No 1 Bent Street

Ash baked eggplant, puffed rice, edemame, sesame sauce

When a restaurant is confident enough to use its street address as its name, you know they're all about no-fuss, good food. No 1 Bent Street is the culinary child of Mike McEnearney, one of Sydney's most beloved chefs, with a less-is-more, seasonal approach to food.

The night starts off with some lovely, fluffy sourdough and pepe seya butter.

The eggplant has retained much of its natural taste and texture, enhanced by the umami and beautiful sesame sauce which gives the dish a light, smooth, savoury twist. I've always been a fan of the fleshy, filling satisfaction eggplants bring, and this dish has depth but also retain the ingredient's freshness.

Lazy sushi

Lazy Sushi, mixed

Lazy sushi is very similar to a poke bowl in many ways: raw fish and vegetables on a bed of rice. What made this dish stand out is the subtle yet delicious flavour of the rice. I can taste vinegar, sesame oil and shallot. Usually not a fan of shallots, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the dish. Small grapefruit chunks gave the dish an interesting twists.

baked scallop, bacon, garlic & thyme

The scallops are cooked with bacon - kind of like a lighter version of Kilpatrick. The garlic cluster is fragrant, the bacon is suitably greasy, and the scallop itself - just like the eggplant - was simply treated and surprisingly natural.

Blackened leek, jamon Iberico, romesco, almond

Leek is a tricky vegetable to work with - it can have a very distinct, and not exactly pleasant, flavour. The leek at No 1 Bent Street is sweet and light, balancing the jamon and romesco puree perfectly.

Twice baked goat cheese souffle with rosemary

This is probably the only dish I didn't enjoy as much - the cheese souffle is beautifully executed - absolutely light and fluffy - but I found the flavour a little too bland. A crackle more salt and pepper would have made me much happier.

Wood fired lamb rump, crushed celeriac, tepandade; mixed leaves and herbs

This lamb was beautiful. No offensive, gamey taste or smell t all - and wonderfully tender. The highlight of the dish, however, was the crushed celeriac - savoury and creamy, it was perfect with the lamb.

Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce, creme fraiche

A simple dessert that has very little fanfare, but a satisfying end to the meal. The creme fraiche is slightly tart to balance out the sweetness of a sticky toffee pudding and the butterscotch sauce.

Score: 4 /5 
There is a common theme among the dishes: the star of the dish is very simply cooked, and it is the accompaniment which provides interest and depth of flavour. a very effective concept.
Cost: approximately $100 pp (with one drink)
Website: http://www.onebentstreet.com.au/home/