Quay restaurant serves pasta dish for the first time in 18-year history

He sent the food world into a frenzy with his snow egg. Now Quay head chef Peter Gilmore has created an 18-year first with the addition of a new take on fine dining — adding a specialty pasta dish to his exclusive menu.

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The “Godfather” of Sydney dining has finally added pasta to his menu.

But, given this is celebrity chef Peter Gilmore and it’s the first pasta dish he’s served in the 18 years of his world-famous restaurant Quay, it’s not some sad spaghetti.

Instead it is a hand-rolled, bone marrow-infused gnochetti served with white asparagus, koji and garum butter.

It made its debut on Thursday night as part of the restaurant’s famous six or 10-course degustation menu, making history in a restaurant normally associated with ultrafine dining and molecular gastronomy.

Chef Peter Gilmore’s speciality pasta dish is now being served at Quay. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Gilmore says his new food creation is “not your average pasta dish”. Picture: Brett Stevens

“It’s true that pasta is just something that I haven’t been associated with much,” Gilmore, who is widely regarded as the country’s best chef, said.

“It’s just not something that is in keeping with the style of fine dining.

“But in this case there was just something about the texture of this particular dish and the technique in creating it, that I thought it deserved a place on the menu.

“It is most certainly not your average pasta dish.”

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Gilmore said the dish was born from experimenting with bone marrow as a substitute for egg yolk in handmade pasta — a tweak that has resulted in a delicate nutty flavour enhanced by koji (a Japanese fungus) and a salty butter emulsion made from garum or fish sauce.

Already Italian cooking legend Massimo Bottura and Noma head chef Rene Redzepi have both admired Gilmore’s creation on social media.

“It has been really well received which is great … there has been some great support from guys like Massimo. It shows how close-knit the food word actually is,” Gilmore said.

Quay waitress Pauline Ferrara serves the new pasta dish. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

However he denied the dish will trigger a change in direction at the notoriously high-end harbourfront eatery where the starting price for a six-course degustation meal — without matching wines — is $225.

“No, I think this will just be a one-off for Quay,” Gilmore said.

The internationally-acclaimed chef has also set the record straight regarding rumours he has been asked to join MasterChef following the exit of Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan.

Gilmore has confirmed he was approached by the producers but told them no, so he could remain focused on his two restaurants Quay and the neighbouring Bennelong.

“I don’t believe you can be a really committed chef within a business and also do a TV food show like MasterChef,” he says.

“It is a very full-on commitment and, for me, my main love is being in the kitchen day-to-day and giving that my full attention.

“So no, it wasn’t for me but it was nice to be asked.”

Originally published as Quay restaurant serves pasta dish for the first time in 18-year history