Sunday 3 February 2013

4Fourteen

January is the perfect time to catch up with old friends.  Everyone is usually quite busy before Christmas and when the festive rush is finally over, often you look back and realise that there are quite a number of people you might not have had the chance to catch up with as often as you would like to.  This relatively quiet month is best for bringing those close to your heart, even closer.

Tonight I am here with my Twin, not by blood, but my exact double!

Arm in arm, we walk into the restaurant after a very long day at work and ready for a big fat feast!  The room is big and bright, the ceiling is high and the windows are extra large.  The walls are white washed exposing the underlying brick, the floor is laid out with timber (which click loudly at our heels as we are guided to our table by a very friendly host - we giggle), and the space lit with drop down green enamel light shades.  Very warehouse-converted looking, casual and full of character.

No drinks tonight, we decided - we both had a another long day of work ahead of us. We went straight to the serious stuff, food.  Twin and I have very similar taste so ordering was easy.  We suggested a few dishes each and it was always what the other had in mind!  Our wait staff for the night, with his big smile and warm sense of humour, assisted us with our choices and ensured we did not order too much (as we always do!).



First to arrive, freshly shucked Clair De Lune Oysters from Clyde River, New South Wales.  The oysters came shucked, flipped and served in their full shell with a wedge of lemon on top of a bed of pebbles.  The oysters had a very clean taste with a slight creaminess to it - started my meal off perfectly!


Our next dish was our favourite dish for the night, the Citrus Cured Kingfish, Frozen Fennel and Celery.  The kingfish was served very chilled and packed a citrus punch, with celery and topped with fennel granita.  I loved the flavours of this dish, it is very out of the ordinary, yet it was very well balanced - a must try!




We weren't too sure when ordering the Crab Roll with Spiced Avocado Puree because carbs usually fill me up to quickly, so as suggested by our wait staff we decided to order just one to share.  I probably should have mentioned earlier, everything on the menu here at 4Fourteen was designed to share - my favourite way of eating a meal because you get to try a lot more than eating in the conventional 3 course way (at which times you might still catch me secretly sharing!).  The little bun was filled with crab meat and a well seasoned avocado puree.  I found the bun a bit dense and dry for my liking and would prefer it to be light and fluffier. 


Our next fancy looking dish was the Smoked Eel Croquette and Horseradish Cream.  The deep fried croquette was shaped like an egg, served on a cut-out egg carton with a wedge of lemon and a dollop of horseradish cream.  Not too oily, but also a little dry and would have done better with a lighter dressing.



Then was the Roast Pork with Chargrilled Nectarines and Baby Leeks.  Tender and very juicy pieces of roast pork and crackling, which could crackle a bit more - we found it a little too chewy.




To finish the meal off, dessert and cheese!  The only difference between Twin and I, is that one would always choose savoury over sweet but the other would always choose sweet over savoury!  We ordered the White Chocolate Sandwich with Dulce de Leche and a cut of cheese selected from the cheese board (a gigantic cheese board brought to our table by our wait staff with the day's selection of cheese!).

Overall, our meal was very satisfying.  The ambience was very relaxed, the customers chirpy and very chatty, the music energetic - there was a real buzz to this place that was very encouraging.  This place is great to hang out with friends, I might even suggest it for first dates because it is so relaxed and the menu gives you plenty to talk about.  The food was quirky and different, the service was definitely 5 star, attentive and fun - arm in arm, Twin and I left with a full stomach, a warmed heart and big fat smile on our faces!  I cannot wait until our next foodventure Twin!

xx




414 Bourke Street
Surry Hills  NSW  2010 
(02) 9331 5399

4Fourteen on Urbanspoon

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