Review: Ormeggio’s Spanish degustation feast
Ole and it’s off to Spain for Ormeggio’s latest fine-dining experience.
Manly
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LET’S call it a culinary bromance. Restaurateur Alessandro Pavoni and Victor Moya, his head chef and business partner, have created a degustation menu that embraces both their heritages.
Loosen your belts and forget the Spanx, A Trip Via Spain is three hours of leisurely-paced fine-dining that can be matched with wine and set against a backdrop of swanky gin palaces moored at the Middle Harbour marina.
The idea for summer time feasting comes from Ormeggio’s Italian foodie tour last year. This time, the pair who’ve worked together for seven years, have crafted a little bit of Italy and a little bit of Spain into a contemporary feast.
Think tapas from Spain and chichitti from Venice so that the whole concept is more of a casual approach to fine-dining, Alessandro Pavoni says.
Don’t forget this is award-winning Ormeggio, one of Sydney’s top eateries, so the word `casual’ doesn’t really apply to 19 beautifully-presented dishes.
A Trip to Spain begins with aperitivo, a fun food experience of six dainty morsels presented in a variety of ways. Explosion of spritz is an orange flavour bomb served on a wood platter; cold mussels are topped with tiny diced jewels of peppers and manchego wafers are cheesy wagon wheels plucked from a wooden stand.
The tabletop woodwork comes from local artisan Chris Thorndike, from Woodman Designs.
Between aperitivo and tapas, comes thick slices of green olive and rosemary sourdough. Dieters beware, it’s hard not to scoff the lot, they’re so ridiculously more-ish.
Behind the scenes, the kitchen is a feverish hive of activity plating up the succession of nine intricate courses for each diner.
There’s seafood, chicken and even a cheeky nod to fast food — wagyu alla vaccinara piadina is a sort of trendy tacos and meaty finale to the savoury options.
It’s hard to mention each and every course, but three still stand out a week later. Skull Island tiger prawns with peanut ajo blanco and grapes is delicious, and so is the harmonious fusion of flavours with scampi rice and seaweed aioli.
Both Spain and Italy use different hybrids of japonica rice, Pavoni says. Spanish influences in this dish is the soccarat, the crispy part of the paella dish from Valencia, a region where Moya grew up.
I’ve also become a sucker for the barbecue-style charcoal octopus, which is cooked over coals and served speared on rosemary skewers on a wire rack.
It’s one of the courses that’s eaten like finger food, just like the deep-fried pencil leeks, which are served with romesco, another Spanish classic.
Non meat eaters can have a vegetarian version and the restaurant will accommodate a number of different dietary requirements.
If you’re not having the signature cheese box (an extra $60 for two), the meal ends with two desserts and three bite-sized petits fours.
Ormeggio embraces savoury and sweet ingredients in the crema catalana. This dessert incorporates pumpkin, rye, sumac and verbena as well as home made buttermilk gelato.
It’s also as pretty as a picture with the sprinkle of elderflowers and the oversized dark serving dish.
The verdict: *****
The price: $$$$$
The details: D’Albora Marinas, Spit Rd, The Spit, Mosman, 9969 4088.
Open: Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday
Menu: ormeggio.com.au
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