From the breakfast menu, the bacon and egg bun had a big soft bun filled with fried egg and a really big pile of bacon.
Read MoreBACAR RESTAURANT & BAR - OLYMPIC PARK, SYDNEY
Bacar Restaurant & Bar(Inside Pullman Sydney Olympic Park)
Olympic Blvd
Sydney Olympic Park
Bacar is perfectly positioned inside the lobby of The Pullman Sydney Olympic Park, gazing out to the life outside this sophisticated place. This restaurant is stylish, modern, comfortable and airy and also has the quality of food you would hope for in a place this nice.
We started with pacific oysters with crème fresh and finger lime that were elegantly presented on a bed of rock salt. Both Sir & Mlady love oysters and we both enjoyed these immensely. They were a refreshing start to our meal.
Paired with this, Sir had a glass of Tullochs Chardonnay and Mlady had a light 2014 Tempranillo - La Linea.
Sir started with the pork belly with portobello mushrooms, blacksalt puree, earth salt, edible flowers, sliced radish and watermelon. This was a pretty and colourful dish and Sir being a fan of pork belly thoroughly enjoyed this. Everything combined perfectly and the sliced watermelon and radish also added a delicious crisp taste.
Mlady started with the smoked ricotta, sliced carrots, grated carrots, cavolo nero, purple carrots, hazelnut dressing and oil. This had wonderful textures and flavours and was very elegantly presented. The crisped cavolo nero rested on top of this great vegetarian meal. This was simply divine and Mlady thoroughly enjoyed it!Sir then had a McLaren Vale GSM from Yangarra. This was beautifully rich in colour and full flavoured. Mlady, loving her Merlot, had a Gryphon Merlot from Penley Estate. It had a deep colour with strong purple hues and was very enjoyable.
Next Sir had his main of beef and marrow. This came with four delicious sauces - jus, barbecue (with chipotle), mustard and Harisa. These went so well with the beef which was perfectly cooked to a pink medium rare. The mustard sauce (which we at first though was wasabi) was a vibrant green and to obtain this colour we were told that parsley and chives were added. Sir thoroughly enjoyed this!
A tasty serving of nicely crisp beans also arrived topped with scattered almond slivers.We also had a plate of beautifully crisp polenta chips topped with shaved Parmesan and served with a yummy truffled mayo.
These accompaniments both went very well with our amazing food and we couldn't help it - we kept picking at both.
Mlady's next course was also delicious. It was casarecce pasta, prawns, scampi, tomato, breadcrumbs in a lovely broth. This was such a wonderful taste sensation and was so appetisingly presented. The oh so yummy broth, the prawns, al dente pasta and the crunch of the breadcrumbs - all the flavours together made this an exceptional dish!
A watermelon, feta and mint salad was a crisp and refreshing palate cleanser after the mains
Mlady's espresso martini was an enticing dessert cocktail with the graceful glass showcasing the beautiful rich chocolate colours. This was a lovely end to her exquisite meal.
Sir enjoyed his ice wine. He loves dessert wines and this delicious sweet nectar hit the spot.
Mlady's dessert was one of the best - and yes it was chocolate. This dessert had showmanship. It was chocolate soil, poppy seed espresso, ice cream chocolate tulle with chocolate sauce. You eat from the bottom up and what a great taste sensation it was. This was an amazing yummy delicious chocolate dessert!
This was a taste sensation reminiscent of the tropics and also a great mix of flavours and textures.
It had great depth and complexity all in one bowl.
Bacar is a class act from start to finish. It's a jewel of Sydney's west.Sir an Mlady dined as guests of Bacar and Pullman Sydney Olympic Park.
We would like to say a very special thank you to Chef Ben Nicholls for taking the time to chat with us about his food and food philosophy. Also we would like to thank Michela for taking care of us on the night. A big thanks also to Darrin Parker for this invitation.
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| Chef Ben Nicholls |
BACAR/PULLMAN AT SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK - SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK
Bacar RestaurantPullman at Sydney Olympic Park
Olympic Boulevard,Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
Bacar is the sophisticated and stylish restaurant in the equally elegant Pullman at Sydney Olympic Park.
This 5 star hotel is located in the heart of the Sydney Olympic precinct and therefore so close to so many venues - there's so much to do around here!
The rooms here are simply magnificent - think quality furnishings, lovely decor and warm earthy tones, brilliant views out over the area, huge pillows, your own Nespresso in your room - the list goes on.
The comfort is evident straight away - the challenge is whether to actually leave your room to explore the many activities, venues and spaces that are right on your doorstep!
There are so many things to do here. Many stay here for shows and functions but it's rapidly becoming a holiday and mini-break destination too.
The Aquatic Centre gives you this massive pool complex next door. Then there's ANZ Staduim, the Heritage Precint, the Tennis Centre, The Sports Centre and of course a short stroll to the picturesque Bicentennial Park. You won't struggle for choices here!
Bacar Restaurant is their premier dining facility. There are plenty of options on their diverse menu so settle in and be prepared for a lovely food journey here.
Despite it's sophisticated bearings and Five Star hotel location, Bacar is not pretentious. You do know you're in a good restaurant and the staff make you feel comfortable and welcome.
Our first nibble for dinner was the arrival of a serving of nicely prepared house marinated olives.
This was paired with a choice of house baked rolls - olive or sweet onion. Both of these arrived warm and smelled and tasted great.
Throw in a serving of delicious Pepe Saya Cultured Butter and you're off to a great start to your evening!
We are finding it harder and harder to resist having a few oysters at the start of our meals lately - especially when they are presented in interesting and different ways.
Bacar serves their oysters two ways. Mlady wanted her oysters natural with lemon and I was very keen to try them served with wakame, soy pearls and trout roe.
Both were delicious!
My entree was quite understated with its description of octopus, chorizo, green olive and squid ink. This simple description ended up revealing a beautiful dish with a series of contrasts that combined so well to create an entree that you just wanted to continue to enjoy even after you finished it.
I really enjoyed this!
Mlady was in the mood for seafood this evening so she chose the scallops, guava, Serrano, pomegranate and goats curd.Again it was a combination that contrasted so well and yet combined to create a really lovely dish.
The scallops were perfectly cooked and plump and juicy and the sauce went so well with them.
My main course was the 350gm dry aged rib eye that was served with fondant potato, ale braised ox tail, mushroom, candied onions and jus.This was a hefty piece of meat that was cooked perfectly to order - medium rare. The meat was very tender and full of flavour. The added surprise were the sides - they were great.
I'm a meat eater and would gladly have this dish over and over!
Mlady had the poached trout, finger fennel, yoghurt and pea. Again the simple descriptions lead to dishes that go well beyond what you may expect.
This was a work of art. The presentation was wonderfully appetising with vibrant colours.
It also had one of the most impressive pieces of crispy skin she had ever seen - which she loved! It had been separated from the fish and served at the side - and it was soooo crisp!
It also had one of the most impressive pieces of crispy skin she had ever seen - which she loved! It had been separated from the fish and served at the side - and it was soooo crisp!
We had chosen two sides. The first was duck fat roasted kipfler potatoes with pancetta and manuka honey. Wow. These were crisp, sweet, savoury - it all went so well together and tasted so good. Our other side was mesclun salad with alto olives, heirloom tomatoes and a Merlot dressing. It was a sweet and tangy salad that tasted great.
Dessert - the final frontier! What to choose - the dilemma I was facing!
Eventually I came to rest on the brownie deconstructed with sorbet, aero, peanut butter and sesame.
Oh yum - this was simply heaven! So sweet yet so good. The nob of banana with a toffee lid on it was another nice touch!
Mlady had the trio of sorbets. They arrived on a bed of popping chocolate.
The flavours were mango, raspberry and apple, elegantly presented on a glass plate.
She found all three extremely refreshing and full of flavour.
The views here are spectacular.
After our dinner were adjourned to our room and sat looking out over Sydney.
Nighttime views are always so romantic with the colours of the sky changing and the lights of the city and suburbs sparkling away.
ANZ Stadium was also lit up creating a lovely foreground - as was the Aquatic Centre.
The next day we were still a bit full from dinner but that wasn't going to stop us having breakfast - especially once we saw what was there! The chef cooks your eggs to order - you name it he'll cook it. You can also watch this happening if you like to supervise!
There's a rustic country feel to the breakfast buffet - and the food options are impressive. It has all the main choices you would expect and more!
We were both trying to decide whether to stick to sweet or savoury for breakfast - well at least I was.Mlady was far more controlled whereas I decided to have it all - and thoroughly enjoyed it all as well.
My hot food was delish with a bit of everything on the plate and the sweet treats I had afterwards were just as good.
The Pullman at Sydney Olympic Park lives up to its five star rating. It's in the heart of so many great sporting attractions and venues. It's a great weekend away without having to leave Sydney!
The lovely Bacar Restaurant is an added bonus with generous servings of very tasty food and excellent service.
Sir and Mlady were guests of Pullman Sydney Olympic Park. Thanks to Nan and Michaela in Bacar in the evening, Matt who mixed us some very tasty concoctions to drink, Tuhin and Ashley in Bacar at breakfast and to Sylvia. Special thanks to David Lowe for inviting us to experience The Pullman and Bacar.
