“I’m such a wuss, I don’t want to leave the house, even for the promise of dinner. Must fly North for this Winter methinks!” I tweeted one night. I was being a drama queen but only a little bit. The weather had turned cold. It was 10 degrees in the morning and I would grudgingly open the windows to let fresh air in only to close them a few minutes afterwards. But the more I thought about it the more the lure of going out appealed to me. I was envisaging warm, Winter comfort food and since I’d left it too late for me to cook it for myself I ended up getting ready in record time imagining lovely warming roasts.
In the Macquarie Gateway building, the entrance is via Loftus Street in Circular Quay. There is the bar outside where patrons warmed by drinks and tapas congregate. I meet Mr NQN after work and we adjourn into the restaurant area. Capital Grill does a busy trade during lunch times but at night it is quieter. The menu looks full of Winter warmers and although I don’t tend to order chicken very much at restaurants the sound of bread sauce and gras jus and chestnuts is too hard to resist.
Amuse Bouche: pumpkin soup
We start with an amuse bouche that goes along with our thick cut fresh sourdough bread. It’s a spiced pumpkin soup with a distinct ginger and prawn flavour. It’s smooth and warming and nicely flavoured. Service is very smooth and friendly.
Carpaccio of Hiramasa kingfish, pomegranate, salmon roe, watermelon vinaigrette, baby herb salad $20
This was Mr NQN’s choice-he’s a sashimi and raw lover from way back (well since he was a child raised on raw food). It’s a delicate mix of thinly sliced Hiramasa kingfish given a piquant twist with the pomegranate seeds and bursting salmon roe pearls. The watermelon vinaigrette gives it an unusual, hard to place dimension.
Sauteed prawns, pumpkin tortellini, almond butter $22
I mentioned how I was bunkering down for Winter didn’t I? This was my choice. The prawns are a touch dry but the tortellini with the sweet, concentrated pumpkin filling and toasted almond browned butter are fantastic. It’s the kind of dish I can easily imagine inducing food envy and I think this would be great even without the prawns.
Grilled baby chicken, jeruselum artochoke, chesnuts, bred sauce, jus gras $32
This was my choice and it comes out with two delicate dark meat pieces and two white meat pieces on the bone sitting atop a generous serve of bread sauce which is aromatic with nutmeg. Bread sauce is similar to a slightly lumpy, bready bechamel sauce-don’t let my description put you off as it is delicious. It’s pure comfort food and nicely paired with sweet chestnut morsels and jeruselum artichokes. The chicken is lovely and tender particularly the dark meat portions.
Sirloin steak, hand cut chips, bearnaise sauce $38
The steak is a pasture fed 350g steak from Riverina in South Australia. There are some gristly bits around it but it’s cooked nicely medium rare. The hand cut chips are good and the thick bearnaise sauce is strong in tarragon.
Mr NQN enjoys a glass of 2006 Rioja Crianza Solar Viejo from Spain.
June’s farm leaf salad with verjuice dressing $7
The salad is full of delicate leaves and is dressed in a tangy verjuice dressing.
Chef Zac Sykes
Chef Zac Sykes comes out (formerly of Fish Face, The Pier, Omega and Toko) and says hello and we chat for a bit. He’s friendly, sweet and chatty. Some people come here for the fish as they know his pedigree but of course being in a business district there are always the steak loving business men. They’ve been open since just before Christmas last year but have been plagued with construction issues so people don’t necessarily know that they are there.
Caramelised brioche, raisin puree, warm anglaise $14
Continuing my ongoing “comfort food” theme I go for the caramalised brioche. It comes out as two caramelised buttery discs of brioche spread and topped with raisin puree and a warm anglaise cream poured over it in an ode to a bread and butter pudding. It’s good yes and I find myself murmuring assent and nodding a lot as I spoon mouthfuls of the sweet, buttery toasted brioche lightly soaked in foamy cream into my hungry mouth. Did I just say that I was hungry? OK I wasn’t hungry per se but I was hungry for this.
Gratin of poached quince, champagne sabayon $14
Mr NQN loves his poached quince which is underneath a blanket of champagne sabayon and an unexpected layer of passionfruit. Quince and passionfruit is not a combination you see very often with the Wintry quince and tropical passionfruit but it works well.
So tell me Dear Reader, what is your go-to comfort food of the moment? Chocolate? Pudding? Chips?
A most interesting mural equation!
NQN and Mr NQN dined as guests of Capital Grill
Capital Grill & Bar
6/1 Macquarie Place
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: +61 (02) 9247 4445
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52 Comments | Add your own
Lovely, and funnily as I was reading the description of the sauteed prawns, pumpkin tortellini with almond butter I was thinking that would be nice even without the prawns just as I read your words.
Oh, I’ve got loads of comfort food. I like everything from toast with butter to peshwari nan, to tea and cake (notice they are all carbs).
Speaking of cake, hand over that brioche daahling and nobody gets hurt… drool…
*kisses* HH
Is it weird that my comfort foods centre around fruits and vegetables? I don’t know, but especially when I’m sick, I found something extremely comforting about eating an apple (has to be a granny smith!) or fresh vegetables.
I guess because they’re refreshing.. hmm.. now I sound weird
But that doesn’t mean I’ll discriminate against chocolate!
The Canberrans in the room are calling you SOFT right now
I love a yummy easy curry to warm me up!
bread sauce is rather delicious.
I think your description of the bread sauce sounds incredible, Lorraine! It’s completely new to me and I would love to try it. My favorite comfort food is dark chocolate.
I am loving the prawns with tortellini – and the chnadelier! My go to comfort food is always chocolate.
Puddings all the way! I love comfort food, I’m not sure I know how to cook summer food.
I have to agree NQN, 10 degrees in the morning is nothing!! That’s balmy for winter here in Melbourne!
But I do understand the need for comfort food….I have to say, I can’t go past sourdough toast with lashings of butter and vegemite….sigh….just divine.
I make salads, turn up the gas heating and pretend that it’s summer – that’s comfort for me! Although at a pinch a chocolate self saucing pudding does the trick too – ooh and roast anything!
The carpaccio looks amazing! I love pomegranate and kingfish so the combination must be amaze-tastic
I’m so delighted to have been referred to this scrumptious soupcon of delight!
My favourite comfort food is thick carrot soup blended with strawberries. I discovered this by accident when I was playing in the kitchen one Sunday. Sunday is my explore food day.
I love dry roast potatoes with Sun Dried Tomato Mustard, Greek Yoghurt, Dukkah and fresh coriander filling.
Leaving the house in a Sydney Winter is not thrilling, much cosier at home by the fire with the above and a good book.
corn thins & Pb
Chestnuts chestnuts! Also, is it just me, or does Zac Sykes look a bit like Dominic Monaghan?!
Is it wrong to be drooling over chicken & steak at 8am?
)
Chocolate is my year round comfort food although lately i’ve been wanting a lot of sushi & salad (very wintery
Your menu choices at Capital Grill are scrumptiously yummy. Even though its technically ‘late winter’ we’re all still in comfort food mode. We’ve really got into slow cooking this winter, making a huge batch & using it up in different ways with the leftovers.
Cheers Anna
All sounds divine!
I think my comfort food of the moment is a home cooked roast chicken with crisp potatoes and pan made gravy – warming and homely…..
Being from the cold climate of Bungendore, the one and only dish that comes to mind when anyone suggests comfort food is slow cooked lamb shanks on a bed of buttery mash with a dash of truffle oil, mmm heavenly. Anything slow cooked equals instant snuggly blanket feeling in my tummy!
oh that looks yum. i used to luff brioche! i am eschewing comfort food in favour fresh vegies and fruits and lean protein.(spring is going to be hot, you know)
but tonight i am going out for thai
Too delicious for words!
My comfort food is chicken and dumplings that my mother used to make. Here in the USA dumplings are not a sweet, but a savory dumpling that is cooked in the broth of the chicken.
i like the restaurants decor! =)
How wonderful and charming place! Caramelized brioche is your comfort food, wow I’m with you, bravo
Chocolate and chips – always
Cheers,
Gera
Mine is just odd… no one judge me! I like to have green apples with nutella! I know I know.. I’m just weird =(
I was salivating reading this – loved everything you both ate. Will have to visit this place soon. Comfort food – hot chips!
What a lovely meal! That caramelized brioche dessert looks absolutely fantastic!
HAHA! Oh dear, I did think “10 degrees?!” It’s a MAX of 10 degrees here today! but I’m with you- I hate the cold, I don’t know why we live in Canberra!
That caramelised brioche has me so hooked that I can’t think of any of my usual comfort foods right now…
The grilled chicken you had looked so good.
In winter I love hot chips and puddings, can’t say no to either of them!
Mmm yum! My new favourite comfort food is braised beef (or ox!) cheek, served with creamy polenta or mashed potato.
I think I would have trekked through a blizzard for that meal!
Ilove the look of the raison puree, and I’m with Mr NQN I love qunces soooo much. At he moment I am haveing unusual cravings for chocolate, Must be the extreemly cold weather. Our mountains are covered in snow and it only got to 8* today here .
Perfect winter fare! Worth coming out of hibernation for.
i am eating a late lunch and it is one of my comfort foods… pea and ham soup.. other include chicken soup with matzo balls, and i agree totally with the lamb shank call!
Mashed potato mixed with finely chopped onion.
Poached eggs on toast.
Any sort of custard dessert.
Good thing you went out after all, no? The pumpkin tortellini with prawn sound delicious (I love pumpkin in any stuffed pasta) and everything else looked tempting too, even if we are still in summer weather.
Oh I know how you feel about stepping out into the winter cold but knowing there is a warm, inviting restaurant and a wonderful meal waiting on the other side. Wonderful meal, this. Mmmmm. And great minds think alike – hope you don’t mind the brash self-publicizing, Lorraine, but just published an article about Comfort Food on Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-schler/comfort-food-chocolate-pots-de-creme-recipe_b_686326.html
And besides chocolate custard how about hot oatmeal with a pat of salt butter, a sprinkling of brown sugar and raisins? Yuuummmm.
omg! the food is so gorgeous so was the chef!
Oooh yummy. I loved the look and sound of the prawn dish most of all. For me, comfort food is always something savoury and calorific. Like roast pork with crackling and apple sauce and roast vegies …. mmm crackling. Or roast beef and Yorkshire puddings with all the trimmings!
My mothers mince and spuds or her vegetable soup nowadays a teriyaki sushi ball has the same tranquilising effect lol
chocolate, always chocolate!
Now I’m not saying the food doesn’t all look fabulous Lorraine, but oh my that caramelised brioche has me drooling. When I have time, I would love to try to make it.
It’s crazy to think I’m drooling over this divine winter warmer post when it’s actually the summer over here. Yet here I am at lunchtime in work, wearing a fleece and lusting over these heavy dishes. That’s Northern Irish weather for you!
I’m a big fan of carb heavy dishes in the winter. In preparation for the cold snap that’s going to hit soon I’m having a cooking extravaganza this weekend. Potato & Leek Soup, stock, chicken & brocoli pasta bake, lasagne & a variety of breads. I’m stocking up the freezer ready to hibernate just as y’all on the other side of the world are gearing up for summer months!
Man! That kingfish carpaccio is making me hungry again at midnight! My stomach is actually growling.
Ooh I absolutely share your sentiments about wanting to be a complete hermit in winter. But once you’re at a restaurant, isn’t it worth it so much more? That feeling of stepping into a lovely warm, cosy place for some comfort food while it’s blustery outside.
Even though it’s still technically summer in the UK, the weather has definitely turned and it feels like autumn. This instantly induces nesting instincts in me, and this week i’ve already made a giant couldron of American-style chili and cornbread, plum and cardamon crumbles, oatmeal with maple-caramelised banana for breakfast and all manner of other comfort foods. But my ultimate cold-weather comfort food is a big bowl of homemade orecchiette bolognese, some form of fruit crumble or tart, a steaming cup of earl grey and dark chocolate.
Briony xx
pumpkin soup. sigh–what a way to remind me that fall is right around the corner…
OMG I’m drooling for that Gratin of poached quince, champagne sabayon. Looks so yummy…..
Delicious,comfort food.I like the chicken dish.
My comfort food is wet polenta with beef stew.Also puff pastry with apple.
Lovely photos Lorraine. My winter comfort food is anything cakey and warm with a scoop of ice cream eg, warm brownie or sticky date pud with ice cream so that caramelised brioche is right down my alley
Oh my, the caramelized brioche looked so mouthwatering… I imagined a bite into it myself. I loved your photo of the prawns and the pumpkin tortellini.
The deserts look beautifully simple and elegant. I always love a good chocolate self saucing pudding as a comfort dish…it’s like a big chocolatey hug!
They certainly came through with the goods in the comfort food stakes.
At the moment my biscuit tin is getting a good workout. Drinking lots of warming tea and finding it hard not to have a biscuit at the same time. Really should stpo this habit, as today’s weather has me realising soon it will be time to wear less clothes! Eek!
sticky date pudding…yum
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