The Dining Room at Park Hyatt Review

So for my latest fine dining foray I decided to go to the Dining Room at Park Hyatt. I'm a bit unsure of the reason why I chose this place over others because there are so many options to pick from but obviously the rational person in me doesn't want to break the bank by eating out all day everyday. I've always had an affiliation towards the Dining Room maybe because whenever I frequented Circular Quay/The Rocks I would be secretly (more like openly) jealous of anyone eating there when I walked by. Stories aside, I decided to buy a Lime & Tonic voucher/meal for the Dining Room for 2- $69 per person for a 3 course meal.

Amuse bouche- Seared tuna with raspberry condiments

It was adorable when it was first presented and it was just as nice to eat. There are few things in the world that that can top seared tuna, I was a bit unsure about the raspberry condiments. Apart from the raspberry itself, it was served with what appears to be a raspberry coulis. I for thought it was more appropriate in a dessert just because that type of sweetness didn't fit my palate for seared tuna. 

Darling River kangaroo loin, avruga caviar & horseradish, lemon myrtle

This was the main that I ordered and first things first: get over the pink meat. It might be arguable but the meat is probably a little more to the left of medium rare but that's understandable given how tough kangaroo is. Not to stereotype here but being Chinese I have eaten many 'exotic' things so I am someone that is open to and enjoys a good kangaroo dish and this was exactly that. Loved the bite of the horseradish puree- think that that you get from wasabi- and put simply the meat was spot on! Beetroot puree and caviar are just a bonus.

King crab & avocado, fennel & finger lime, combava oil & yuzu

If there is one thing to take away from the Dining Room, it is that the chefs know how to plate food. We move from one visually stunning dish to the next from pinks to greens. To be frank my mother and I were a bit disappointed in this entree because it was lacking the crab. Whilst the taste and its delicacy was there, what it lacked was quantity. In fact you'd struggle to find chunks of crab amongst the avocado, green apple and fennel.

Cobia & black sesame mousse line, Pimiento del piquillo & chorizo condiment

For our main my mother and I both opted for the cobia because were weren't fans of the vegetarian or chicken breast option. I was very please with the 3 cobia fillets, it may not look substantial but they were quite filling and more importantly the meat was so tender such that it was effortless to eat. 

"My Sugar Free Dessert"- organic yoghurt, pineapple & green papaya marmalade, guava sorbet

This is the dessert for those that don't harbour an excessive sweet tooth. More on the citrus and sour side this is dessert also doubles up as a palate cleanser. It is also incredibly light making it a great way to finish off a meal.

Rose & lychee entremet, raspberry & Iranian Pistachio, Mikado chocolate

Initially when I first presented this I thought this was a mushroom or toad. Later I recalled this and instead thought it was inspired by the Messina black forest cake. Either way that orange-red spherical shape is in fact a white chocolate dome encased within that is the a cookie base along with layers of vanilla, rose and lychee mousse. Personally I wasn't that fond of this dessert and because it was so heavy- coming from someone who can take extremely rich desserts- I wasn't able to finish it either. 

Specifically asked for the window seat to take advantage of my meal with a view!

Sometimes you when you look at something from afar you tend to ignore its shortcomings and replace them instead with your imagination and fantasies (can't think of a better word). Today I am guilty of that. Note to self Shirley next time you want to throw down a bunch of money on an expensive meal why don't you revisit Est and Sepia.