Black by Ezard, The Star, Sydney

Vikki had a rare weekend off, so we decided to have a day in the city. I also decided to treat her for her birthday and to celebrate 20 years of us being together. We were at The Star  as we had thought of going to Balla Osteria by Stefano Manfredi, alas it was closed. Surprisingly Black by Ezard was open. Surprisingly, because we didn’t think they were open on Sundays.

For Sunday lunch, Black By Ezard offers a special 3 course champagne lunch, which  sounded good to us. Champagne on offer was Moet& Chandon, so that settled where we were going to eat.

Pushing through the large front door we entered a very luxurious room. Dark woods, stone flooring, water views, shiny modern chrome lighting, beige leather and beautiful screen panels were a pleasing sight. We were seated in the main area, back from the window but still able to enjoy the view of the bay and brilliant blue sky.

The concise menu for lunch had a great range of options to choose from along with a good selection of sides. 

But first, a mini house made brioche loaf was bought to the table. 

One of my favourite entrees was on the menu which made my first choice easy. Beef tartare with heirloom beets, spiced herb mayonnaise, mustard ice cream and puffed wild rice. The beets were done in several ways, one of which was a deep purple gel covering the tatare. All together an interesting and delicious dish.

Vikki chose the slow cooked, crispy pork hock, apple and pear slaw with chilli caramel. A slice of crispy, deboned hock was topped with the slaw, radish slices and drizzled with the chilli caramel. Vikki said it was a great combination of flavours and textures.

Keeping with the beef, I decided to have the 30 day, grass fed Angus fillet. This was served with a roasted cauliflower and pearl onion salad and gremolata. A selection of sauces was also bought to the table for me to choose from, of which I selected béarnaise sauce and Café de Paris butter. Of course with steaks you need some chips, in this case sprinkled with garlic, parmesan and rosemary salt.

Vikki loves a bit of duck every now and then so she chose the duck breast with salt and pepper crust and was served with a peach and rocket salad with tamarind honey dressing. Vikki was impressed with the dressing which she said had a nice sweet sour touch and the salad was great with the sweetness of the peach and the pepperiness of the rocket going well together.

Desserts of course were a highlight. We saw another table with the chocolate dessert, so one of us had to have it. Vikki chose ot have the strawberry shortcake, sauternes mascarpone, yoghurt lime sorbet and strawberry jelly. Vikki likes a light summer dessert on a hot day.

I was the lucky one who ordered the decadent chocolate sphere (reminiscent of our chocolate dessert at Gordon Ramsey @ Claridges), topped with edible gold leaf. The waitress poured warm ganache over the top of the sphere, which melted to reveal the fresh mint ice cream, raspberry mousse and chocolate cookie. Nothing like a bit of a performance with food.

Black by Ezard surpassed our expectations and we will definitely be heading back again. Hopefully our next visit will also be a spectacularly sunny day.

Big Bang Unico: Why I had to have it!

I've been collecting Hublot's since 2007 when I first set eyes on the original Big Bang and to this day it lives up to its name in so many ways. I've owned many variants including Big Bang Steel, Gold, Tantalum and Luna Rossa. Then tried the All Black Classic Fusion. The next big step was the All Black King Power Unico. I loved the movement but felt it was just too big for me. My prayers were answered when Hublot announced the Big Bang Unico.

I was lucky to see the Big Bang Unico prototypes at a HK function last year and while I respected the new design I just wasn't sure. Upon reflection the design was perfect it was just that my state of mind was still set in the past. A brand that has 'Fusion' as it's philosophy will test even its strongest devotee's at times. Two weeks ago my AD had the Titanium Big Bang Unico and I was very impressed, yes those round pushers make sense, the polished and matt titanium contrast on the case is amazing. 

The depth of the dial will keep my interest. This is indeed a big positive step for Hublot. 

Yesterday the sunny Sydney weather was perfect, so after having a wonderful breakfast, we went to buy it. It has been a while since I have been this excited about a watch!

As the Hublot story continues to gather momentum, I look forward to more novelties over many years to come.