Good Food Month Sugar Hit: Sofitel Wentworth

Lenôtre Opéra
Chocolate pastry with layers of almond biscuit,
decadent chocolate ganache with coffee butter cream
and topped with gold leaf

Our second Sugar Hit for 2007 took place at the Sofitel Lounge, home of the Lenotre-trained Mark Stone and host to arguably the most decadent high tea in Sydney.

Bookings are essential for this Sugar Hit; apparently only a limited number of desserts are prepared according to the number of bookings per evening.

The Lenotre Opera is deceivingly rich, its layers of coffee butter cream thicker than I remembered. Luckily for me I can check the photo from my last visit, and indeed this portion has a lot more cream and a lot less almond biscuit layer by ratio.

This leaves me feeling the effects of the cream, but still strangely hungry for more. I scrape at the chocolate swirls until the plate is clean.

Sugar Hit at the Sofitel Lounge, Sofitel Wentworth
61-101 Phillip Street, Sydney First floor bar
Tel: +61 (02) 9228 9157

Available: Every night in October from 9pm-11pm

Cost: $20
Includes a dessert plate
and a glass of Hennessy Cognac or tea/coffee/soft drink
Bookings essential

More Sugar Hits available here

Related GrabYourFork posts:
GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #2 at the Sofitel Wentworth
GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #1 at the InterContinental Sydney

GFM 2006: Good Living Growers' Markets
GFM 2006: Hats Off dinner at Becasse
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 3
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 2
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 1
GFM 2006: Spring Picnic
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #4 at the Sofitel Wentworth
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #3 at the Intercontinental Sydney
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #2 at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #1 at the Park Hyatt Sydney
GFM 2006: Sydney Food & Wine Fair

GFM 2005: Good Living Growers' Markets
GFM 2005: Night Noodle Markets
GFM 2005: Spring Picnic
GFM 2005: Sydney Farmers' Market
GFM 2005: Sydney Food & Wine Fair

GFM 2004: Twilight Trail: Cocktails and Sugar Hits

8 Comments:

At 10/16/2007 1:59 am, Kat said…

Was it worth $20? Last year's Sugar Hit at the Sofitel was delish, but this doesn't seem substantial enough. The Lindt cafe sells (used to sell?) Opera slices for about half the price.
At 10/16/2007 2:30 pm, Anonymous said…

Helen - we rang about ten minutes before going and the cake was fridge cold. *yech*

We also went to the Raddison - their offering was just awful.

Kat - not worth it at all in my opinion!
At 10/17/2007 1:23 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Kat 0+ - I'm starting to think that the whole GFM concept is moving towards a novelty aspect in and of itself, rather than any concept of "value". A bit like the showbags at the Easter Show. You know you shouldn't but you want to indulge yourself for the hell of it anyway.

I think a smaller slice of the Opera plus a macaron and a mini tart would have been more appreciated. Although I acknowledge the level of workmanship in crafting an Opera, a dessert trio is always much more fun!

Hi Belinda - Our cakes weren't fridge cold thankfully.

Shame about the Radisson. I was looking at their offering as a next viable option :(
At 10/17/2007 6:30 pm, Eva said…

I, too, would rather have a tasting plate...
In any case, I'm always amazed to see how carefully an opera slice ist constructed. I'll never be able to produce such even, thin layers. And if so, I'd mess it up while slicing..;-)
At 10/17/2007 10:21 pm, Anonymous said…

The sugar hits this year look most disappointing. I sampled the tasting plate at the sofitel last year and was in absolute heaven. It's a shame that after such a great range in 2006, the selection looks positively paltry. However I did enjoy high tea at The Loft, King St Wharf. very different to the QVB TeaRoom but a good experience just the same.
At 10/18/2007 1:55 pm, Kat said…

I went to the Radisson last night, and I thought it was great. Am just about to blog about it now.
At 10/19/2007 3:51 pm, Anonymous said…

For some reason I can't bring myself to go to the non tasting plate places so I'm keeping myself satisfied with reading about them here!

So in tune with my tasting plate obsession, we're booked in for the Radisson this Saturday night :)
At 10/21/2007 7:07 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Eva - I agree. I always marvel at the uniformity of an Opera. How do they do that?! Even so, a tasting plate would still win in terms of novelty and perceived value :)

Hi Anon - I really enjoyed Sofitel's Sugar Hit offering last year too. Here's hoping that next year they'll improve!

Hi kat 0+ - I would've gone to the Radisson on O'Connell too. Argh. They should make it clearer it's the one on Liverpool :) Sounds like you enjoyed it though.

Hi Lorraine - Lovely pics and detailed tasting notes :) Sounds like a winner, and one of the more generously portioned too (woohoo!).