Omage in Baulkham Hills, Sydney

FAMILY should never be underestimated. So many great restaurants exist, often in unexpected locations, thanks to the lure and support of family. Biota Dining in Bowral is a good example that springs to mind.

omage

FAMILY should never be underestimated. So many great restaurants exist, often in unexpected locations, thanks to the lure and support of family. Biota Dining in Bowral is a good example that springs to mind.

Omage is another. After a recent stint as head chef at the CYCA, Darryl Martin's hunt for his own place led him to Baulkham Hills. He could have opted for the path so many chefs take and gone to Surry Hills. But coincidentally, his father-in-law Sam Barakat was looking to return to the industry at the same time and lives not far from the restaurant they now call home.

Together they have reinvigorated the moribund Iso Lounge site by the lake in Norwest Business Park, creating a smartly comfortable place to dine, rather than eat.

Omage is a family affair, with wife Gabby helping out and her father and stepmother Hoda running the floor with old-school charm. Perhaps the humility, warmth and hospitality is a result of the family's Lebanese and Cypriot heritages. The important thing is you feel nurtured at Omage.

Darryl has cooked his way around some of Sydney's finest restaurants, including Quay and Foveaux. He first impressed me at Taste on Sussex, with a mix of Asian and French flavours. That tradition continues here, along with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences.

Omage is a serious restaurant geared towards a professional market used to life's finer things.

The small wine list offers affordable drinking, such as the Barossa's Bethany chardonnay, $9 glass/$36 bottle, and the rich and smoky Maude pinot noir, $64, from Central Otago.

Darryl first worked with Darrell Felstead at Rozelle's Three Weeds, then later at Foveaux, and the influence of that time remains in great produce, entertaining, finely crafted combinations and spectacular presentation. A main course of lamb, $32, is a fine example, using three different cuts of pan-roasted rump, braised, pressed and pan-fried shoulder and breast, cooked in pomace oil, then barbecued. It demonstrates the chef's command of technique and is so beautifully arranged it looks like an elaborate headdress made from slivers of red endive, mint leaves, puffed millet and foamed pumpkin.

We start with "duck cigars", $20, combining French, Asian and Middle Eastern elements. Confit duck is spiced with star anise, cinnamon and coriander, shredded and wrapped in Tunisian brik pastry, then deep-fried. Two of these spring rolls sit in a bowl on chestnut puree, with thin slices of bright orange persimmon on the side, plus rocket leaves for extra colour. It's an intriguing mix that's surprisingly successful.

Seared sea scallops and black pudding, $22, delivers artistry right when you're expecting something rustic. Canadian scallops, halved and chargrilled, are arranged on the plate, alternating with small nuggets of black pudding. Grated horseradish and fennel are scattered across the top, while purple heirloom carrots, orange and green slashes and dots of carrot and fennel and nasturtium leaves spark out from the sides.

The sweetness of the seafood and vegetables are a good foil for the pudding's earthiness, although it's not a dish I feel as comfortable with as the main of beef tenderloin, $36, on a risotto-like bed of pearl barley with wasabi butter on top. There's spinach laced through the nutty pearl barley, and an excess of walnuts that I'd ditch, since both their crunch and flavour are redundant.

Dessert, $14, looks a little molecular, with chocolate ganache strips turned rubbery amid stars of earl grey tea foam, crumbled honeycomb and a blueberry sorbet. Darryl reveals a playful yet insightful approach to cooking to make Omage a welcome new member of the family.

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HOW IT RATED

OMAGE

Food 14/20

Staff 8/10

Drink 3/5

X-factor 3/5

Value 8/10

TOTAL SCORE: 36/50

Address

Shop 2/8 Century Circuit, Norwest Business Park;

Ph: 9894 6499

Food: Contemporary

Drink: Small, well-priced mix of boutique Australian, French & NZ wines

Hours: Lunch Tue-Fri & Sun noon-3pm; dinner Tue-Sat 6-late

Chef: Darryl Martin

Wheelchair access: Yes

Parking: Free off-street parking

Price guide

Entrees $17-$22

Mains $29-$36

Desserts $14

Snapshot: Omage is such a good addition to Norwest Business Park it'll have you scanning the positions vacant ads for jobs in the vicinity.