——-30/03/2012——-
Ooooh I was just staring at photos of a beautiful dessert and it turns out I forgot to post about it!
My friends and I headed to Artisan after a ‘light refreshments’ event at the Botanic gardens. Despite my reminders of our up and coming dinner to a restaurant that I have been looking forward to, they still ate too much and therefore we had to skip entree. I would have loved to have tried the pork belly, scallops or mushrooms. Instead I had to settle for a bread roll starter.
Mains~
Duck Blackberry glazed roast Grimaud duck breast with sugar snaps, baby carrots and chestnut puree ($33.00)– The duck was cooked medium but we had to send it back because my friend likes well done. It was nice that they were willing to cook it a bit more and they re decorated the plate when it was re-served. It didn’t have a strong duck taste and we found bits of the chestnut puree a little gritty.
Tortellini Artisan crafted spanner crab and saffron tortellini with lobster and chive beurre blanc ($29.00) Awesome parcels of pasta in a delicious refreshing lemon sauce. A small serving though.
Beef Pure south eye fillet with potato souffle, slippery jack butter and port jus– Every restaurant has a ‘beef’ option which makes it all the more harder to perfect and stand out from everywhere else. This was absolutely delicious! Cooked to perfection with an awesome butter and a superb potato souffle. The souffle sounded really interesting and was the reason why I chose this dish, it was soooooo fluffy and delicate.
A closer look @ the duck, amazing potato souffle and tortellini.
Sides~
Asparagus spears with tangerine oil ($7.00)
Meringue Chewy meringue encased in a cellophane wafer with cream chabousse, seasonal berries and passionfruit liquer reduction ($14.00)– This was recommended by the waiter and he said the serving suggestion is to break apart the toffee and make sure to have a bit of everything in each mouthful. The sweetness of the toffee was balanced out by the meringues and creamy custard.
Creme brulee Vanilla bean custard with burnt sugar, pistachio and spiced pineapple ($14.00)– The custard was very smooth and the pineapple went so well with the pistachio and ginger.
Tart Peach puff tart with French vanilla ice-cream and orange toffee sauce ($14.00)– This had such a fluffy pastry and you could feel all the layers of the pastry in your mouth. Served warm with a delicious subtle vanilla bean ice-cream on top.
The staff were friendly and attentive during the whole service. They were nice enough to seat us inside when a table became available. Great food and a bustling dining room, I definitely want to come back and try more (and maybe get an entree too).
Venue: The Artisan
Address: 16 Iluka St, Narrabundah, ACT 2604
Phone: (02) 6232 6482
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 12.00pm – 2.30pm and 6.00pm – 10.00pm
Saturday 4.00pm – 10.00pm
Website: http://www.theartisanrestaurant.com.au
TALES OF A CONFECTIONIST 