It’s not often I dine ‘fine’, as it tends to reside on the ‘showy’ side of the culinary world, that rarely incites interest from me. However, this was my two-year anniversary with my fiancé, so the occasion called for it.
Celebrating this milestone at Lumi Bar & Dining proved a prudent choice on this evening. My years of intention to seek out this illustrious establishment, alongside a reasonable amount of laziness, were quickly answered with bewilderment and shame, for not having acted upon my instincts more swiftly. Turns out, this place kicks arse.
Casual seating and an open kitchen borders this quaint, yet up-market establishment. A welcomed change to the sterile environments often associated with those possessing two or more Chef’s Hats.
The restaurant offers ten and seven course tasting menus. We opted for seven, as it featured the Lamb, and we’re both bonkers for Lamb.
Beginning with some Sydney Rock Oysters (just because), was an enjoyable start considering the harbour views this waterside restaurant boasts. Served with a decent Vinaigrette if you’re interested.
Things begin to get interesting when the ‘snacks’ arrive though. The ‘Mochi’, resembling a Japanese Rice Cake, made from Parmesan, melts in your mouth like a marshmallow, with all the goodness you’d associate with the flavour of Reggiano.
The Chicken Liver and Pumpkin Cannoli challenged my preconceptions of Pâté’s limitations.
The Moreton Bay Bug, with Caramelised Cream & Jerusalem Artichoke, was the perfect ‘extremes of contrasts’ dish, soft and crunchy, sweet and savoury, ugly but beautiful… all at the same time.
Any waiter who brings me bread like this at any point during the meal gets a gold star.
Make way for the star of the evening. The Miso-Strone (I know, I’m not too fond of the name either), is possibly one of the most stunning and delicate things I’ve had the pleasure of consuming. The separation of flavour between each vegetable is seamless and the broth (served almost tepid), is liquid gold. By far the standout, and a triumph of modern culinary ingenuity.
Headliners aside, some of the support acts played some really good sets. When was the last time your Ham and Pea soup looked and tasted this good?
The Tagliolini with Calamari & ‘Nduja (Google it), reminded me that the choice between Tagliatelle and Linguine doesn’t always have to be so difficult. Especially not when presented as well as this.
Fittingly, our shared favourite protein didn’t disappoint, but as I gazed out of window during this course, I couldn’t suppress the fond memories of my Miso-Strone from all those twenty minutes ago. A single tear dropped from my face, further seasoning the Lamb with Carrot and Lime Kosho.
I’m going to stop here to be polite to you, and insist that the spinning of the earth got in the way of the lighting at this point, and as much as I loved a dining experience that enjoyed both daylight and sunset, it doesn’t make for good photos.
Thankfully, it was only the desert that suffered. As we definitely did not.
Lumi Bar & Dining: Take a date, or a potential future mate.
56 Pirrama Road
Pyrmont
NSW 2009