I was very excited when Prue from The Mint Partners invited a group of food bloggers out to the brand new Ripples on beautiful Sydney Wharf, the newest addition to the Aqua Dining group under Head Chef Richard Park. It was a cold and drizzly night, but that didn’t dampen our spirits as we set out for Pyrmont. Located just across from Star City Casino, and the view of the city skyline was beautiful. It was also a chance to enjoy a unique ‘Chef’s Table’ style of dining I had only read about but never before experienced. I was looking forward to being close to the action, to get a glimpse into the workings of a professional kitchen during dinner service.

We started with some crusty French epi bread with anchovy butter, a lovely fresh tasting pesto butter, olive tapenade, onion marmalade, pickled prunes and the most amazing duck liver parfait with a tangy layer of cranberry jelly. I had to keep reminding myself that there was much more food to come, and not to keep shovelling the lovely parfait onto the fresh crunchy bread!

Spring Bay Scallop with Fennel Salad

For entrée a few of us picked the Twice Baked Goats Cheese Soufflé with Onion and Thyme Soubise. It was perfectly cooked, with a lovely light texture and is wonderfully cheesy.

Oysters were also a popular choice, served either warm with leek fondue and goats cheese sauce, or with a mignonette dressing.

For main course, I had the Duck Leg Confit, served with red cabbage, frisee salad, hazelnuts and a tangy seeded mustard dressing. It was a beautiful dish, the flavours went wonderfully together and I loved every bite.

Pan-Seared Kingfish, Gnocchi Parisian with Olives, Braised Fennel & Baby Eggplant

The Signature Bouillabaisse was a seafood extravaganza served with garlic bread and rouille. I tried a little of Lorraine’s and though I don’t usually go for seafood, it was great.

Ripples Famous Fish & Chips, Homemade Tartare Sauce & Lemon

Billy’s Six Hour Braised Lamb Breast was a dish I had my eye on and almost ordered. It was served with petits peas and green olive salsa, and was so wonderfully tender. I would love to try this all to myself next time!

Lyonnaise Potatoes

Reem shared her Rabbit Fricassee with Mushroom, Lardons and Potato Dumplings which was the perfect dish for a wintery night. It was the first time I’d tried rabbit since I was little, and I quite liked the taste. It was a nicely balanced dish, cooked well and served beautifully.

And then after a lull in activity in the kitchen, the chefs busied themselves with preparations for dessert. The Grand Marnier Crème Caramel was intense in flavour, definitely one for Grand Marnier fans.

Chocolate Terrine with Pistachios and Raspberry Sorbet.

The Warm Chocolate & Hazelnut Pudding with Chocolate Ice Cream & Nut Toffee was another perfect dish on this rainy night. It was rich and deep, I loved the nut toffee.

Apple Tarte Tatin & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

But the absolute hit of the night however, was the Leatherwood Honey & Goats Curd Parfait with Poached Quinces. Not only visually stunning, the flavours and textures of each component from the spicy gingerbread to the melt-in-your-mouth Persian fairy floss were so well balanced that you could take spoonful after spoonful without ever feeling like it was too sweet.

It was a fantastic night, a wonderful meal with some great friends. Thanks goes to Prue for being a wonderful host, Head Chef Richard Park and the team at Ripples for putting on an excellent dinner. Check out Lorraine’s, Billy’s, Jen’s, Helen’s, Melissa’s, and Reem’s blogs for their thoughts and photos from the night!

56 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont
www.ripplescafe.com.au