If you're into the hatted restaurants but not a fan of uptight ambiences, then Universal is worth a visit. This trendy bistro style restaurant is situated in Darlinghurst in an inconspicuous courtyard amongst three other eateries. Being half outdoors and half indoors, the venue is fabulous on a summers night.
We came here for a special occasion (my birthday!) and anticipated a great night of food. Christine Manfield is very hands on in her restaurant and as expected, she was there doing the dirty work - carrying boxes to the kitchen and also chatting to patrons.
Service was attentive and non intrusive. We were seated in front of the orange coloured lit backwall - not the desired lighting for photos but our table had an elevated view of the outdoor seating area and courtyard.
Fuji Mama Mocktai $9, Ruby Baby Mocktail $9
The mocktails were to die for. Although they only had 2 mocktails on offer, both were outstanding in its own right. The Ruby Baby mocktail was rich and refreshing, whilst the Fuji Mama was simply devine! The mocktail was relatively thick, like slurping down mashed apples but the peruvian spice syrup with honey gave it a really distinct flavour i've never tried before in a mocktail.
Our waiter explained the menu which is structured so the lighter meals are listed top left and as the heavier dishes towards the bottom right of the menu. It is recommended each person chose 3 dishes, however we decided to share 5 between the two of us and order dessert afterwards.
Our 3 light dishes arrived together.
The quail dish was clearly thai influenced. The fresh mint, citrusy dressing and spiced quail coupled well with sweet pomelo. The quails were quite satisfying and the mint made it a quite refereshing entree.
Spiced quail, roast rice, pomelo and mint $26
This pancake was highly anticipated. I commend the bravery of introducing salted egg to this dish as it it does not always sit well with western palates. But the salted egg was not overpowering at all - it added the necessary distinct saltiness with the tiny diced salted egg pieces. What i liked about this one was the agedashi styled tofu wrapped inside the pancake and the crunchiness of the peanuts really brought this dish to a next level.
Chilli coconut tofu and salted duck egg pancake, roasted peanuts and chilli jam $25
Generous portions of salmon and oysters came with the next dish. On par with the other two, the apple salad was definitely needed to balance the flavours.
Tea smoked aoraki salmon and pacific oysters, morcilla and green apple salad $28
Our 2 heavier dishes came next. We ordered the wagyu and the pork belly. At first glance i was quite disappointed with my pork belly. Where is the pork belly? is this nibble sized croquette and pork belly all there is? Even though the croquette was crunchy not oily and pork belly nicely cooked, it was just not heavy enough to be classified as a 'heavier' dish
Sweet and sour pork belly, trotter croquette, roasted parsnip and green peas $29
Similarly with the Wagyu, portion size was not nearly big enough. The mushroom tempura were to die for and the pastry light and fluffy. The wagyu was a bit wasted, as it was married with bone marrow which softened the whole texture - overly melt in your mouth with no bite. Wondered - was i eating slow cooked pork rather than beef?
On came dessert time!! Universal was awarded best dessert restaurant 2010. This should not disappoint and it didn't!
Ordered the bananarama - made with banana mashmallow, salted peanut caramel, passionfruit cream and passionfruit banana sorbet. I adored the thin layer of sugar crisp that cracked on impact. The banana mashmallow base was creamy and firm rather than mousse-like which i liked. The passionfruit flavour in the cream and sorbet somehow overpowered the bananas, but this was totally forgotten when the peanuts made its appearance. I loved the salted peanut caramel!! Great texturely, and the much needed salt in the dessert ensured i was not 'ahhh'-ing from sugar overload.
Bananarama $18
The highlight of the entire night must be the infamous Gaytime goes nuts!! And i definitely went nuts as i fought with my companion to devour the dessert (bearing in mind my companion is not usually a dessert lover!). The gaytime inspired dessert was remarkable - rich honeycomb ice cream with choc covered biscuit balls hidden inside, was topped with salted hazelnut caramel and caramel parfait, wrapped in a chocolate crunch shell. The photo does not do it justice! A must try for gaytime and dessert lovers.
Gaytime goes nuts $19
UniversalRepublic 2 Courtyard
Palmer Street
Darlinghurst
Tel - 02 9331 0709
www.universalrestaurant.com
