Sage
Gorman House Arts Centre
BRADDON ACT 2612
http://www.sagerestaurant.net.au
The Good
A fabulous meal featuring excellent ingredients and presentation. While some of the dishes were creatively presented, I never felt that creativity came at the expense of taste, something which cannot be said of a number of other restaurants I have visited.
The menu changed in the days before our arrival, which unfortunately denied me a dish that I had been anticipating when I made the reservation. However, the dishes on the new menu did not leave me wanting at the end of the meal. The lemon sole and veal tenderloin, which featured a small addictive sweetbread, were particular standouts. I cannot fault any of the dishes, although perhaps the beetroot and carrot dishes lacked the punch of the protein courses.
Our server was friendly and helpful throughout the night. From the moment we sat down, he offered help us add additional courses to the autumn omnivore tasting menu should we desire. We did so desire after reviewing the a la carte menu and after a quick trip to the kitchens our server confirmed there would be no issues incorporating two extra courses (the pork and duck courses).
As for the venue, it is within walking distance from the centre of the city and thus conveniently located. The room is very nice with tasteful, modern furnishings.
While not an inexpensive restaurant, I regarded the meal as providing exceptional value for money in Canberra.
The Bad
There were four occasions during the nearly four hours we were dining that we had to wait more than is usual for our glasses to be refilled or for our next course. However, the issue was usually resolved before we began to get really irritated by the issue. In the case of the timing of the courses, this may have been the result of our adding courses to the tasting menu, which may have placed the kitchen out of synch, so I will not hold it against them.
The tables against the walls are probably too close ot each other for my comfort, but at least the music was at a low enough level that the restaurant never felt too crowded and one did not spend the entire night listening to his neighbour’s conversations.
Even though it is technically still Autumn, it got very cold in the restaurant each time someone opened the front and back doors to the restaurant.
The Meal
House baked bread
Artisan churned butter with sea salt
beetroot variations
eucalyptus smoked trout, freeze dried mandarin, coriander
honey peppered heirloom carrots
malt, yolk, ricotta, olive powder, brioche
tuna & foie gras
sashimi, mojama, crackling, chervil, PX dressing
pork ‘all sorts’
slow cooked belly, braised cheek, choucroute, baby vegetables
lemon sole
potato crumble, cauliflower, parsley, capers, red wine jus
veal tenderloin
sweetbreads, forest mushrooms, sweet potato, soy & maple glaze
muscovy duck
orange, carrot, pickled red cabbage, licorice
rhubarb & raspberry
quinoa crunch, creme brulee foam, rose petals
chocovado
chocolate cremeux, hazelnut cocoa crumble, lemon gel, avocado cream
autumn scenery (an alternate for my wife to the chocovado course)
chestnut log, chocolate branches, malt, apple sauce
fat man, thin wallet 