At the beginning of this year I went full-time as a consultant, freelancer and blogger.
Now there are many great things about working from home – I especially love the working in pyjamas option, the family-friendly flexible hours and the lack of distractions. On the flip side it can be lonely at times; I’m a very social person so regular contact with the outside world is not only healthy, it’s essential to my well-being. But when I have too many deadlines or experience a blue patch like I did recently, I tend to stop going out.
So I was happy to break my recent bout of too-much-work-and-not-enough-play last Thursday with a media dinner at North.
Dinner was served in the dimly lit boardroom above North. The setting gave the dinner a rather formal atmosphere but the food and wine proved were a perfect ice breaker and we were all soon chatting away happily.
First up was a Mini Rare Wagyu Beef Bun.
The brioche bun was soft but not too sweet and proved to be the perfect backdrop to the tender Wagyu, melted cheese, sweet pickle, and rocket. The chilli mayonnaise gave the dish an enlivening and nicely balanced kick and went well with the fruity 10 Yangarra Estate Vineyard Roussanne from the McLaren Vale.
Next, we had a lovely Mixed Grain Salad that included beetroot, fresh citrus, freshly shelled peas, coriander and a mint and yoghurt dressing.
This delightful dish was a wonderful contrast in textures and flavours – the sweetness of the beetroot and the tender peas contrasted nicely with the earthiness of the grains and the acidity of the citrus. This was accompanied by the crisp 12 Geoff Hardy K1 Gruner Veltliner from the Adelaide Hills.
The next dish, Pan-Seared Snapper fillet was beautifully presented.
Expertly cooked snapper perched on top of al dente steamed green beans, crisp chorizo and an exceptional romesco sauce, made from roasted red peppers, tomatoes, garlic and and almonds. I usually like fish cooked quite simply but this dish was a wonderful blend of flavours. This was served with the 10 Spinifex Lola Marsanne Semillon Roussanne Ugni Blanc Viognier from the Barossa Valley.
I was starting to feel quite full by this point but the next dish — Mayura Station Wagyu Beef Rump (grade 9) served with 10 By Jingo Nero Ross — piqued my appetite yet again.
I love a good steak and wagyu, properly cooked, is one of the ultimate feasts for meat eaters. For this dish four pieces of beautifully charred and caramelised medium-rare wagyu were placed (lovingly) on a bed of buttered spinach and dressed with a creamy béarnaise sauce. The texture of this wagyu was quite extraordinary – the meat was so buttery soft my teeth simply sank through it and I barely had to chew. This dish would cost you $39 in the restaurant and I personally think that’s excellent value.
Dessert was Sticky Rice.
I was impressed with this dish for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s unusual to see an Asian dessert on a (Western) fine dining menu. Sticky rice is usually served in a bowl but here it’s been carefully manipulated to perch daintily on a drizzle of coconut milk. Lovely fresh mandarin segments and mint and chilli strips add some welcome freshness and bite, while lemongrass ice cream and a divine salted coconut crumb round off the whole thing beautifully. There is so much going on here in terms of flavours and textures but it’s all been put together in a restrained way and the flavours are nicely balanced. Top marks for this team effort.
Dessert was served with an incredible 12 Mocandunda Vineyard The Kindest Cut Cane Cut Riesling from the Clare Valley. I’m a sucker for a good sticky and this one is just gorgeous.
After the meal, Chef de Cuisine Ashley Brandom returned to answer our questions and receive our collective praise.
Brandom was born in Australia but spent many years in the UK where he worked with chefs like Albert Roux and Mark Treasure (The Museum Inn). He moved back to Australia in 2003 and worked at Penfolds Magill Estate, The Melting Pot/The Pot and Press* before joining North.
North’s winter menu will be available for lunch from Thursday 7th June and for dinner from Friday June 8th. The Dine and Dash promotion offers a main + beverage for $29 or an entree, main and beverage for $41.50. If you do choose the wagyu there is a $10 surcharge.
North
Adelaide Casino
Station Road, Adelaide SA
Bookings +61 (0)8 8218 4152
Disclosure: I dined at North as a guest of the restaurant. As always, all opinions are my own.
