V Rating: VVV (for degustation)
Where: 48 Albion Street, Surry Hills, Sydney
When: Friday Lunch: 12pm - 3pm. Dinner: Tues - Sat.: from 6pm.
Tel: (02) 9212 7919.
Price: Ten course Degustation Dinner: $70 pp (without matched wine).

A couple of weeks ago I slipped out of my youthful twenties and into the sophisticated thirties. After waking up on my 21st birthday in the 12 bed basement of a grimy London youth hostel, I decided that I wanted to augur in the dawn of a new age in style.

But there presents a problem for vegetarians. You have money to spend, an anniversary to celebrate, and a lot of fancy, meat ridden Modern Australian restaurants to choose from.

After much umming and ahhing (I’m a food blogger. Turning thirty. On a Friday. The pressure is intense) I settled on the degustation meal at Assiette .

Assiette is a modern French restaurant tucked away in the alleys of Surry Hills. As a matter of course, when I made the reservation I specified that Andy and I were vegetarians who ate no meat or seafood, my Dad is a vegetarian who does not eat meat, and my Mum has no special dietary needs. Anticipating it would be too hard to make individual degustation (tasting menu) meals, I offered to each have the vegetarian version.

To my surprise and delight, they assured me that we would each get degustation meal matched to our dietary needs. This was an impressive effort, because it meant three different ten course menus and preparations (although some dishes did overlap).

What follows is a photo essay on the strict vegetarian degustation. I didn’t ask if they would do a vegan version (which would stretch French cooking to its limits) but may be worth a try.

First up was an espresso sized creamy sweetcorn soup with basil oil. Next was pickled beetroot with goats cheese and pine nut vinaigrette. Tart goats cheese and beetroot are a classic combination, and didn’t disappoint us in this incarnation.

Assiette hit its straps by third course, a ratatouille with Bearnaise sauce.

The freshly steamed asparagus spears made a nice contrast to the runny crumbed poached egg, although this was one of the less exciting dishes of the night.

The saffron and carrot risotto with carrot chips was a highlight. The saffron gave a beautiful yellow hue to the dish, and the fried carrot chips complemented the creamy risotto base.

Again showing an Italian influence, the next dish was cardamon puree with roasted pumpkin and gnocchi.

The open ravioli with field mushrooms, parsley foam and avocado mousse was my favourite dish of the night. The large field mushrooms were perfectly sauteed and full of flavour, while the parsley foam added lightness and colour to the meal.

We’d reached the end of the main dishes, and moved on to crisp lavosh bread with blue cheese and sweet honey and walnut. This was a great combination and something I’d like to try at home.

Our palates were cleansed with grapes, pretty cabernet sorbet and basil leaf.

The meal ended on a high note with a spiced pear brulee with lime and pear coulis.

Assiette is a very small restaurant with white walls and dark furnishings. The look is austere compared to the bling of most Sydney restaurants, but the small open kitchen where you can watch chef Warren Turbull work his magic adds warmth and familiarity.

The service was reasonable. The different degustation meals were stressful for the waiting staff so there was a slightly strained air to our interactions. But on the other hand, the sommelier was knowledgeable and wisely talked us out of a matched wine degustation in favour of ordering off the wine menu.

I thought Assiette was good value and did an admirable job of catering for our different dietary needs so I’ve given them a VVV. Their standard menu is less veggie friendly - so perhaps save this for special occasions where you will call and book in advance.

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