34-52 Harrington St
The Rocks, Sydney
Scarlett Restaurant is almost hidden from the public down a stairway inside the Harbour Rocks Hotel - but it's well worth finding for amazing food coupled with outstanding service in a lovely environment. This place ticks all the boxes.
The decor is a marriage of old world and new, with exposed stone walls blending nicely with marble tables and soft brown bench seats. This contrasts with an almost industrial feel to the all black ceiling space with exposed beams and visible pipes.
It all seems to go perfectly to create a memorable space with inviting simple elegant appeal.
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| The industrial feel ceiling |
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| Inside Scarlett Restaurant |
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| Simple and elegant |
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| The Menu |
I love scallops. They are such a nice seafood treat with a subtle flavour.
So when I saw the pan seared scallops, cauliflower, raisin and caper vinaigrette on the menu it was appealing right from the start.
What arrived was even better! The scallops were huge. These plump delicacies were perfectly cooked as well (it's so easy to overcook scallops).
Presentation was excellent with the scallops arriving on a slice of cucumber, which made it very refreshing and a nice crisp contrast with the soft scallop meat.
The dressing also went nicely with this great dish and at $18.00 it was well worth it.
Mlady had the dish I would have chosen next - my other love - salmon!
This was vodka cured king salmon with cucumber gel and confit fennel.
The salmon was lovely - thick and fresh. It had nice flavours that infused so well together.
Mlady said it was all very refreshing with the seafood combining beautifully with the gel and fennel. It was also a generous quantity for an entree. This dish was again well worth its price of $18.00.
As we are predominantly red wine drinkers, our host and somellier Peter Diego suggested a lovely Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon as a starter to accompany our food.
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| Delicious Chilean Red |
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| Peter Diego |
Maldy had crispy skin Barramundi, scampi tail, bacon, pine mushrooms and cannellini bean ragout.
I knew she would order this as soon as I saw the menu. She loves Barramundi and she loves fish with crispy skin (and of course tender meat). The challenge this creates for a chef is also noted as many achieve the crispy skin but sadly overcook the flesh! In this case she got the best of both worlds with a lovely crisp skin and delicately cooked fish. She was very happy!
The meal was beautifully presented, so much so that she didn't know where to start. It all looked so good!
The use of bacon was a surprise but it was in such tiny pieces that it added great flavour without dominating the dish. This meal was $35.00.
My main course was the lamb.It lured me with the description in the menu of roast lamb noisette, shank croustillant, pearl barley and kipfler potato.
The lamb was perfectly cooked with its beautiful pink meat melting in my mouth.
While pearl barley doesn't usually grab me, on this occasion it went so well with the whole dish adding a degree of depth and flavour. The concept at Scarlett Restaurant is "a contemporary flair on home cooking" and this was exemplified in this dish. This dish was $34.00.
A side of beans with confit eschalots went perfectly adding both colour and flavour. They were only $9.00.
We always knew one of us would have the creme brulee because we both love it.
The combination of banana creme brulee with peanut brittle ice cream sounded both decadent and indulgently delicious all in one.
It turned out to taste just as good too!
The brulee was lovely with a nice crisp shell on top covering a smooth creamy base. The fresh banana and tasty ice cream all went nicely to create a sweet finish to my meal.
This was only $14.00 and I loved every mouthful of it and completely cleaned the plate.
Mlady sometimes likes to finish a meal with an indulgent dessert and sometimes with something more fruit based. In this case it was the latter with the berry salad, lime sorbet and meringue shards grabbing her attention on the menu.
Presentation was again, as always here, excellent. What arrived was not only delicious but it looked so appealing.
The combination of berries, tangy citrus lime sorbet and the sweet shards of meringue was an ideal end to a great meal. Again this dessert was $14.00.
But this wasn't the end! Throughout our evening our meals had been expertly paired with wine by Peter Diego. For our dessert he brought Mlady a limoncello and for me a beautiful Hunter Valley Verdelho Liqueur. It was an idyllic finish!
Scarlett Restaurant is lovely fine dining. They focus on your dining experience without rushing you in and out. So settle in for a journey of great food and wine in a lovely restaurant that has simple understated charm and elegance, with service to match.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Scarlett Restaurant. Special thanks to David Lowe for arranging our visit and also to Peter Diego and Cassandra for looking after us so well on our visit.
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| Scarlett Restaurant |
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| Verdelho Liqueur |
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| Foyer and waiting area |
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| Outside Patio |
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| Front Bar - with Paul there to welcome you |
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| Beside the front bar |
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| Foyer and waiting area |
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| Foyer and waiting area |
