Our Sugaroom journey begun with a long-overdue catchup with a friend of mine. Whilst we agreed to meet up for lunch on a Sunday, I didn’t realise that there are very few non-cafe eateries that are:

1) Open on a Sunday; and
2) Open for lunch.

This was confirmed flicking through my SMH GFG scanning opening hours, Sugaroom stands out like a needle in the haystack. We have been there before and it didn’t disappoint last time unlike the grey and wet skies on the day we went. It’s also worth mentioning that the Sunday service incurs a 10% charge on your final bill. Whatever, it beats Nutri-Grain so off we drove to Pyrmont, sans-breakfast and very hungry.

Steak tartare with Quail egg – $15

The thought of entrees already got me going as I was almost going to eat the napkin at this point. The blackboard specials offered a steak tartare with quail egg. As it was 2010, new me and as a steak tartare virgin, it was more ‘why not?’ rather than ‘why’. My only near experience was watching Mr Bean ordering it at a posh diner as it was the cheapest item on the menu only to regurgitate it out and hide the remains under the dinner plate. No such dramas here, presentation was spot on and I enjoyed every bite of the well seasoned mince with crusty sourdough.

For those curious to watch the Mr Bean episode,  here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jquWO-0VkII

Marinated Atlantic Salmon, Basil, Avruga and Champagne sauce – $15

On the other hand my friend ordered a sashimi style salmon with a light champagne sauce and dotted with avruga caviar which was very tasty and presented like an abstract painting.

Roast lamb fillet, cous cous, pomegranate sauce, garlic and coriander – $30

With the mains moving along, my order of lamb rump was sliced and stacked on a base of cous cous finished with a pomegranate sauce (another first in a savoury application). I found the flavours leaning too much on the sweet side and perhaps the lamb (whilst cooked nicely) was a tad under seasoned.

Grain fed beef fillet with sauteed mushrooms and potato dauphinoise – $32

Vine ripened tomatos and feta

My friends beef fillet with mushrooms and potato was a safer pick and judging from the silence, a satisfying tick of approval. We also shared a simple side of vine tomatoes topped with a light feta crumble which was prepared in advance as the plate seemed refrigerated.

Creamed vanilla rice with mango, basil and sultanas – $15

Chocolate pave with pistachio icecream and candied pistachio – $15

At this point, belly said no more but I told it to shut it and keep churning to make way for dessert. My cohort has already allocated room for dessert which was chosen to be a vanilla rice pudding served with a side of mango, basil and sultanas. The creamed rice fell a bit flat in the taste department and could not compare to the simple pleasures of the rich Chocolate pave with candied pistachios and pistachio ice cream.

Service however was inconsistent. We had very nice French chap who got us settled in nicely, explained the house specials and took orders. He seemed to have finished his shift about half-way and the other floor staff who took over from there were fairly indifferent. Water wasn’t topped unless asked, which in itself took a while. Perhaps they were admiring the water front views of Jacksons landing, a pretty outlook for equally nice food.

Scoresheet

Food = 14.0/20
Service = 7.0/10
Ambience = 8.0/10
Value = 8.o/10

Overall = 36.5/50

(Star rating equivalent = 3.6)

Sugaroom

2/1 Harris St
Pyrmont NSW 2009
(02) 9571 5055