By Franz Scheurer
Dietmar Sawyere was probably the first chef in Sydney to disprove the old adage that the higher the restaurant the lower the food. Now, eleven years later, the restaurant still has a commanding view of the city and Sydney Harbour, the chairs are still the best in the business and, although they have refurbished the restaurant and condensed it to just one floor, the old-worldly charm and the fascinating toilets remain the same.
Lots of wood, deep carpets and a sombre, cool-tone colour scheme lend a five-star hotel air, which is reinforced by the style of the butter tray, some of the fixtures and fittings. The only area that is out of character is the entrance hallway, which has a fresh Asian feel.
The atmosphere is hushed and the clientele mature. Service is very professional although quite aloof. The wine list is worth spending a whole evening just reading and salivating over. There are lots or rare and aged wines and a terrific selection of wines by the glass, which are poured at the table and are in pristine condition. The wines are all stored perfectly, humidity and temperature controlled; it’s terrific to see the effort that has gone into this side of the business.
As far as the menu is concerned you have a lot of choices:
Degustation – a collection of Dietmar’s signature dishes;
Gourmand – a tasting menu of new dishes;
Potager – a vegetarian degustation;
all of the above are available with matched wines if you so desire, or you can select a-la-carte from the Lunch or Dinner Menus.
A dish of ‘Ocean Trout, Baby Leeks & Tasmanian Wild Angasi Oysters, Tarragon & Soy Vinaigrette’ is a good starter and the oyster is superbly fresh, briny and salty. The ‘Slow Braised Bell Peppers, Aubergine ‘Caviar’, Soft Fresh Goats Curd’ was a bit bland, discs of lightly cooked capsicums on a thin pastry disc topped with a small chock of ashed goats cheese. The ‘Grilled Sea Scallops & Yabbies, puree of Baby Carrots, A Touch of Indian Spices’ shows off perfect yabbies with ho-hum scallops on carrots that are too sweet for our taste and the ‘Steamed Green Asparagus, Asparagus & Bread Sauce, Truffled Popcorn’ although texturally interesting misses the boat in the flavour department. The ‘Paillard Of Yellowfin Tuna, Nicoise Beurre Blanc, Pommes Pailles’ is terrific and the straw potatoes addictive. The vegetarian ‘Vine Ripened Tomato Stuffed With Mushrooms & Roasted Sage Beurre Noisette’ an umami bomb of superlative construction and taste; this turns out to be the dish of the night and one of the best vegetarian dishes in this town at present.
A main course of ‘Venison Medallion Roasted With A Foie Gras Stuffed Fig, Blackcurrant Vinegar Jus’ marries perfectly rare meat with a gooey, soft and squishy fig that is rather moreish, and a jus that is again a tad too sweet for our taste. While the ‘Trenette Pasta Tossed With Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Chilli and Parsley, Freshly Grated Aged Reggiano Parmesan’ is good enough to satisfy any pasta connoisseur.
Next comes a cheese course. A serving of ‘Ossau Iraty Sheeps Milk Cheese With A Salad Of Apples, Dates, Celeriac & Walnuts’ is exquisite, unfortunately the ‘Manchego Sheeps Milk Cheese Marinated In Olive Oil, Semi Dried Tomatoes & Olives’ is murdered by the marinade (and haven’t semi-dried tomatoes been dead for some time?).
For dessert we ordered the ‘Dessert… Variations On A Theme’ (for 2) which is a selection of 4 out of the 5 desserts on the menu and the staff is very accommodating when we ask to change one of the selection. Every single one is perfect, our heartfelt congratulations to the dessert chef! A ‘Grand Marnier ‘Tirami-Su’ Layered With Coffee Granita’ is soft yet textured and rich with dark coffee flavours, the ‘Milles Feuilles Of Caramelised Quince With A Yoghurt And Almond Cream’ is crunchy and satisfying, the ‘Baked Alaska Of Raspberry Parfait, Dark Valrhona Chocolate Sauce’ is light as a feather but full of layered textures and the ‘Pear Sorbet With Poire William Eau de Vie & Almond Biscotti’ one of the most refreshing desserts you can find.
We feel that Dietmar’s food is still as good as it was when he first opened. It’s innovative, very well presented and professionally assembled, however, we also feel that the rest of the town has long caught up and overtaken him, leaving him behind, struggling with what is today perceived as too worked, too fussy and alas with a touch of ‘5 Star Hotel Syndrome’.
We like the space, we like the service, we love the wine list, we enjoy the food and we feel at home in those wonderful chairs, taking in the fabulous view, but we don’t think the high prices represent good value for money.
Score: 7.5/10
For more information or bookings:
Forty One Restaurant
Chifley Tower
2 Chifley Square
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel.: 02 9221 2500
E-mail: reservations@forty-one.com.au