The Quay to a Great Meal

Well I guess I gave the game away in the title so no need to ponder the question any longer!

I fully admit that I was reluctant to dine at Quay. In spite of the many positive reviews and members of my own family calling it their favourite restaurant, year after year, I would look at their menu and ask myself whether any meal, and particularly what was on their menu at the time, was worth $220 per person - without drinks. Even when Masterchef featured the gorgeous and now famous Snow Egg, I resisted, and not only because it was the one dish I was confident I couldn't have due to its egg content.Well I was finally persuaded to give it a go and I am very glad I did.

Quay has to have the best location for a harbourside restaurant. Even better, we were in what I would call the Captain's cabin, a small dining room upstairs from the main restaurant which I imagine could be hired for private functions with the right numbers. With sweeping views of the waterfront and Bridge, what more could you want?
We decided on the degustation menu, of course, with whatever substitutes required by my egg and my friend's nut allergies.

Tetsuyas ... again?!!

There is no way to disguise a dinner at this Sydney institution.

I would like to make a declaration - I am not a Tetsuya virgin. I had the great luck to have dined at the original restaurant in Rozelle (twice) and a few times after it moved to its current Kent Street location before this evening; so you will forgive me if I say that I was missing the surprise factor which is part of the whole Tetsuya's experience.
Anticipation is nine tenths of the enjoyment of a good meal and Tetsuya's is still one of the most coveted seats on the Sydney Dining scene. Marry that with a couple of significant birthdays and blogging it for the first time and you expect fireworks. Which is not to say that I was disappointed.We were lucky enough to be offered one of the private dining rooms (usually available at an additional cost). Away from the bustle of the main dining room, and owing to the attentive staff, it is easy to believe the restaurant is open just for you.
But, I still remember the first time fondly - I didn't have to pay the bill; it was the first degustation menu I had eaten (eating what your parents give you doesn't count!); it was one of the first up-market restaurants I had dined at and it was the most expensive meal you could buy.
Tetsuya's (whipped) Truffle Butter on a sour dough roll

Ever since we first devoured it, my family have had an ongoing love affair with Tetsuya's truffle butter. Smeared onto a chunk of the sour dough or white dinner rolls on offer, it is heaven in your mouth. We've gone as far as purchasing Tetsuya's Truffle Salsa and making it at home following Tetsuya's very own recipe. How disappointing then to be offered the whipped version that we were this night. It lacked the original punch. If this is a cost saving measure, personally I would rather be limited to one pot (the waitstaff refill the pot and provide additional rolls as many times as you request them) than a multitude of this watered down version. Please, we beg you, go back to the original recipe!

 Rant over, we were off on the evening's rollercoaster.