Cured & Cultured at Bennelong – Sydney, NSW, Australia

Posted on Jan 28, 2016 in Restaurants

Any restaurant housed in an iconic building such as the Sydney Opera House could easily fall victim to it’s own hype so I was sceptical but for me, this is definitely not the case with Cured & Cultured at Bennelong. Possibly even more indicative, I’ve never been a huge fan of Peter Gilmore’s Quay (first experience was shocking so it took me a few years to try again and second experience was pleasant but I still wouldn’t rate it as highly as some).

The Cured & Cultured space is set mostly above the main dining room with jaw-dropping views of the harbour and the Opera House sails. (We visited at lunch on a stunning Sydney day and I know the night view is outstanding but I prefer to see the activity of our spectacular harbour although full sunshine streaming onto the front tables in the middle of summer might be a bit of an issue.) The room is tastefully decorated with a concrete/metallic/wooden theme which respects the structure of the building while taking nothing away from the view. Tables are well spaced for conversation and seating is comfortable enough to settle in for a stay! Staff have full control of the room and on our visit, there was only one occasion when we had to catch the attention of the waitstaff for a refreshment.

I started with a Whispers on the Breeze spritzer (sauvignon blanc, lemon peel, cucumber, St Germain & soda) which was divine and may just become my new summer drink (way better than the Aperol Spritz that’s taken over!) Another of us had a Don Pancho De Le Mancha cocktail and I’m told that was also outstanding. The wine list was heavy on Australian wines (& rightly so) with a creditable selection of internationals where needed. We’re partial to a good Pinot Noir so opted for Pooley, Butcher’s Hill from Tasmania – we enjoyed it so much that we’re looking for supplies locally! There were four in our dining party and we shared:

Roasted carrot salad, almonds, sheep’s milk feta, amaranth
Salad of oxheart tomatoes, house cultured creme fruit, olorosso sherry caramel
Red claw yabbies, lemon jam, cultured cream, buckwheat pickles
David Blackmore bresaola, rye, cucumber pickle, fennel butter, horseradish creme fraiche
Suckling pig sausage roll, black garlic
And one of us HAD to try the Cherry Jam Lamington (but we all had a taste!)

The menu is mostly a combination of cold/raw dishes which allow the produce to star… and it did. Every dish was perfectly balanced, full of flavour, presentation was impeccable… I could go on and on. Standout dish? For me, it was the carrot salad (an unexpected surprise) but for the other three it was the tomatoes (it did come a close second for me also). Least favourite? Probably the sausage rolls but even that’s not really a negative because they were delicious.

I can’t attest to the main restaurant at Bennelong but Cured & Cultured certainly pays homage to it’s magnificent surroundings.

My tip: They also have a pop up bar for the month of January. It’s classy, well staffed and even better views that the restaurants! If I had another afternoon free in Sydney this month, that’s where you would find me.

Visited January 2016.

Gallery:  https://www.princessintransit.com/gallery/cured-cultured