Dedes is a lovely little restaurant in Abbotsford, situated on a scenic bend of the Parramatta river. The restaurant was very busy on the drizzly Sunday afternoon, as I caught up with blogger friends old and new. I can just imagine how lovely the view would be from Dedes on a sunny day and why it’s such a popular spot for functions and wedding receptions!
Dedes Restaurant is all about modern Australian with a focus on fresh seafood, but what we were here for today was all about sweets – an event called #dedesdesserts. At least that’s what I thought – until we were informed that we would also be sampling Dedes’ signature hot and cold seafood platters!
Ordinarily the platters would be served separately, but due to timing and our large group, they are served together and make quite a sight! On the cold side, there was marinated octopus with feta, oysters, prawns and smoked salmon. The hot side consisted of delicious baked barramundi, bbq prawns, salt & pepper calamari and crayfish tail, Western Australian scampi, angels on horseback prawns and hand cut chips.
I almost can’t believe that a few years ago I didn’t eat seafood. While I still can’t bring myself to eat oysters, the rest of the platter was delicious. The highlight for me was the scampi – absolutely delicious. But the other thing that impressed me was that the batter on the hot items wasn’t too heavy or oily.
The delightful Yaya also made us some plates of greens – snake beans and chicory prepared simply with olive oil and lemon, which she convinced us would balance out the cholesterol. Bless! The platter was matched with a beautiful 2009 Watershed unoaked Chardonnay from Margaret River.
Thank God for the mandatory food blogger dessert stomach, as I was getting full already! But pastry chef Jason Langthorne had prepared an absolute dessert feast for us. The first of our sweet treats was a strawberry crème brulee with vanilla bean shortbread. With a perfect crackly sugar crust and a flute of NV Moet & Chandon Champagne.
Next up was an absolutely delicious chocolate truffle dacquoise with almond praline and turkish delight ice cream. What a dessert! There was a great play on textures – from the nutty dacquoise to the mousse-like truffle filling, to the crunch of the praline. The ice cream was the perfect foil for this rich dessert, and there couldn’t have been a better match than the Frangelico frappe – a shot of frangelico over crushed ice.
The dessert onslaught wasn’t over yet! The next delicious treat was a flourless citrus cake with lemon semi freddo and orange caramel. The flavours were mild and sweet with a nice crunch from the spun sugar. It was matched with a piccolo latte. Denéa professed it her favourite.
My favourite of the day had to be the baked rhubarb tart with cinnamon crumble and toffee apple ice cream. I love rhubarb in almost any form, and this was no exception. The presentation was stunning, and it was perfectly matched with NV Galway Pipe Port.
Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly eat anything else, but Yaya had prepared us some pumpkin tart with delicious homemade filo pastry! It was served with truffles and peppermint tea – the perfect end to a delicious lazy afternoon. Thanks very much to the restaurant manager Kelly and the amazing staff at Dedes. I can’t wait to come back for dinner one day soon!
Spicyicecream dined courtesy of Dedes restaurant
Dedes Restaurant – 613 Great North Road, Abbotsford
