I don’t go out to eat that much any more. I know it’s almost blasphemous for a food blogger to admit that, but it’s true. In years past I would often find myself out most nights of the week, but these days I often prefer to return to my favourite places, and the camera hardly ever comes with me. But the desire to share really great discoveries will never die – I mean that’s what blogging is all about!
Signature Brasserie overlooks Botany Bay at Brighton Le Sands. A family-owned restaurant and part of Le Sands Pavilion, the Greek hospitality and lovely staff are one of many reasons to return. The view is just beautiful, and I was fascinated watching the planes landing at the airport just across the water, but surprisingly you can hardly hear them at all. I guess you’d describe the food as a cross between modern Australian and modern Greek, with some really clever flavour combinations and interesting twists on classic dishes.
We started with a delicious assortment of shared dishes, each more delicious than the last. If there are ever zucchini flowers on the menu, I have to order them, and these definitely didn’t disappoint. Stuffed with goats cheese and caramelised onion, they were fried until perfectly crispy and served on a delicious beetroot puree. The flavours complemented each other perfectly.
Anything wrapped in pancetta is usually a winner, as were these scallops served with a mysteriously named ‘Dragon sauce’. The basil aioli was a delicious and unique accompaniment to the Salt and Pepper Crusted Calamari. The perfect thing to nibble while sitting so close to the water!
But my favourite had to be the Braised Wagyu boneless short rib on celery puree. Words cannot describe how tender and flavoursome this meat was. It fell apart under your fork and virtually melted in your mouth. I know these are meant to be share plates, but really, how can you be expected to share when something tastes so delicious!
We were intrigued by the Signature Dishes as they all sounded absolutely delicious! The Hot Seafood platter is a combination of a their From the Ocean dishes in smaller tasting form including the Barramundi served with superfood salad, honey yoghurt and pomegranate, Snapper with lemon butter sauce, Salmon with braised leek, carrot, King Prawns and Scallops. It’s hard to believe that up until a few years ago, I didn’t like seafood at all! My favourite was the Barramundi, which was cooked to perfection, plus I really liked the mix of flavours and textures in the superfood salad, with the pomegranate giving it a little boost of sweetness.
The other dish I just knew I had to try was the Rib Eye. 700grams of Cape Grimm dry aged beef is perfectly cooked to order. Large enough to share between 2 or 3, and I loved every mouthful of this delicious dish. I’ve already decided that next time I have to try the Lamb Shoulder, which is slow-braised for 8 hours. Yum!
Dessert is a tough decision at the best of times, but here is made even more difficult when the waiter brings out the huge platter of gorgeous desserts for you to pick from. The items change regularly and could include anything from tiramisu, gooey chocolate fondant, berry panna cotta and fruit tarts. Indecision has never tasted so good…
In the end though, we decided on the Strawberry Kisses – served with both milk and white chocolate. It’s such a simple idea but the strawberries were so beautiful and sweet. I do recommend the double dip into both kinds of chocolate!
If you’re ever in the Brighton area, I’d definitely recommend Signature Brasserie for lunch, dinner or even just a coffee and something off the dessert tray for afternoon tea!
Signature Brasserie, The Grand Parade Brighton Le Sands
Spicyicecream dined as a guest of Signature Brasserie