Rebecca Varidel, left and Darren Jahn, right, explaining the wines we were about to taste

I was recently invited to the media launch of the upstairs fine dining restaurant of this newly opened, but already very popular bar owned and operated by Roy McLeigh and his wife, after successful stints at Bennelong with Guillaume Brahimi, the Bathers Pavillon in Balmoral with Serge Densereau and Berowra Waters Inn with Dietmar Sawyere, Roy is not short on French technique and it shows! But, Roy has also added another layer to his traditional training and it is the now fashionable foraging and "locavoring", an aspect of his cuisine which got me invited by Rebecca Varidel of Inside Cuisine and Sydney Scoop fame.
Rebecca had assembled a diverse and multilayered crowd of professional writers as well as famous (and not so famous in my case..) Sydney bloggers and other food and wine professionals like Lucy Allon from Straight to the Source and Darren Jahn of Robert Oatley Vineyards in Mudgee who supplied for and match the wines to each of the dishes served on the night.

Nice setting for 18 people

We were greeted with a glass of Piper Heidsieck Champagne, one of the top wineries in that region and we were encouraged to keep drinking it with our first course. All the wines chosen were part of the Robert Oatley Vineyards portfolio.

And here is our menu:

Sashimi of ocean trout with myrtle vinegar and coastal plants
Piper Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut NV

Pea mousse with its own leaves and flowers candy bacon parmesan broth
Herringbone Hills Sauvignon Blanc, 2014, Marlborough, NZ

Chicken ballotine, chickweed, crisp pigs ear, pickled jellyfish and sweet basil
Ad Hoc Hen & Chicken Chardonnay, 2014, Pemberton, WA, Australia

Potato chip cake with salted caramel and sour cream snow
The Yard Riversdale Botrytis Riesling, 2013, Frankland River, WA, Australia
 

Before our main course, we were treated to a Heston Blumenthal inspired broth, which tasted like liquid grilled sardines...lucky I like them!

First course: ocean trout sashimi | very pretty, very fresh, but lacking guts in my opinion. Perfect pairing with the Piper Heidsieck

Second course | An innovative and delicious take on the traditional Pea & Ham Soup

The second course was probably the most delicate and amazing dish of the dinner. Smooth and delicate pea purée, crunchy peas and their leaves, candied bacon just sweet enough. Perfect combination of textures and flavours with an element of surprise from this pea and ham soup classic. The Sauvignon Blanc added some acidity to cut through the various layers on this dish...Perfect!

Another view of this fantastic dish

Third course Chicken ballotine, chickweed, crisp pigs ear, pickled jellyfish and sweet basil

This dish was probably the best example of Roy's French training and imaginative twist on a classic recipe. The chicken ballotine is a staple of French cuisine and my grandmother was a champion at it, but this brings modernity and intelligence to the party without being innovative for the sake of it. Perfectly executed, complex layers of flavours and texture. However, this would have required a much more robust Chardonnay to go with, like a Californian Chardonnay - like the Wente I recently bought for Independence Day - or a Meursault if you could afford it. The Ad Hoc was certainly good but could not cut through the complexity of the dish.

At that stage, the Chef Roy McLeigh got out of the kitchen and came to talk to us. A passionate and talented young man

And the most surprising sish of the night, dessert!

You cannot dine with an Irishman without having potatoes at some point...Roy was smart enough to regal us with this humble root at the last minute and not without a further twist! Potato chips cake with salted caramel and sour cream snow was playful, inventive and a perfect coda to an amazing exercise, considering that Roy is the ONLY person in the kitchen. Just enough salt, just enough sugar, perfect combo of soft and crunchy. Remarkable! By contrast, the Botrytis Riesling was a big disappointment, far too crude and not sweet enough to cope with this complex dessert. Bring me my Chateau Rieussec please!

Overall, this was a fabulous dinner and I couldn't thank Roy McLeigh, Darren Jahn and last but not least Rebecca Ravidel for putting this event together. It was great to meet @simonfoodfavourites, @lbvlebonvivant @thejuggernauts, @jezzster, @straight_to_the_source, @conjurupfood aka AJ Dalton spice girl extraordinaire and my table neighbour Mel Nathan from Food Companion International.
My apologies to those I have not recorded properly. Let yourselves know to this blogger so we can include you in this list

What's left of the three wines we drank: Left the Sauvignon Blanc, right the Chardonnay and the Botrytis Riesling at the front