dined here and the place was rather full as well. Must be alright then! What's lovely about this place is the vibe. Chiswick is a sun drenched restaurant, with all those floor to ceiling windows. Channelling the Hamptons and country chic, Chiswick is like a little oasis that everyone happens to know about. Set back from the street, for a moment you can enjoy yourself without traffic as accompaniment. This suburban eatery is just screaming Sunday lunch. Moran was very mindful of the 'ladies that lunch' clientele and is pretty much pitch perfect on that score.

This was definitely a publicity shot, when is this place ever empty...? The wooden white chairs are quite stark, also comfortable! Note the green laser cut green wine bottle glasses. A nifty idea I first saw on The Thousands (here) Source: Daily Addict

Now here's the low down on the edible stuff:

Just so you know, I had the House Ice Tea and found it to be super watery with next to no 'tea' flavour. Quite disappointed! I should have had a cocktail. What's lovely to see is the kitchen's prominent use of fresh herbs from the kitchen garden, and boy does it make a difference. The plan was to do a little Chiswick tasting menu. The plug on Masterchef S3 (the Moran family farm etc) was a good nudge in the right direction!

Moran's steak tartare, gaufrette potatoes: this had a nice hum with the onion. The potatoes, although they looked fantastic they were too oily and not crispy enough

Veal sliders (left) and Crisp buttermilk chicken, chilli slaw, mango chutney (right). That buttermilk chicken was superb. Juicy meat and crispy outside, KFC is left for dead here. The harissa had just the right hit of spice. The veal patties were nice and tender and the pickles were perfect. The bread however, should have been toasted, it was a bit dense otherwise

Wood roasted Moran family lamb, green olives, fennel. This was a massive show stopper, with the dramatic knife thing going. And with good reason too, the lamb was so succulent and falling off the bone, lit-er-ally. GAH. A total highlight of the meal. The sauce on top wasn't even necessary (also, a bit tasteless), the meat just shone. The cherry tomato and fennel salad with dill was a nice addition

Hand cut chips, lemon thyme aioli (left) and Chickpea, eggplant, cumin yogurt, coriander, oregano (right). Man, those chips were gooood (and very filling haha). The aioli made is a big win. The chickpeas were a bit of a Middle Eastern curve ball, but very tasty all the same!

Black forest slice, chocolate, cherries, vanilla ice cream (left) and Mango and vanilla bombe alaska, red currants (right). Now, we expected to see some fireworks here i.e. some flaming bombes but we were sadly denied this pleasure. Anyways, the bombe had a beautifully silky meringue layer and a coconut macaroon base. The black forest was rather a refined number, with vanilla ice (a bit too icy actually) and a base that reminded me of Baci chocolates. Chunks of cherry in the filling and a layer of tempered chocolate on top. What more could we ask for?

We left a very contented table. Chiswick is a great spot, perfect for 'occasion' lunches and/or dinners. The only downside really is that food costs a mint. Without an alcoholic drop in sight we still paid over $50pp (hopefully this will become more and more acceptable as I start earning more dollar$). Chiswick's food is like (professional) home cooking wearing a pretty sundress. The food has minimal frills but is decidedly delicious. Give it a Sunday afternoon whirl.

Thanks for reading!
xGourmand