Ripples @ Sydney Wharf, Pyrmont

Onwards to 2010! But before I truly move on, it’s time I clean out my blog closet once again! Before the festive mayhem truly began, a small group of friends wanted to celebrate together with a girly Christmas lunch. We tossed around a few venues that we’ve always wanted to try until I remembered reading a couple of reviews about Ripples in Sydney Wharf and that sealed the deal.

The ‘Chef’s Table’ at Ripples

Ripples, Sydney Wharf is so quintessential Sydney with its laidback, waterside alfresco dining and its simple and fresh menu. Today was, luckily for us, perfect weather. Like photography-perfect. We quickly started on three entrées to share between the five of us and it was utterly difficult to choose when you just wanted all of them!

Give me leek and give me seafood and I will yours forever. It was sheer love at first sight with this tart of Yamba Prawns with creamed leek, feta cheese & tomato salsa ($19.00). In this case, size did matter, especially when there were fat prawns bursting out of the biscuitty tart shell. I moaned in delight at the creamed leek and we were floored by what seemed to be a very simple dish.

The Seared scallops with crisp pork belly, champagne apples and boudon noir ($19.00) also took the prize for beauty and seriously, nothing is better than the classic combo of pork and apple. That is, until you add plump scallops to it, which, in this case, were cooked to perfection.

However, the downer in Ripples’ stellar introduction was the Duck liver parfait with cranberry jelly, onion marmalade and pickled prune ($11.00). Lisa raved about this dish in her last visit so naturally, we were all excited to try it. The early warning signs were there though – the cranberry jelly didn’t look like it was set and the parfait wasn’t unlike gooey slop.

Looked good…. until you had a spoonful!

As for the taste… well if I could put it crudely, the duck liver parfait literally tasted like it was freshly pulled from the poor animal, minced up and served immediately. I have never been one to stomach animal innards and strange organs because it tastes like death, so this took every ounce of restraint in me to not spit it out. It was as if it was still alive and the bread and condiments didn’t do anything to counteract the horror. Lisa was rightfully confused, as she absolutely loved this dish when she first tried it so something must’ve gone wrong today. All I know, is that I’m way too traumatised to try ordering it again.

The mains just couldn’t come out fast enough, as I was in dire need to put something tasty in my mouth! Luckily the much heralded fish and chips lived up to its reputation but nobody told me that the serving was big enough to feed two! Despite the fact that the chips were amazing, the fish was incredibly crispy and light and that tartare sauce was the best goddamn tartare sauce imaginable, I just couldn’t finish it. For shame!

I’ve always thought an omelette for a main course was well, lame. But my ignorant mind was truly opened when Betty ordered the Sandcrab and herb omelette with mixed cress salad, avocado and tomato dressing ($29.00). Again the serving size was impressive… or perhaps us girls just had abnormally small appetites? Either way, at least we know now that our stomachs will always be filled at Ripples.

I’m also not that much of a pasta person, but I’d happily order this White rabbit fricassee with lardons, artichokes and pappardelle pasta ($28.00). I immediately fantasised about tucking into this with a nice glass of red in front of a fireplace… with Daniel Craig by my side… but I digress!

A perfectly cooked Ocean Trout was always going to garner moans of pleasure all round. Especially if this particular pan seared fillet of fish was perched on a farmers style salad and grilled pork toulouse sausage and topped with a quivering poached egg.

Pan-seared ocean trout fillet with farmers style salad, grilled pork toulouse sausage ($29.00)

The crowd favourite would probably have to be the Char grilled beef tenderloins with creamed spinach, horseradish gnocchi and beef short rib ragout ($29.00). Everything about it was perfection and again with my fantasies (which lately have always involved food and er, Daniel Craig – did I just say that out loud?!).

Take a breather, my friends because we’re not done yet. There were four desserts and one cheese platter on the menu so you’d imagine that a simple order of “all the desserts, except the cheese one” was an easy enough request to understand. Sadly we only received three and when we insisted that we wanted the fourth one still, the look on this particular waiter’s face was as if we’ve greatly inconvenienced him. Dude, I want my dessert… deal with it :D

This was always going to be the dessert that’d make me climax with every bite - Burnt Lemon Tart with a lemon curd bombe alaska and crushed macadamia toffee ($13.00). In fact we were all fighting for each spoonful!

The Passionfruit crème brulee with a glass biscuit and passionfruit syrup ($12.00) was equally pleasurable. The tartness of the passionfruit was offset by the sweet toffee disc and it was just heavenly with the smooth and creamy brulee.

The Strawberry shortcake with champagne, white chocolate mousse and strawberry sorbet ($12.00) was enough to send five girls into a squealing frenzy (it’s pink! we all shrieked). The strawberries at the bottom were surprisingly boozy and that shortcake needed a jackhammer to hack through it. This was also my type of dessert but I was left slightly underwhelmed. It didn’t take me long to reach back for another spoon of lemon tart…

Unfortunately we received this forgotten dessert of White chocolate parfait with bitter chocolate & orange mousse and blood orange jelly ($14.00) straight out of the freezer so the parfait was rock hard and almost impossible to eat without a chainsaw or a lava hot fork. It wins on looks but it failed to induce the same amount of pleasure that the tart did. In any case, we barely touched the parfait and we weren’t even allowed to try and finish it since the waiters were more concerned in kicking us off our table for the next booking – which incidently haven’t even arrived at the restaurant yet and there was a whole restaurant full of empty tables that they could’ve used in the meantime… that is, if this group actually came while we were still there.

There’s no denying that the food at Ripples was incredibly good (apart from one traumatising dish). But I’d probably prefer to come back next time for dinner so i can at least enjoy it at my own pace. At least there would be no danger of getting kicked off your table in the middle of dessert – a surefire way to make me a little cranky.

Ripples at Sydney Wharf

56 Pirrama Rd
Pyrmont NSW 2009
(02) 9571 1999

Ripples is open for breakfast 8am – 11am on weekends.
Lunch: open every day 12-3pm
Dinner: open every day 6-9pm