Chiswick has big shoes to fill. Even at the launch last night, many of the guests reminisced about evenings spent at the former Pruniers. This chat, however, soon dissipated as skewers of sliced kingfish with breakfast radish and lemon aioli and oysters with lemon, ginger and rice wine were handed around. The conversation quickly turned to the food. Each dish served throughout the evening was, quite simply, outstanding. A simple ceramic dish with pickled purple, yellow and orange baby carrots was not only aesthetically pleasing but tasted as plentiful in flavour as a 12-hour roasted leg of lamb. Oysters with lemon, ginger and rice wine created a delightful sharpness in ones’ mouth while the crisp butter milk chicken with cabbage, harissa and mayonnaise was a well-balanced, simple dish that you could imagine enjoying at home on the couch on a Sunday evening. It’s the type of food that makes you feel at home.
The Chiswick interior
Sharing is at the heart of the Chiswick philosophy. Matt Moran explained in his welcome speech that this new restaurant is about embracing group dining – it is about passing huge platters of food around a table with loved ones. About enjoying some wine and nibbles while pondering the world. As Matt shared his vision, I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. As a country girl, this is exactly how I like to eat.
Steak tartare
The crowd at the launch was a far cry from your standard FABs – female Asian bloggers (sorry, Terry, I couldn’t resist stealing your abbreviation). Kerry Anne Kennerley enjoyed sparring with Matt Moran mid-speech, while Manu Fiedel and Gary Mehigan played up to the cameras in a mock punch-up pose. A host of media who’s who including Channel Ten presenter Sandra Sully were all there while Kirk Pengilly shook up the standard foodie/media crowd.
Joanna Savill, Manu Feildel and Maureen de Groot
Review to come soon.
Maureen and Anna
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