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Best Restaurants in Sydney: Rawsons Fine Dining at the Epping Club
To be honest, if you said to me there is a really good restaurant in a club I would probably have my doubts, however I’m here to tell you that I have discovered a restaurant in a Club that I have no hesitation in recommending; Rawsons which is situated in the Epping Club. I was a guest, amongst other media/bloggers recently to experience this new restaurant, and I was glad that I went which is about half an hour drive from my place.
Executive Chef, Nick Whitehouse, who hails from Sydney icons Flying Fish and Wildfire and now heads up Rawsons which is serving up some delectable dishes. Nick is a familiar face on MasterChef the Professionals, he has a Michelin Star background, including cooking for celebrities such as the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Slipknot and Kelly Clarkson.
Nick tends to feature three or four key ingredients in each dish that bring out the best in a familiar protein in an unfamiliar way.
Dishes that tried were:
“Og” house smoked salmon / capers / rye crumbs /sour cream cheese / dill paired with d’Arenberg The Dry Dam Riesling, Mclaren Vale. The rye crumbs and sour cream cheese really made this dish and as you can see Nick’s plating skills are excellent!
Barley seared prawns / garlic butter powder paired with Cateau de Sours Rose, Bordeaux France. I loved how this dish was presented with the prawns cooked to perfection and the dish of garlic butter powder. The garlic butter powder was not overwhelming with garlic and I liked how I could control how much to add to the prawns. A winner for sure!
Smoked venison / parsnip /fig / jus gras paired with Kilikanoon Shiraz, Clare Valley. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of game, and I don’t think I have actually tried venison before. I have to say, this melt in your mouth dish was superb! I surprised myself how much I really enjoyed this dish, the parsnip and fig are a perfect combination.
Chocolate marquise /cherry sorbet /coconut paired with Vasse Felix Cane Cut Semillon, Margaret River. It tasted as good as it looks! The perfect dessert and wine to end a fabulous lunch.
Freshly baked passion fruit madeleines. Fresh out of the oven and perfect with a cup of tea!
ABOUT THE RESTAURANT
With seating overlooking the open kitchen, diners can take in all the theatre of food preparation while enjoying a cocktail and a bite.
The décor has a cobbled European feel juxtaposed against lush drapery and a contemporary cellar wall that encloses one of two private dining spaces. At the entrance to the venue is a custom meat fridge where logs of premium beef sit atop sea salt flakes and aromatic herbs for up to four weeks to intensify in flavour.
Rawsons will also feature the Club’s monthly winemaker’s dinner coming up on the 31 March showcasing Hancock & Hancock and Oatley wines, hosted by legendary winemaker Chris Hancock.
I was also impressed with the Epping Club, it’s tastefully decorated, clean, modern with very good amenities.
Rawsons will open Wednesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner, and Sunday for lunch.
www.rawsons.eppingclub.com
