You must think that I have lost my mind (I probably have) but there is a story behind this. I was surfing the net to find a description of a good friend and I chance upon the above. You see, my hubby met a guy at work years ago, and they clicked straight away. There are just people in life that will pass you by, and those that will be great friends. He is the latter. This friendship (or bromance) blossomed, and was sealed after a first double date when we realised we had many things in common. His wife and I are of similar background, and the two men both love wines and have an interesting sense of humour.
The restaurant we went to on our double date was Interlude (a two hat restaurant which has now closed) and had so much fun over a superb ten course meal. Needless to say, we missed them when they lived abroad for a couple of years. They are finally back, but only for us to be going on our own journey soon! But I hope strong bonds will prevail despite the distance.
So tonight, the same two couples went to the Deanery, whose head chef, Robin Wickens, had been the genius behind Interlude. Looking at the website, it looks like Wickens hasn't strayed from his foams, crumbs and micro serves (nothing that I will EVER bother making at home!). I was concerned because the degustation is now only a six course.Would we be full? Surprisingly, we were all satisfied (boys were sloshed after the matched wines). The highlights for me were the rabbit loin and terrine dish and the first dessert of pineapple and coconut with a consomme of pineapple. Also, the proscuitto bread rolls were amazing, kind of like a cross between a croissant and a gougere (hard to explain, you'll just have to go and try it).
However, I felt that the Deanery had a few shortcomings. There were only two serving the entire floor (which had about 40 guests) and it always took awhile before we could get some attention. To get to the restaurant itself, you have to walk to the end of an alley (Bligh Place), passing a sushi and bar place spilling with after-work people onto the sidewalks, having a few drinks and cigarettes. Not a great scene before you enter (what I thought was) a fine-dining establishment.
As you enter the the front door, you are immediately greeted by a bar area filling up with people. The deco was modern, with a common area of couches immediate to our right. On the left, there were more couches which were surrounded by thin curtains and large modern lanterns above each partitioned area. The restaurant itself is situated on the top level which was visible and open to the bar area, and it felt like it was an afterthought. The deco was nothing like the attention given to the bar area. The only thing nice was an entire grill-style wall that displays their crates of wine. The acoustic of the room was poor, the noise mainly coming from the bar just below. To make matters worse, as the night wore on, the couple seated behind us started swearing loudly (seemingly just part of normal conversation, but obviously not tolerating their alcohol well, or just had a bad daY!). If we were given a dollar for everytime we heard a swear word, our entire meal for four PLUS drinks would be paid for. The Deanery seemed to attract a crowd very different to its previous counterpart.
Overall, the food was good if not better than Interlude. However, the ambience and service have a long way to go. It is a shame that the focus is the bar, because the restaurant has potential, especially with a such a brillaint chef.
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