keeping up with the joneses

jones bay wharf is another pier with integral sydney maritime historical value. a combination of reinforced steel & hardwood, it once served as the integral point for massive cargo shipments still apparent by ghosts of yesterday past. massive overhead lighting, tangible echoes of once working rail lines, mobile gantry & several original internal lifts all litter the scape. today this makes for a beautiful ghostly visage onto the water & home to a handful of blue chip restaurants and even the last steel manufacturing company HQ in australia [bluescope]. steel schmeel, i'm here for the ambience & the food!

it's been ages since i've been to flying fish & the homecoming is so very sweet. the warehouse 2 story loft refit is gorgeous & the combination of exposed original raw hewn timber aspects of the space juxtaposes beautifully with barely there light subtlely drawing the eye like the retired concorde's floor lights out into the mirrored glass water views. the effect is unpolished, yet hellishly stylish.

i find it a bit odd that when the specials are discussed by the ever attentive waiter that each price is quoted. i guess when dishes are hitting the 42.00/62.00AUD per entree/main staff need to be mindful in elimiating communication issues come check time but the restaurant is void of match-girls sans me. there's no piggybanks in sight so the effect is a little jarring. this is the only negative. everything else is off the richter scale positive.

so much so that i'm so enamoured with my food i consume at haste & focus on other eye candy to photograph. so many wonderful nooks & crannies i espy. in the end my food photography doesn't make the grade & hashtag fails beyond compare with other visual delights. my tastebuds do the talking/walking here.

btw. mains come with complimentary green salad which is so fresh & firm to the bite i eat it like a sorbet at the end which in turn creates more room for um... sorbet & other wonderful dessert goodness.

in brief:

entree: wild sea scallops with corn puree, cuttlefish risotto and zucchini flowers.

instant to-die-for inhale. still confused about where it went but the taste of heaven on my lips is testament that it may have been me.

main 1: seasonal crustaceans cooked with black pepper curry leaf.

i choose the prawns [which are very good] inspired by an adjacent table of suits who were all kitted up with oversized burnt umbre bibs which the waiter tied them up into. their crustacean of choice is crab which looks incredible. all in all a fantastic spectacle. sadly i don't get a bib which is silly, since i more than anyone could really use it.

the staff recklessly underestimate how dangerous i can be when armed & dangerous with a prawn or two. this makes me think of a friend obie from adelaide's KINO KABARET film prawn attack he made in sydney last week on the 48 hr film challenge marathon i just survived... a filmmaker who changes the way a person looks at seafood.

main 2: sri lankan snapper curry with spiced pumpkin, riata and coconut roti.

this is a minimalist well balanced beautifully cooked dish which is wonderful with rich hues of orange & yellow but sadly i am much too full-too-fast to indulge. my friend john who is quite the curry afficiondo & always fast-tracks to curry at the malaya is well pleased.

sides: flying fish handcut chips with chilli salt

all my favourite food groups sans garlic. this was always going to be a crowd pleaser.

dessert: goat's milk pavé, champagne infused rhubarb, gingerbread and elderflower

after clearing a small pocket for dessert i head for what is arguably the lightest star. it's perfect & so delicate it never had a chance versus my elephantine oesophogus & avarous fork swoop.

the exemplary views & fodder for both mouth & camera are all chased down with a very respectable caiprioska & excellent wine list. unfortunately i won't be back until once more i'm the guest as opposed to host because my 20AUD per glass of sublime merlot & rather exy main meant that sadly pigs will fly, and i need to sell a film or two before i can freely return on whim to the joneses fishing spot.