Dome Bar and LoungeLevel 1 Corner of Cleveland and Crown Streets
Surry Hills, Sydney
Dome is a cosy sultry jazz den (even though it's upstairs) with chandeliers, subdued lighting, murals on the wall and day-bed like lounges - it's like stepping back in time. There's plenty of space with the band well positioned in the corner so that the everyone gets to see them from both directions in the L shaped room.
It's just a pleasant place to be. They even bring around free canape's - and they're good ones as well. We had some smoked salmon on baguette with creme fraiche and dill - it was a lovely teaser for what was to come later and a nice way to be welcomed. The amazing jazz we listened to during the night gave the whole place even more atmosphere - it was so memorable.
Of course a drink to start the night is always a good idea. Mlady had a cabernet merlot and I had a shiraz. The wine list is quite good here. We were then surprised by this creation of Boo Savage who is the top mixologist at Dome (and at a few other places in the group as well). It tasted great - and looked amazing as well - and yes that is a whole egg yolk you can see!
Entree number one - mine - was the pan fried scallops.
They came with carrot puree, crispy pancetta and truffle cream (with a dill garnish).
Four plump and juicy scallops (yes they were nicely cooked) were delicately placed on the plate on top of a decent smearing of carrot puree.
The two dollops of truffle cream was ample to go with the dish.
I was initially concerned that the crisp pancetta would overpower the scallops but this didn't happen as it was subtly done. The flavours all combined well to make this a great entree.
Mlady had the salt and pepper squid. The calamari that arrived was actually extremely delicate in all ways.
The batter was extremely light - such a good touch - and the salt and pepper was also subtle.
Often this can be an overpowering dish in so many ways but this one was excellent.
Mlady said that she would gladly recommend this dish to anyone visiting Dome - and as I had a small sample (it was all she'd give me) I can fully agree with this.
My main was the lamb loin. I was advised that it came rare - which was perfect for me but I can understand some people balking at this so it was a nice touch.
Three good sized pieces of lamb arrived perfectly cooked - and I mean perfectly - beside smears of carrot and pumpkin mash, silverbeets that had been nicely wilted with homemade gravy.
I loved this dish. I've had so much good lamb over the years - but this was great lamb. The flavours just went so well together and it was all prepared beautifully and presented artistically.
The dish had appeal right through from plate to mouth.
Mlady had the fresh Australian salmon.
It came with crispy chat potatoes, tangy tomato salsa and green beans.
Mlady loves salmon but it was the thought and expectation of the salsa that tempted her to order this dish. It didn't disappoint as it had a kick to it but didn't overpower the salmon.
The salmon had beautiful crispy skin - again a favourite for Mlady and one of her pet likes.
She also loved the potatoes - they are something she doesn't eat a lot of but on this occasion she finished the lot. The skins were crispy and the flesh was soft inside. It was another winning dish.
My dessert was the dessert of the day - lemon tart.
I love a tart - particularly lemon - its a personal favourite of mine.
I received two slices nicely presented on top of each other with fresh fruit and a drizzle of fresh blackberry juice - and a few berries as well of course.
The flavours were nicely done with a solid yet not overpowering lemon taste and the pastry was a good thickness too.
I could have eaten another serving of this - if I actually had any more space!
Mlady had another favourite of hers - creme brulee.
It was described as a creamy brulee with a satisfying caramelised sugar top. For her its almost always her choice if it's on the menu so this wasn't a surprise. It was again a nice dish.
We were treated to a lovely finale drink from Boo with Mlady having a Johnnie Walker Platinum and for me it was a sublime very aged rum! Such a good end to a great meal!
Dome has great food, attentive service and you get to listen to amazing jazz as well.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Dome. Special thanks to Joshua Meijer for arranging our visit and to Fabiano and Boo for their help on the night.
