Hayes Street Wharf Bistro13 Hayes Street
Neutral Bay, Sydney
Tucked away down Hayes Street - and in fact almost hidden - is the deliciously delightful Hayes Street Wharf Bistro.
They do have a clear French influence - but their food goes beyond this. Described as Modern French it has a range of influences touching its original base.The brainchild of Gavin and Natasha Tuckwell, they've found a nicely cosy location to bring their dream to life.
It's clearly also a produce driven menu that stays small based on what's fresh and seasonally available and therefore it also constantly changes.
The decor is charming. It has a pleasant yet casual feel to it that embraces you instantly.
When you arrive anywhere and are first seated your priorities are probably something to nibble, a menu to peruse and a drink to sip on. Well the sourdough baguette with truffled butter that they have here is perfect for the nibble. Then you could sip on a glass or two of good red wine - in this case a Chateau Grand Jean 2010 Bordeaux Superieur. The menu was there too and it already had us excited. All three boxes were ticked and the night was off to a great start!
Then it was time for our starters.
Mlady had the delicate scallop and crab boudin blanc in a fragrant tomato crab bisque dotted with black caviar. It was an impressive dish.
Sir had a beautiful lightly seared bugs tails with avocado, celeriac remoulade and salmon pearls.
Mlady was in the mood for red meat for her main course - which happens less often than with Sir. She chose the sticky Wagyu beef brisket Bourguignon (that literally dissolved), caramelised shallot and a great truffled mash. She loved it. A tasty side of green vegetables and almonds went well too.
Sir spied the duck on the main course menu and as is often the case the rest was history.
This beautiful dish was roasted half duck with lovely gnocchi and cherries.
It was a big dish too - with plenty of nicely cooked duck. The cherries and gnocchi added great flavour too.
Dessert - the sweetest part of the meal - soon arrived. Mlady's inner chocoholic shone through brightly and she chose the chocolate fondant with hazelnuts and raspberry sorbet.The molten inner of the fondant oozed out when it was cut, slowly seeping onto the plate. It was rich, indulgent and amazingly good.
Sir chose uncharacteristically with the rhubarb blancmange, cinnamon crumble and apple sorbet.He usually heads for chocolate or pastry.
The very light and fluffy blancmange was simply delicious, and the fruity apple sorbet combined perfectly.
Hayes Street Wharf Bistro is a hidden gem worth looking for and finding. The food has substance and subtlety, delicacy and flavour, colour and texture. The venue is comfortable and the service is attentive but not overbearing. Find it and see for yourself.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Hayes Street Wharf Bistro. Special thanks to owners Gavin and Natasha Tuckwell and also to Yyani for looking after us. Thanks to Claire McPherson of CPM Online Marketing for arranging our visit.
