Etch by Becasse – Sydney CBD, Sydney
Is it okay for a guy to be so fascinated by all the pretty decor of a restaurant? I think when I first entered this place I was more captivated by the all the little details of the charming and delicate interior design of this place than Pupu was hee hee. I especially love the curly curly ‘E’ in their logo whheeeee swirllss! Considering how Etch is owned by the notorious Justin North of Becasse (I realllly realllly want to try >_<!) and Plan B, I had high expectations of the food. Also because I had drooling over the photos and descriptions from Grab Your Fork, NQN, Jenius and Chocolatesuze.
I was a bit surprised at how empty it was but I guess we did have a bit of a late lunch on a weekday. But that just meant more space for us hee hee ^^! *Ahhh lounges down on the couchseat*
Good food is all about the quality of the raw product. Etch encourages ethical eating through supporting our local producers and their sustainable produce
We eagerly peruse the menu and actually had a pretty hard time deciding on what to order as everything looked so good! With the help of our friendly staff we managed to finally decide and so…
Here Comes the Food
Basque style cassoulet with herb crumbs ($18)
This cassoulet consisted of beans, chorizo and beautiful fatty cubes of pork belly with a sprinkling of herb crumbs on top. This is a winter warming winner of a combination and with each bite I could feel my insulating coat increase. This spruced up baked bean dish was a great start to a gorgeous meal ^^!
Caramelized pork belly, roasted Queensland scallops, sherry gel and sweet corn puree ($23)
There are just some words that instantly catch your eye and this dish has a number of them: Pork Belly, Caramelized, Scallops and Puree. The pork belly was so soft and tender it fell apart with a poke of the fork and the side of fat is oh-so-heartcloggingly-good! The scallops were on the firmer but still bursting with juicy and moist flavour so were also a great delight. The sherry gel, however, was a bit too strong for our liking but when spread thinly went well with the others. I could have had a whole bowl of the puree mmmm sweet, thick and rich with flavour.
Cauliflower, cepe and macaroni cheese ($28)
28 doras for mac’ n cheese?!?!? Better be the best damn mac’ n cheese in the world! This one did not fail although the price is still very very steep for something like this it was definitely worth trying out at least once. With specks of Parmesan breadcrumbs dusted on top and cheese melted throughout, there was adequate cheesiness which made me a happy camper. A harmony of textures presented by the cauliflower, pasta and cepe mushrooms completed the dish but it can get a bit too creamy and there was also a detectable dash of alcohol in this dish.
Braised lamb shanks with herb crushed potato and piperade jus ($32)
I love the comet-shaped puree but the lamb was the best part of this dish (as it should be). The lamb was fall-apart tender with a decent flavour of lamb and each bite renders the flavour spreading throughout the whole mouth. The herb crushed potato was a bit of a let down after the beautiful soft lame and the rich puree as it just sort of stood out of place. But the lamb was soooo good mmm ^^!
Caramel date tart with burnt butter ice cream and earl grey tea syrup ($15)
After the entrees and mains we couldn’t fit 2 desserts which is a biiig pity since the lolly tray and chocolate delice also looked and sounded sooo good (Next time fo sho!) The tart won us over with the burnt butter ice cream mmm buttery ice cream. The tart was smooth and a bit like pudding while the ice cream was very creamy and went down beautifully with the tart. The earl grey tea syrup was thick and heavy with tea flavour which was brilliant! The strong tea flavour prevented the dish being overly sweet and added a between edge to it.
Purdy lights! I want a fire place!
Hee hee flying lightbulbs ^^! And the clock that goes Cuckoo!
I forgot how often the clock ‘cuckooed’ but the one on the site goes off every 5 mins which left me baffled one night when I forgot I had the site open and was doing other work. I thought I was going crazy hearing a cuckoo every 5mins haha!
Etch is a most definite must-try place even though it is not as good value as say a $10 wagyu beef burger but from the tasty food to the beautiful atmosphere it was a totally satisfying dining experience and I am promising myself another visit hee hee ^^!
Justin Northed:
Etch by Becasse
62 Bridge St
Sydney, 2000
Ph: (02) 9247 4777
Executive Chef: James Metcalfe
Head Chef: Tristan Robertson
Pastry Chef: Tiffany Jones
FFichiban
July 30th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
love the decor. looks like a lovely place to dine and food looking yummy. i might have to try one of the plan b wagyu beef burgers for lunch. perhaps this Friday to see what all the fuss is about
July 30th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Oh my… that IS very elaborate and pretty. I think I need to visit ^_^
July 30th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
wow! everything is so pretty, especially the food! i love the lines and swirls of sauces and stuff on all the dishes!
July 30th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
haha lolly tray! gogogo!
July 30th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Dude, that black and white table shot of the restaurant is an awesome photo!
And lol I can’t blame you for being mesmerised – it looks so beautiful in there! Can’t wait to try it for myself sometime
July 31st, 2009 at 12:14 am
love the photos, and yes, that non-stop cuckoo on their website was driving me the same direction when i was browsing it too!
July 31st, 2009 at 1:11 am
Haha, don’t have to spend the money eating there, I can just look at your photos and the tastes come flooding in – words and pictures – powerful juju!
July 31st, 2009 at 1:26 am
Your photos are gorgeous! The date tart was the highlight of my meal when I was there.
July 31st, 2009 at 10:35 am
50mm goodness…
July 31st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
The food, all of them looks yummy. Except for the 28 dollars Mac and Cheese, I think the rest are worthed. Btw, the lamp-shade that acted as the fire in the fireplace, it looked more like a jellyfish to me haha.
July 31st, 2009 at 3:44 pm
wow~! super gorgeous shots! i don’t even wanna think about the food…as it’s so far away from me T_T
July 31st, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Oh you didn’t take the picture of their bathroom like Helen did? LOL
I’m planning on going in mid August!
August 2nd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Simon Food Fav – Yeah go for it!
haha
Squishies – Very prettyyy ^^! Great atmosphere to dine in
K – It was an awesome dining experience!
Chocolatesuze – Haha next visits
Karen – Hee hee thx and B&W makes everything look artistic
Helen – Haha I srsly went “Where the hell is that coming from 0_o?!?!” for at least 5 cuckoos
Moya – Hee hee thhx ^^!
Y – Thhx and yes the tea was so refreshing!
D – Mmm buy me one kthx
Leony – Hee hee it does looks like a flaming jellyfish *wobble wobble*
Mochachocolatarita – Thhxx hee hee seems fair since I drool over ur cooking :p
Yas – Haha I considered it but there was nothing special inside
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:19 pm
LOL at increase of winter insulation! We need it right?
Or so I keep telling myself. I don’t think we had the lamb shanks on the menu when we went but it looks great!