Now it’s not often that you get to say “I dined at one of Gordon Ramsay’s acclaimed restaurant’s, on a Saturday night.” Well Now Emma and I can say exactly that. We’ve always been big foodie’s, which is why we always struggle with weight loss, just today I found a Food stall market up the road from Warren Street station, but I managed to resist temptation, with the exception of a Char Sui Bun.
For being an incredible asset to the last family she worked for, Emma was given a gift voucher for MAZE for the both of us to enjoy a five course meal, with a glass of bubbly I may add.
At first we were greeted by the front of house hostess, who was quick to show us to the amazing bar area while our table was still being prepared. We both given a cocktail menu by one of the attentive staff, after a quick browse we both decided to save ourselves for a bottle of wine to enjoy while we eat. Before we knew it we were being shown to our table by the maître d’ who showed us one of the best dining experience’s we’ve had.
Emma and I are lucky in the sense that we like to try what the other ordered, so we always order different, and were able to try everything on the tasting menu.
We were each presented with an Amuse-Bouche, which was cold carrot and ginger soup, with halved peanuts, Olives and Grapefruit. Now admittedly when we both heard Grapefruit we were a bit thrown back, but every single combination worked superbly. It certainly got our palate’s ready for what was next.
As stated before we always pick different from the other, well what arrived for our starters was exactly that. For Emma, it was what looked liked the perfect poached egg, but happened to be the most perfectly moulded Burrata I’ve ever laid eyes upon. It was accompanied by the classic basil pesto, but what was intriguing was the florets of wood sorrel sprinkled over the Burrata, which gave the dish the added citrus it needed.
For myself was the beef tataki, to me this dish didn’t just taste amazing, but visually was a treat for the eyes. Inside was a aubergine and peanut satay, drizzled with smoked ponzu, which the maître d’ described as a ” citrus based sauce, infused with a Japanese fruit called Yuzu”. I mean I’m quite a big foodie and love south-east Asian cuisine but dining at MAZE actually made me realise I know nothing. Yet not knowing what Ponzu was, or knowing that aubergine and peanut satay could actually work, didn’t stop me from making sure not a crumb was left on the plate.
For our next two dishes we had a Mushroom risotto with grilled artichoke and Grilled Octopus with green harissa paste. Now for me, and this is no way meant to be taken as a negative, the risotto was just a really tasty risotto, it accomplished what it said on the menu, I suppose I was disappointed as everything else on the menu had been slightly exotic, but I understand that not everyone like exotic and, risotto is known as a Gordon Ramsay staple.
I’ve always been a big lover of squid, and have always said if I’m ever to have octopus I want it do be done right. Well not only was this one of the tastiest dishes of the night, it’s of the best dishes I’ve had the pleasure of eating. Initially i thought the octopus would have a chewy texture like calamari, but to my delight it had an initial crunch followed by what can only be described as what calamari should taste like. The green harissa paste, was the perfect condiment to the octopus, it gave a nice heat and made you feel as though you were somewhere exotic.
For what can only described as the main dishes of the tasting menu, both choices were meat based. Emma chose to go for the duck breast, which had been cooked to perfection and was accompanied by endive which again was a first for both of us, and artichoke. I ordered the Pork tenderloin, which came with a nice portion of pork belly, with Hispi cabbage and apple, they had made it more like an apple ‘slaw nonetheless tasted great with the pork. Another thing I had noticed with the pork that it was the tiniest bit pink in the middle. Now whenever I have eaten or cooked pork in the past I always cook it until there’s no pink left or is well done. I can definitely say from here on out I’ll be cooking my pork to a medium temperature.
While having a little breather before dessert, the maître d’ brought over a lemon refresher, which I can only describe as boiled lemons, with boiling hot water poured over them which is like something out of a science class, it added another class touch to what was already an amazing dining experience.
Yuzu Curd and Strawberry Parfait
To end our night in a traditional five course fashion, we were both treated to a deconstructed tiramisu, for those coffee lovers out there it delivers with a bang, it had all the makings of a traditional tiramisu, but as an option you could opt for the fresh warm coffee the waitress carries in a small jug, of course Emma and I couldn’t eat tiramisu without the coffee, it gave the dish a slight touch of elegance without being too fancy.
For the individual dessert’s we had a choice of Strawberry parfait or Yuzu Curd and whey. Emma decided to change things up and decided to go for the more exotic dish of Yuzu curd, while i was forced to choose the Strawberry parfait. The Parfait was a great summer dessert, and quite refreshing on warm summers night, the added bonus was the macadamia nuts which run through the middle of the parfait.
Now the Yuzu Curd, I have to say was the more quirkier dish of the evening. It was like nothing I’ve had before, the curd was very light, yet the Yuzu I could only compare to an orange type flavour. Along with the Miso shortbread, sliced pear and sprinkling of basil this dish as odd and quirky as it was, actually worked very well and was equally as refreshing as the parfait.
Everything about this restaurant was perfect, the staff, the food, the decor. I think if you really wanted to celebrate a special occasion or wanted to take that someone special to dinner, this would be an experience you wouldn’t forget and would definitely earn your place into someone’s good books.
MAZE. Now it's not often that you get to say "I dined at one of Gordon Ramsay's acclaimed restaurant's, on a Saturday night." Well Now Emma and I can say exactly that.
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