Sustainable Degustation Dining in Sydney, The Blue Door Surry Hills
During my time in Japan, I was able to experience various degustation menus. So when I returned to Sydney I wanted to see if I could find any similar experiences. I also was looking for something more unique – in my searches, it is common for restaurants to have a degustation theme on the month or season. The differentiation is usually the price, some restaurants will make you pay 300$ per person, and some will make you spend $150 per person for a 7-12 course dinner. I looked at a dozen or so restaurant guides before I came across a restaurant called “The Blue Door“. This restaurant had a degustation menu but it didn’t have a theme as others did. It also didn’t have a menu you could look at online – something that is intentional as I soon came to learn. The concept of this restaurant is “farm to door” but in a sustainable, ethical, and creative fun way.
The Blue Door only receives produce from producers (such as regenerative farmers and sustainable fishermen) which the Head Chef, Dylan Cashman, visits personally. 90% of the menu’s produce is from NSW producers, with small exceptions (the restaurant staff explains which ones and why when the food is delivered to your table).
When you book online you will receive an email newsletter from the restaurant detailing where all the produce used for your dinner comes from.
This is what the “Produce Menu” looked like for the week I dined. It is important to note that this produce menu changes weekly or even daily depending on the restaurant’s stock and needs. When you do book you do get the option of requesting vegan/vegetarian or other dietary requirements substitutes.
The message from the restaurant when you book:
Our small team have been working tirelessly over the last year to bring you a dining experience that reconnects you to the food on your plate. We change our menu weekly based on the produce we receive from our regenerative farmers and sustainable fishermen, all of which Chef Dylan has visited personally. We also only buy whole/half animals and work our way through them as a further measure of sustainability.
The produce menu (click for better view):Â
While you can’t choose what food you want, you are able to choose which drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) you want. There is a signature wine pairing option for $85 or a non-alcoholic pairing for $60pp. Similar to the food concept – there is a special focus on the wine coming from NSW wine producers. The wine list is curated by the general manager (who was also our chief server) Angelica Nohra. While I didn’t choose to go with the wine pairing option, other customers did, so I was able to listen to the backgrounds of each wine while dining. Needless to say, the recent rain events in NSW have really affected producers not just in the food business but in wine business too.
There are two sittings that you can book into the first one is between 5:30pm – 6:30pm and the second one is at 8:15pm – 8:45pm. I booked a 6 pm sitting on a Thursday night. The restaurant wasn’t busy when we arrived but it did start filling up about 15 minutes after we had our entrees.
Entrees
When you are first seated you are presented with a Bread and Salt tasting plate. Our bread plate featured “The Blue Door Lancer Wheat & Malted Rye Sourdough bread” and Yesterday’s Sourdough bread. It came with cultured butter. The salt plate featured salt from Persia, Austria, Bolivia, and India. You are able to shave the salts yourself and apply them as you want to the bread. “Yesterday’s Sourdough bread” is pretty literal, any bread they had leftover they reuse – reinforcing their commitment to sustainability (particularly zero waste).
After that, you are served with the “Blue Door Snack Attack” which features snacks made from leftover produce they had from their previous week’s menu.
Mains
Following the entrees, we were served 6 courses.
Coral Trout Sashimi from Chris Bolton Fishing
Served with cucumber, apple, lemon myrtle, and buttermilk dressing.
The coral trout is sourced from Queensland. The restaurant staff informed us that this was the only produce on this week’s menu (aside from the salts) that was not from NSW.
This was the first time I’ve had sashimi from coral trout – the texture was really smooth and the dressing really complimented the fish. The buttermilk was sourced from the cultured butter from the bread plate.
Grilled Endive from Duckfoot Farms.
Served with radishes, pickled chili, and cheese sauce.
The chili really adds an extra layer of taste to this dish. The restaurant staff said that the recent floods and heavy rain had really affected NSW farmers but they recently were able to harvest a lot of endives which is how it came to be chosen for this week’s menu.
Pork Loin from Near River Produce
Served with golden turnip fondant, crispy capers, and chives.
It is commonly said that when animals are taken care of properly on farms it is reflected in the taste and I definitely felt that here.
Beetroots from Newcastle Greens
Served with confit duck, horseradish, creme fraiche, coffee, fennel, mustard, and nasturtium.
The beetroot came in purple and yellow colors and was very tasty. It was nice to see that the beetroot was the star of the dish whereas the confit duck was more like an accompaniment to this dish (usually it’s the other way around).
Raised Charcoal Chicken from Kanooka Creek Pasture.
Served with Zhoug, Almond Sauce, and Fioretto from Newcastle Greens.
The chicken was wrapped in leek and then charcoaled. It gave the chicken a real smoky flavor which I enjoyed. This was probably my favorite dish of the night.
Dessert
Atta Cake
Served with apple caramel.
This dessert was great to end the course, the flavors weren’t overpowering any of the previous meals we had.
Petit fours
An assortment of small cakes we decided to take home.
Final Thoughts:
Overall this was really great and fun experience. There is something about knowing where your food comes from and how it is produced that can make the meal tastier. In Japan (where I presently reside) it is common to occasionally come across cafes or restaurants that have a similar “farm to table” concept. Particularly, in the previous prefecture I lived, Hyogo, there was a regional chain restaurant “Mother Moon Cafe” that has become popular with locals and tourists alike within the last 5 years. The main difference would be that the cafe doesn’t really go into depth about the methods the farmers use to grow their produce or how/why it is sustainable. The cafe does however do a great job supporting local farmers and curating its menu based on seasonal produce.
While it is common for restaurants that serve degustation menus to change their menus frequently there was something special with The Blue Door’s method of only providing the “Producer Menu”. I’m the type to always look up a restaurant menu beforehand and choose what I want to eat before I visit the venue so this approach is in complete contrast to what I usually do. In a sense, it adds some “fun” to the dining experience because while you don’t know what you will be served, you do know where it will come from. With the newsletter being sent prior to dining you can also take the time to learn about the farmers and their techniques.
The staff at The Blue Door were also very friendly and attentive, they made sure to connect with customers and provide an uplifting atmosphere. When each dish was served the staff explained in detail where the produce came from, why the chef chose it, and what they thought of the dish too. They also politely answered any follow-up questions we had about the ingredients used.
One of the things I usually struggle with after having a multi-course meal is heartburn and bloating – but that didn’t happen here – the portions were great for me and I didn’t have a “too full” feeling I usually encounter, it was just right! However, I think if you are into large full plate meals you might still feel hungry afterward.
Restaurant Information
The Blue Door
Address: Shop 8, 38 Waterloo St Surry Hills NSW, 2010
Opening Hours:
The Wine Down Wine & Snack Bar
Monday-Tuesday 4:30pm – 10pm
The Blue Door Dining Experience
Wednesday- Saturday 5:30pm-11pm
Contact :
eat@thebluedoorsurryhills.com.au
0417909635
Website : https://www.thebluedoorsurryhills.com.au/
Price : 7-Course Tasting Menu for $145 per person ($159 from August 17th)
