4Fourteen Review

MKR guest judge Colin Fassnidge not only knows how to dish up a mouthful of critiques, he also knows how to manage his Sydney restaurant empire with a string of restaurants bearing the trademark '4/four' in their name. This includes Four in Hand and 4Fourteen. 

If you have been following my Facebook page feed (if not you should do so, Facebook page link in in the social buttons or on the side) then you should know that I have a bit of a habit of kindly informing you guys about the booking program that is Dimmi. It's pretty much a site where you can make reservations online and you get points for doing so and I can now proudly announce that I have accumulated enough points to earn myself a $50 voucher (it's not hard when you eat out as much as I do). What I also love about Dimmi, is the fact that they run these weekly 50% off deals and to top that off you can get points for booking these deals as well. So when a good deal comes along, I could not help but call/text my girlfriends up to organise a luncheon for us. Aptly named 4Fourteen, the name is so fitting considering my girlfriends and I call ourselves the 'Awesome Foursome' (we are so not modest right). 

With their rustic, English style menu and open kitchen against the backdrop of their warehouse setting, 4Fourteen gave us many reasons to return back. Also, for those who are secret judgers of toilets, you will appreciate this venue because the attention to detail of a great restaurant lies not just with their food but also with their amenities. With a candid sign saying 'Loo', beyond the door however lies lit scented candles and hand wash and lotion that would confuse you into thinking that you were actually inside an Aesop store.

And if that description wasn't enough to make you consider this place then surely the food will! 

One of the things that I loved most about 4Fourteen's menu is the fact that everything is designed to be shared, from their nibbles, large plates, and even down to their desserts (I kid you not).

To Nibble:

CJ's Chips and Dips- Chard and Crackling $10

hmmmm fried food

Of course I was glad that I wasn't tackling this one solo, I like my fried food but there's a limit to what I can take. The biggest mystery for us at the table, was what on earth the green thing is, I though it was like a silver beet but with a red/orange stalk, and after some googling I guess I was right. The batter was very light and not too oily, and so you could eat without guilt. The crackling was a first for me, different from what I'm used by still quite pleasant, the only tricky part was figuring out how to divide it so you didn't get pieces flying everywhere. The slightly spicy sauce on the side was great in breaking up that oil taste. 

Glazed Lamb Ribs with Pickled Cabbage $11

I SERIOUSLY NEED TO BOOKMARK THIS PLACE WITH RIBS TO RIVAL THAT OF HURRICANES

Each serving comes with 2 ribs but since we had an extra companion bringing us to a table of 5 we ordered 2 servings (no regrets however) but the team were so nice and gave us an extra rib so that there was enough for one per person without us having to order a third plate. Though after we all had starting eating, there was a unanimous agreement that should we feel that we needed more food notwithstanding dessert, we would definitely order more ribs. Lamb isn't my meat of choice for ribs but I might be converting after having these, the meat so tender and was literally falling of the bone but then again you might say what bone because my piece didn't have a bone. I also loved the sauce, not sure how to describe it other than recounting the fond affection that I have attached to. Finally, I loved pickled foods (more on in future posts) so yay for pickled cabbage.

Small Plates:

Chef's 'Late Night Dinner'- Grilled D'Argental, Onion Jam, Iggy's  $16

We were short of a small plate so we settled for this one. This dish one of those dishes that I would describe as guilty pleasure because if Iggy's bread is not enough they have it paired with luscious D'Argental cheese and my favourite part- the onion jam. I think I might abandon the sharing idea if push comes to shove on late night (:

Roast Bone Marrow, Fried Flat Bread, Spiced Mayo $18

I certainly thought the flat bread most definitely shareable, great crunch to it though I would have rather it not so oily. The spiced mayo generated divided opinions, I though it was rather interesting because the spiced tastes comes after you've eaten it and it wasn't overpowering either. The bone marrow proved a bit difficult to divide,  and was very fatty as to be expected. Not quite sure if it worked with the flat bread because we had them separately. 

Large Plates:

Smoked Beef Brisket, Roast Potatoes, Onion Rings $64

We went for the large size, a smaller serving is available for $38 and yes looks are most certainly deceiving because the beef brisket kind of blends in with the black of the casserole tin.

So better shots of the beef brisket to give it some justice

We literally tore the brisket apart so that it would soak up all the remaining sauce left.

Loved the batter they used for the roast potatoes and onion rings, great crunch but perhaps a bit too oily for my palette (I have a low oil tolerance, please understand). But other than that, I was incredibly content to stuff myself. We all first ate the roast potatoes and onion rings before devouring the beef brisket after we were satisfied that it had absorbed enough of that sauce. It was our absolute must-try dish and it most certainly lived up to our expectations. Such incredibly tender stringy beef with that infused smoke taste, would you believe it if I said that we were all in labour from our food babies?

Mussels, Salted Fish and Batlow Apple Cider Sauce with grilled bread $32

No MKR Manu moment here because there was plenty of sauce, heavenly sauce for that matter. It was so good that we just had to soak the bread in it so we could appreciate the sauce. If you are wishing to emulate me then please follow suit, you won't regret it. Mussels were lovely, with an ample serving.

DESSERTS:

White Chocolate Sandwich, Dulce de Leche $16

YUM!!!!

Actually with that said, there is not much else I saw about the other 2 desserts below. This dessert is 4fourteen's best known dessert but if you ask me the next is even better but enough on that, dulce de leche lovers should rejoice at this because not only is there a healthy dollop on the side of the chopping board, there is also so between the ice-cream and the tuiles. 

Bounty $16

With only one word written on the menu, I was a bit apprehensive to order this at first but after hearing the waitress describe it, we all collectively knew that we had to order this. When it arrived, a collective W O W could be heard from us as we fought camera over phone over phone to get the right shot of this dessert before we let our taste buds celebrate. The dessert titled 'Bounty' is pretty much coconut, chocolate mouse, cocoa and vanilla ice-cream but when paired together you can imagine how good it tasted. For $16 as well which is a modest price, you can bet that I will back in the coming months to feast on this again even if I don't have a voucher/deal with me.

Rhubarb Cheesecake, Lemon and Ginger Bread $15

Our last dessert, a bit of a deconstructed cheesecake but tasted brilliantly together. Super moist ginger bread and yes finally there was enough ginger in there for me (would have like more though but enough to make me satisfied), rhubarb pieces, lemon curd and finally the cream cheese. Nothing was overly sweet so that was a big plus, I think is a cheesecake that even those who normally stray away from cheesecake wouldn't mind. 

Despite only paying half price (RRP are the ones listed), I would definitely be back as a full paying customer because the food was simply sensational. My picks would be the lamb ribs, the beef brisket and pretty much all of the desserts we had with a special mention to the Bounty dessert and the cheesecake.

With a table of 5 this brings us to a bill of $21 pp, not a bad deal correct? The service was also splendid so to make up for our cheaper than chips meal, we also gave a decent tip to thank the team for a wonderful lunch.