Universal

Universal Is Now Closed Down

 

The night started out with a call from the restaurant saying there is a blackout and all Darlinghurst is without power so dinner service might not be on… Thankfully within an hour power was restored and it didn’t disturb my dinner plans.

The menu at Universal is a little different than normal no entree’s and mains just a list of ‘tasting’ plates. There is about 15 or so to choose from ordered in the menu from lightest to heavyset, the waiter suggested to order 3 of these each.

The food was all very good, excellent presentation with interesting flavour combinations that all came together really well.   John Dory & Mud crab with a tamarind sauce was a highlight for me perfectly cooked fish and crab with a flavoursome sauce. The special of the day chicken breast , thigh wrapped in skin and served on a bed of spiced potatoes and spinach puree sounds good to me and it was! The chicken was so soft and tender. I could have easily eaten a few servings of this dish. Asparagus tempura in the scallop dish was outstanding. It had a soft texture and maximised the taste of the juicy asparagus.

The deserts were amazing a great way to finish off a meal. Gaytime goes nuts a tube with a scoop of ice cream on the top with nuts circling the base.  Inside are layers of different things which all combine together to make for a standout desert.

$8 for coffee is standard for this type of restaurant however the only accompaniment was a mini macaroon (considering the tray of peti fores you get at est.) thought that was a bit light on considering the price.

I was taking some photos around the restaurant after I had payed the bill and was about to leave. Then one of the waters gets Christine Manfeild out of the kitchen and she was kind enough to take a quick photo with us.  Having seen her the night before on masterchef it was a really good end to a very enjoyable night.

 

John Dory & Mud crab in a tamarind sauce- $33

Sichuan pepper duck with mushrooms- $32

Chicken thigh and breast wrapped in skin on a bed of potatos and spinach pure- $33

Seared sea scallop, asparagus tempura, lotus root, samphire and wasabi avocado  $28

Coffee with macaroon uzu & white chocolate  – $8

Sugar daddy –  Chocolate mousse with Pedro Ximénez $19

Gaytime goes nuts  -honeycomb ice cream, caramel parfait, chocolate crunch, salted hazelnut caramel $19

Me , Kana and  Christine Manfeild

Republic 2 Courtyard Palmer Street
Darlinghurst 2010

http://www.universalrestaurant.com

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