crave sydney 2011 - just desserts at tomislav.

Tomislav
2/13 Kirketon Road
Darlinghurst, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9356 4535
Website: http://www.tomislav.com.au/

October is usually an exciting time for food lovers in Sydney. With so many overseas renowned chefs flying into Sydney to participate in the Crave Sydney International Food Festival, so many events going on in different parts of the city for the whole month, it's hard to stay away from all the action.

One of the special dinners which I attended was the Just Desserts event hosted by Tomislav. The meal had 6 courses - 4 sweet, 2 savoury. It was an interesting dinner and I could tell that a lot of thought must have gone into creating the dishes. It's always refreshing to taste new combinations and see all of the ideas transcend well onto the plate. For $130 however, I wished there were more courses or slightly more substantial servings of each dish.

Pineapple Consomme, Sour Cream, Caramel Jelly,

Pineapple, Coconut & Date Ice Cream, Foie Gras Crumbs

One of my favourites of the night. All the components paired really well together. The consomme was light and refreshing, the pineapple bits were slightly tart, the sour cream and ice cream brought the creaminess to the dish and there was also the salt that came from the foie gras. A refreshing and enjoyable start to the night.

 Coconut Rice Pudding, Coriander Paste, Strawberry Sauce,

Mulberry Ice Cream, Biscuit Base, Basil Ice

This was my other favourite of the night. Again the dish worked. With the combination of the coconut, and the slight tartness from the strawberry and mulberry, the coriander wasn't as overpowering as expected. The biscuit base added a good texture too. I wish we had more.

Sweetcorn Cream, Caramel Sauce, Caramel Ice Cream,

Fresh Corn, Crumbled Popcorn, Green Apple Ice

I love corn and when I first saw that there was a dish with corn on the menu, I was excited. That was the dish that I was looking forward most to but unfortunately, this wasn't the dish that I fancied much. The caramel sauce had a savoury element which I didn't like much and I guess I wasn't expecting the cream to be warm either.

Milk Chocolate Mousse, Wasabi, Horseradish,

Chocolate Sorbet, Hazelnuts

Not usually a fan of chocolate but this dish I liked. I usually try to stay away from chocolate desserts because I find them to be rather heavy but this was really light and easy to get through. I liked the crunch from the hazelnuts as well and was glad that the wasabi wasn't too overpowering.

Blue Cheese, Compressed Fig, Celery, Hazelnuts

Thank goodness that the recent trip to Europe converted me into a lover of the pungent blue cheese cos otherwise I wouldn't have enjoyed this dish as much I actually did. The figs were a lovely accompaniment to the cheese and the bits of celery gave the dish some lightness and texture that helped cut through the creaminess of the dish. Not a combination that hasn't been seen but sometimes, you don't want to mess with the classics that you know already work well together.

Rice Crackers, Sea Salt, Vinegar

Anyone who's visited Tomislav before would probably have already seen this on the menu. It was actually an enjoyable finish to the meal as I really needed the salt. The crackers were incredibly thin and light. Definitely could have polished it all off if I was given extra portions.

Overall, an interesting night and I think Tomislav probably wouldn't disappoint with their menu during regular service. Looks like a visit is on the cards. And I have to get my hands on their chips which were recently voted as one of the best in Sydney.