Friday, December 18, 2009

Review: Palate, Sydney

“Japanese…again?!”

When you have no time, no booking, no money, no sleep and have been eating fast and unhealthy meals during the week, the first cuisine you think of is Japanese. It’s quick, cheap and relatively healthy but for some (not me, I will never get sick of this cuisine), it becomes incredibly boring. So that was FYL’s complaint when I once again suggested Japanese. After this exclamation, we found ourselves standing under the staircase at World Square, peering into what appeared to be a fairly busy café.

“No. Not a café for dinner.”

Making our way around the corner, we reached a dimly lit restaurant, which seemed to be closed until a waiter signalled for us to come in the other entrance. Turns out, it was the restaurant version of the café we saw but perfect for us – quieter and exclusive called Palate. 



FYL was very happy with her selection, especially the privacy it brought us, until the waiter opened the main entrance and several other groups came in. The atmosphere and décor immediately made me feel comfortable and slightly high-class too but the prices didn’t turn out to be that expensive either!


Photo compliments of FYL 


Photo compliments of FYL


Photo compliments of FYL


We’d been told that canapés would be served at the party we were all heading to later on, so amongst the four of us, we decided to order three dishes.


Pumpkin & Beetroot Salad $11.00

Spending a whole week having quick lunches and dinners meant I had little veges to satisfy my nutritional quota for the week and the Pumpkin & Beetroot Salad was welcomed with open arms. The beetroot was sweet and juicy, juicy enough to warrant my careful gobbling to avoid staining my shirt. The roast pumpkin on the other hand may have been a tad overcooked so slightly on the dry side, but overall the salad was nicely refreshing.


 Mushroom Risotto $14.00

When we reached the Mushroom Risotto however, I’ll have to say, the presentation wasn’t the best attribute of this dish. In our little photo here, the Parmesan cheese has shielded you from most of the risotto but when we made our way past those top layers, the consistency was too gooey and brown – the resemblance was really too uncanny. I’d have to say it was also a bit too flavoured for my liking but partnered with our other two dishes, it made it through.


Salt & Pepper Squid $10

Finally, the Salt & Pepper Squid. What can I say? I love deep fried nibbles. Although it didn’t satisfy my health conscious self, it certainly satisfied my tastebuds, stomach and everyone else around the table – a good sharing tapas dish. This one had all my approval with its hint of garlic and chilli flavours.

Palate wasn’t our idea of a homely Italian restaurant bustling with energy but really suited that particular occasion where we just wanted to dine in peace before another late night out. The prices were quite reasonable and although a slight fluctuation on the taste, we will probably put this on the hit list for another relaxed dining experience, especially since it’s so conveniently situated inside World Square.

Palate
World Square
Level Upper Ground, Shop 17-18, 123 Liverpool Street
Sydney NSW 2000
PH: (02) 9264 3661

6 comments:

  1. I visit World Square quite a lot but I've never seen Palate, so it must be well hidden! You're right about the mushroom risotto; it needs to be presented a bit better ....

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  2. I'm trying to get my head around all that greenery around the mushroom risotto??

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  3. The prices there look quite cheap for city food.

    Pity about the risotto but what did you mean by being too flavoured?

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  4. joey: Yeah, I didn't realise that it existed either! Funny how you can stumble onto it after hanging around that area for such a long time and so frequently!

    mademoiselle delicieuse: Yeah, the greenery seemed like a prop to cover the murky risotto beneath!

    Simon: It was too strongly flavoured was what I meant. I needed to 'chase' my spoonful of risotto with a mouthful with water!

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  5. This is in WS??? Never knew about this place!
    Oh yes, deep-frying makes everything better. ;p

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  6. Yas: Yeah, it's definitely well hidden. I used to walk past it thinking it was either closed or some exclusive place. From the outside, the inside always looks quite dim!

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