4. Guava snow egg from Quay

We headed to Quay for a very late Valentines Lunch at Quay. Having found the Overseas Passenger Ferry Terminal we had a little trouble find the entrance to Quay but when we did we were greeted with a modern restaurant with fantastic views over the Opera House. Though the decor was not as decadent as say Rockpool but the views more than made up for it!

As for the food well we chose from the two course a la carte menu. I chose the free range chicken breast cooked slowly with truffle butter, spring vegetables, young garlic cream, jamon & oloroso juices with Simon opting for the Confit of Gippsland lamb loin, smoked white carrot cream, fennel infused milk curd, Pantelleria capers, nasturtiums, fennel pollen and we added a potato puree on the side to share.

Before out mains came out we were treated to a beautiful little amuse bouche unfortunately I fail to remember the contents but it was deliciously smokey and garlicky (is this is word?!) tasting. This was followed by a choice from a selection of sourbreads and butter. I chose the rye and the hubby the white.

My chicken came out surrounded by a little garden of beautiful spring vegetables. The meat was absolutely beautifully tender and deliciously fragrant. Simon's lamb tasted equally good and was stunningly presented.

For desert I chose the White nectarine snow egg while Si had the Eight texture chocolate cake Featuring Amedei Chocolate which was served with a hot chocolate sauce which was poured over at the table and melted through the layers exposing all eight delicious and richly decedent layers. The chocolate cake was delicious though a little to rich for my tastes but Simon quickly devoured it. As for the Snow Egg (the star attraction as it were!) well it was simply stunning. The beautiful snow egg was sat on a bed of sweet granita and beneath this was a creamy base. I adored the satisfying crack it gave as i plunged my spoon into the crispy out shell, through the soft fluffy meringue letting the delicious and slightly tart custard in the centre pour out.

Finally a word about the service which was impeccable as you would expect for a restaurant of this quality the only downfall was the wait that we had for our coffee and tea at the end of the meal but the waitress did apologise and comp these and the gorgeous little petit fours off the bill so we can't complain too much. We were even treated to an appearance by the man himself, Peter Gilmore as he wandered around the restaurant chatting to patrons.

3. Wagyu burger and Martinez cocktail at Rockpool Bar & Grill

We took our nephew into the city on Tuesday night to go and see Heston Blumenthal Out of the Kitchen so before we went we grabbed some Wagyu Burgers at Rockpool Bar and Grill. We arrived there at about 6pm and the bar had just a few business men having an after work drink but the place soon started to fill.

The full-blood wagyu burger with Schulz house-smoked bacon, gruyère cheese, Zuni pickle (zucchini and red onion) and relish were just incredible. I cannot tell you enough just how delicious they are. The beef is so tender it practically melts in your mouth and when you add the bacon, gruyere cheese, zuccini pickle and relish its not hard to see why these are the best burgers in town.

As for the Martinez cocktail well we bowed out on this one. Neither the hubby or I are gin drinkers so we gave it a miss.

And when it comes to the bar itself well the place was beautifully and classically decorated in an Art Deco style. It was dimly lit as mentioned in the SMH post but I was light enough to read the menus and personally I found it gave the place a nice intimate feel. I absolutely adored the wall of wine glasses above the bar. It mad a beautiful lighting fixture when back lit.

The last word goes to the staff. Not only were they very accommodating in my requests to take photos for this post and also in letting us bring our 16 year old nephew to the place but once we were there the service was absolutely impeccable. The staff helpful, friendly and approachable and their was no feeling or stuffiness or snobiness that you sometimes get in venues of this class.

(Perhaps Malibu's staff could take a leaf out of their book!)

2. Chicken schnitzel sandwich from Malibu

If you head down to the end Foster Street an unassuming looking little side road off Elizabeth St in the City you will come across a small sandwich bar called Malibu that makes possibly the best schnitzel sandwich in Sydney. We had ours on huge slabs of brown bread (in fact so huge that we split one between the two of us!) with a pesto mayonnaise, cheese, lettuce, rocket and a pinch of salt and pepper and it was absolutely delicious.

However whether a schnitzel sandwich belongs on a list of what should be the 50 best food experiences in Sydney remains to be seen. While it was delicious its hard to get to enthusiastic about a sandwich. I will say this though without the list its a place we probably never would have found and its undoubtedly worth a visit if your in the city and looking for a hearty, well made sandwich that doesn't break the bank!