S’age is situated amongst a high quantity of restaura1nts lining Willoughby Road and the Pacific Highway in Crows Nest. The area has an array of cafes, bistros and takeaway joints where you are quite spoilt for choice. However this restaurant is more upscale. Entering the restaurant from the main road, you’ll find a sophisticated dining space, dim lighting, lovely ambience and light music.
Previously a Japanese restaurant, the chef also worked there. He has opened this new ‘bistronomy’ (bistro + gastronomy) combining French and Japanese flavours and techniques with local seasonal produce. Presenting beautifully plated dishes (or works of art!). It is a sensory dining experience, its name deriving from ‘sea, salt, soil’ all these aspects incorporated in their menu offerings. It boasts a 5 or 8 course degustation or ala carte menu, it is perfect for a date or special occasion. The food is high quality fine dining, with the restaurant aiming to have a more casual service experience. The atmosphere was certainly comfortable and relaxing.
We selected from the A La Carte Menu, beginning with some soft house baked bread and churned butter as well as the macarons. You would think you have macarons for dessert, but here they are combined with a filling of duck liver pate and make for a sweet but savoury bite.
One of the top dishes of the night has to go to the cold aneaebi sweet prawns with horseradish and jerusaleum artichoke, with flavours delicately combining to create a taste sensation.
There were plenty of items on the menu things that sparked our interest, including the smoked oyster and kangaroo tartare with plum powder sitting in an oyster shell. Certainly an interesting menu choice.
We also tried the potato and pumpkin gnocchi and the grilled wagyu rump. The rump was extremely good – perfectly cooked, with by creme fraiche, mushroom and mustard sauces.
Normally sides are to accompany your meals, right? Here they are stand alone stars! Make sure you order the thrice cooked potato. Potato is always good. But then boil them, fry them, cover them in batter and fry again and add burnt butter for good measure and you have one of the best things ever!
It doesn’t end here, we of course went for dessert. The chef plates the desserts at the bar and we were fortunate enough to watch the chef at work, such concentration and skill. For dessert the cherry and basil ice cream with red wine tuille and pink peppercorn meringue was combined interesting flavours and textures that worked.
Another great dessert sampled was the tempered white chocolate log filled with white peach served with juniper berry ice cream and piña colada foam which decorated the plate and was a wonderful example of technique shown by the chef.
We recommend the trip to Crows Nest to check it out as it will certainly evoke all your senses and make for an incredible dining experience. We dined as guests of S’age and thank thank the chef and staff for their hospitality.