The two entrees; (The menu on the website is different to the one at the restaurant, so it's slightly difficult to remember the names, but the first one is duck and sausage)
The tender ducks did succeed in making me hungrier as i longed for more succulent meat.
To me, they were both delicious, and a good start to the meal (almost better than the actual mains).
Herb baked leather jacket
This was absolutely divine. So soft and tender that it just melts in your mouth. The sauce complements the fish perfectly, and together this combination is a knock-out.
Roasted veal sirloin with mushroom puree, parsnip, upland cress and thyme jus
We were actually looking forward to the meat dishes the most, but overall they didn't meet the standards set by the fish dishes. So if you do ever visit, I strongly recommend one of the two fish plates.
This was my favourite dish of the night, the flavoured crispy skin texture combined with the tender fish was nicely complimented with the crunch of the tangy salad.
The meat was quite tender, well complimented with the bittersweet sauce but i have tasted better, and quite average for lamb chops at a fine dining restaurant.
Mushroom pearl barley, parsley, fondant leeks, crispy enoki mushrooms and carrot air
Interesting mash of flavours but nothing too distinct or memorable about this dish.
This was probably my least favourite, but mostly because it had no meat, so to me it didn't feel like it was worth the same price as all the others, especially if you're only choosing one option.
***
The Red Door, had quite a nice private, mystical yet strict ambience. As the name suggests, a bright red door greeted us at the entrance. Due to its steepness and well established appearance, I walked in with expectations of fine taste. Personally i was a little disappointed (this is what happens when you expect), as the atmosphere of overly hosh poshness failed to equate to the quality of the food. Perhaps if it was more friendly it would of made the "fine" dining experience more pleasant. Not to compare, but Anna and I had a great experience at Masterchef's George Calombaris's restaurant "The Press Club", it was quality food worth the price with very friendly service that topped up the experience. For this reason we may have felt a little alienation to be able to "connect" with the taste of the food.
Overall it was still a satisfying evening, although it probably didn't meet the standards set by the price and snobbery of the place. And don't worry, we didn't eat all this by ourselves. Not only would we have not fit it all in, but it would have been waaaay out of our budget! We went as a group of five, so we had the opportunity to order every one of the five main courses, thus were able to taste most of what they had to offer, rather than having to form an opinion based on one dish. Anyway the fish dishes are well deserving of the praise they received, so those are definitely recommended!
