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Thursday, August 30, 2007

The Vineyard, Crows Nest


Warm chocolate tart with vanilla bean ice cream $11.00

There were many things to take note of, during a recent fleeting visit to The Vineyard: the abundance of plastic grapes that hang above the entrance; the resplendent cushion room in vibrant hues of maroon, scarlet and crimson at the back; the delicious-looking waygu beef pies with delicate lids of puff pastry that arrive at a table nearby. But the thing that excites me most is the bathroom, a swing door next to the kitchen that gives you a sneak peak at the galley before you descend the stairs towards your real purpose.

Coming back up the stairs, you casually dawdle the last few steps, admiring the bustling chefs, the flurry of dockets, the masks of concentration as garnishes are given a final tweak.


Vanilla bean creme brulee with biscotti $11.00

We're here for dessert only tonight. My warm chocolate tart isn't quite what I expected, more a molten chocolate pudding in a tart shell. It's a rich dessert, and the vanilla bean ice cream is quite sweet too, adding to the overwhelming fullness in my stomach.

So I'm more than happy to trade half-way for a taste of the vanilla bean creme brulee. The generous specks of vanilla bean are a reassuring sight, a creamy decadent concoction that is quite wet and smooth on the tongue. The accompanying almond biscotti threatens to do damage to your teeth though. Everyone has to crunch down on the unrelenting plank of biscuit with their back teeth, tasty as it is.


French apple tart with ice cream $10.00

There's also a forkful of French apple tart, a disc of flaky pastry topped with thin slices of caramelised apple and a scoop of sweet caramel ice cream.

My favourite was the brulee. Next time I might have to order the wagyu pie in the cushion room. And make a bathroom stop, of course.


The Vineyard
104 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9966 0906

Tuesday to Friday 11.30am till late
Saturday 9am till late
Sunday 9am-4pm
Closed Mondays

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Crows Nest--Not Bread Alone
Crows Nest--Paradoxe Restaurant Francais
Crows Nest--Ryo's Noodles (Aug07)
Crows Nest--Ryo's Noodles (Jul07)
11 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 8/30/2007 05:58:00 pm


11 Comments:

  • At 8/30/2007 7:45 pm, Blogger Chunky Bacon said…

    Helen, your blog has been featured again in this week SMH! :)

    I think we can say that Helen is an aussie Chez Pim, no?

     
  • At 8/31/2007 6:59 am, Blogger Lilia said…

    Hi, I was walking into this Korean shop, just behind the level 1 Woolworth Metro in the Town Hall. I think you know where it is. In this shop, I found a green tea Kit Kat sold for AU$3.50 eah just for a small 43 g pack. The matcha flavour is not so strong in the Kit Kat green tea, you may want to buy UHA Japanese Candy Tokuno Maccha Stick, it has a rwal concentrated green tea milk and only a bit bitter, though I hope it's more bitter.
    About vanilla cream brulee, have you try the strawberry cream brulee in David Jones?

     
  • At 8/31/2007 8:17 am, Blogger Unknown said…

    If you're going to keep popping up in Crows Nest, you have to try WAQU. Their $39 tasting menu is the best value in the area!

     
  • At 8/31/2007 12:22 pm, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi Unablogger - Really? Where? I hadn't noticed altho' I only tend to read the liftouts. Do you remember what day/section it was featured in?

    And ha. Not really. I'm still missing the Michelin-starred chef and a freq flyers membership (Paris anyone?)

    Hi Lilia - Yes indeed, I do enjoy browsing that little Korean shop. It's full of tasty little treats. A green tea Kit Kat for $3.50? Eek! I also like the Korean shop on Pitt Street near Diethnes.

    I haven't tried the strawberry cream brulee from DJs. Sounds dangerous. Admittedly I've gone off brulees lately. Now dark chocolate tarts (the solid stuff with plenty of double cream) is my latest obsession!

    Hi Amanda - I definitely intend to try WAQU. It sounds great. I also walked past an interesting French restaurant nearby called La Goulue. Have you been?

     
  • At 8/31/2007 1:26 pm, Blogger Unknown said…

    Yes, I've been to La Goulue a couple of times. It's quite variable. It's by no means the most outstanding French food around, but it's really relaxed, and if you catch them on a good day, it can be a lovely meal.

     
  • At 8/31/2007 1:33 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Did you have any wine with your desserts? How was the wine list? I thought that's the focus of Vineyard. I went to wine bars a lot in Auckland and I am keen to try some in Sydney.

     
  • At 8/31/2007 3:33 pm, Blogger Chunky Bacon said…

    Hi Helen
    I think it's on one of those travel liftouts or Good Living. They were reviewing several resto websites and blogs like eatability.com.au and your blog was mentioned there.

     
  • At 8/31/2007 3:39 pm, Blogger Chunky Bacon said…

    Michelin-starred chef?
    We have the 3 hat rated
    chefs from Good Food Guide :)

    I'm wondering if Tetsuya's is not
    good enough for a Michelin star?
    Considering it's rated the fifth
    best restaurant in the world
    http://www.theworlds50best.com/restaurants/restaurant_05.html

     
  • At 8/31/2007 4:51 pm, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi Amanda - Thanks for the feedback. Some of their menu items looked quite de-lish and they have an early bird special too :)

    Hi Anon - Alas, no we didn't have any dessert wines. I had a pot of Earl Grey. It was venue #2 after a dinner of ramen.

    Hi Unablogger - Aha. It def wasn't GL as I always read that! Must've been travel. I'll have to see if I can find a back issue somewhere.

    And re: Michelin chef. I meant the fact that Pim is dating one :) He's from Manresa in San Fran.

     
  • At 8/31/2007 11:24 pm, Blogger Chunky Bacon said…

    GL 2 weeks ago -
    did you hear about about Oh Calcutta closing in a month? Apparently
    de-hatting from Good Food Guide (http://www.smh.com.au/news/good-living/hard-to-swallow-detoqued-restaurateurs-bite-back/2005/09/06/1125772520051.html)
    and some bad reviews on eatability.com.au took away a lot of their business.

    re: Michelin chef -
    you could start giving glowing
    reviews to the restaurant that you
    like, you never know your luck!

     
  • At 9/02/2007 12:17 am, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi unablogger - I haven't been to Oh Calcutta before, but yes, I do remember reading that article.

    lol. But then again, their working hours are incredibly anti-social!

     

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