Syracuse

My old friend was back in town for a week before jetting off to Hong Kong again so we decided to catch up for some good food and wine. We chose Syracuse as it was in the Entertainment book (which we forgot to bring) but also because it was rated as a One Hat restaurant. The review on I'm so hungreeeeeeeeee's blog was enticing and positive so I was looking forward to the night.



We started off with a bottle of Kooyong Estate 2008 Pinot Noir and some turkish bread with minted yoghurt which was good as we were famished.


Turkish bread with minted yoghurt & a bottle of Kooyong Estate 2008 Pinot Noir


Saganaki
While I haven't tried enough Saganaki to make a reasonable critique, this saganaki was nice with the lemon and crispy exterior.


Cubed and seared tuna with pickled baby cucumbers
The seared side of the tuna was well seasoned while the pickled cucumbers and mushrooms were a nice addition.


Pan fried calamari with wild rocket, walnut, chilli and lemon dressing
The calamari was tender and the chilli dressing gave it a mild kick. I appreciate a good calamari dish, especially if it's not overcooked and chewy!


Crispy Roast duck with mushroom
This was my favourite dish of the night - the duck was cooked perfectly so that it was still pink and tender inside while the skin was crispy. The fried mushrooms on top added a great texture to the dish.


Grilled scotch fillet with oxtail ragout, roasted green beans with cumbled goats feta
The scotch fillet was grilled to medium rare and was sliced up for us by the cooks. I found that the oxtail ragout along with the scotch fillet was too 'meaty' for me and found relief in the roasted green beans. However my dining companions enjoyed this.


Cheesecake mousse with pecan brittle and lemon syrup
The cheesecake mousse smooth and creamy and the crunchy pecan brittle added another level of textures in this dish. The tart lemon syrup helped allay the creaminess and sweetness of the mousse and pecan brittle.


Anzac panna cotta with raison and tea puree with shaved frozen apple
The crumbling of Anzac biscuits on top of the panna cotta enhanced the flavour however the table agreed that the Cheesecake mousse was the winning dessert.

Service was fairly good, although it did seem a little iffy during some points of the night however the manager was very friendly and welcoming. Syracuse has a very classy and more mature atmosphere which was a nice change from the loud dining halls featured heavily in Melbourne's food scene.