Working in the CBD is replete with benefits - excellent public transport, fab food and wine and being spoilt for choice.
Having recently started working in the west end, I found that it's a 100 metre walk to the Gordon Street Garage!
Fatal for a foodie you might think and, if lack of restraint was my thing, I would lunch there every day. Thankfully my frequent visit filter kicked in and I resolved to only go once a week. So far it’s working.
But on this chilly Saturday we slipped in the car park entrance and grabbed a seat, only to be chastised by the front of house for not coming in the “usual” way.
Why have a rear entrance one wonders?
Anyhoo, we parted friends and sat down in the buzzy, big, Shadow Wine Bar type of space.
The place was packed and dangerously noisy but not deafeningly so.
The menu is succinct but holds a few surprises and the beverage offerings are disappointing but not surprising.
GSG is a bit hard to categorise really, is it a cafe serving restaurant quality food or vice versa? Jury is out really.....
So with a San Martino prosecco in hand we took a closer look at the food on offer. A nice, even mix of protein based and vegetable dishes.
After an age, we settled on sharing the maple pumpkin, broccolini with lemongrass, coconut and cashew dressing (20) matched with the coffee crusted beef brisket (29).
The punters had thinned out nicely by now and I could actually have a chat with the newly shorn Uber Blonde. As we discussed how we had not been here together for many years, the food arrived.
If the dishes taste as good as the looked we are in for a treat.
The beef brisket (main picture) was a thick, perfectly portioned tower of fatty goodness, resting in a pool of superb oyster mushroom and pan juice jus. The delicious and perfectly prepared Petite Pommes Anna nestled next to the beef was a masterclass in potato cooking.
The bland menu description of the pumpkin dish did not prepare us for the superb dish that arrived - deep brown skin-on pumpkin slices, firm broccolini and a luscious lemongrass, chilli and cashew dressing. Someone in the kitchen loves Thai food - this dish oozed Bangkok-style chilli\sour flavours. An absolute bowl licker.
It’s not often that a vegetable dish wins the day against proteins, but today was that day.
A truly superb, if noisy, dining experience.
Comments