the foodies club

Review: Marque June 2009

Located only a few metres away from Billy Kwong (April’s Foodies Club dinner), Marque is a world away in terms of design, atmosphere, impact on your wallet and most importantly, gastronomic experience. When we arrived, it was mostly empty – for some restaurants this might have been a sign of the quality, but in this case, it was most likely a sign of the GFC. The décor was dark and sexy, and we knew we were in for something a little different. The waiter didn’t have to try hard to convince that a degustation was the perfect choice for our evening, especially as they were so willing to accommodate any dietary requirements or fussy palates.

And so we embarked on 8 courses, each announced only moments before being placed on the table. Some were delightful, some were challenging but it was a triumph of esophageal fortitude and complex culinary skill that the majority of the table managed to finish all courses. Matching wines were expertly paired with the courses and were definitely the highlight of the evening.

Foods Tried

Matching Wines in Italics

Chaud Froid Free Range Egg

Almond Jelly with Blue Swimmer Crab, Almond Gazpacho, Sweet Corn & Avruga
2007 Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria

Cured Ocean Trout with Coleslaw, Lemon & Dill Jelly
2007 Goisot ‘Corps de Garde’ Fie Gris, saint Bris, France

Yellow-fin Tuna on French Toast with Foie Gras Butter and Pork Crackling
2008 Perrigrine Pinot Gris, Central Otago, NZ

Duck Ham with Braised & Fresh Endive & Parmesan
2008 Felton Road Vin Gris, Central Otago, New Zealand

Slow Cooked Pork Jowl with Spinach & Pacific Oyster
2006 Domaine Du Parc saint Charles, Cotes Du Rhone, France

18 hour Angus Short Rib with Boudin Noir, Onion Croquettes & Smoked Onion
2006 Scarzello Dolcetto D’Alba, Piedmont, Italy

Brunet with Rhubarb, New Seasons Pistachio & Mancha Tea Macaroon
2007 Markus Molitor Riesling Trocken, Mosel, Germany

Warm Chocolate Ganache with Hazelnut Croquant, Yoghurt, Eucalyptus & Raspberry
‘Rutherglen Espresso~’Rutherglen Tokay, splash of Kahlua Especial 70 Proof

Salted Caramel Chocolates & Bitter Bon Bons

Favourite Foods

The favourite course was unanimous. The Cured Ocean Trout with Coleslaw, Lemon & Dill Jelly, was described as ‘visually appealing’ and ‘unique’. The presentation of the lemon & dill as a jelly rather than as a typical garnish enhanced the already wonderful flavour of the cured ocean trout.

Additionally, it appeared we all appreciated the sommelier’s skill in pairing wines with each dish, with one of the diners commenting that the degustation would likely not have worked so well if not for the wines.

Most memorable flavours

It appears that the most memorable flavours were not necessarily the most desirable flavours, with many of us appreciating the ‘challenging’ nature of Mark Best’s gourmet tastes.

The amuse-bouche of Chaud Froid Free Range egg (originally invented by Alain Passard in 1998) was ‘an acquired taste’ but understandable ‘if you consider that they eat frog legs and uncooked snails in France’.

Again the wines were described as a highlight of the evening, especially as they were styles and regions that we would probably never try on our own.

Ratings

Atmosphere

In general, we were positive on the atmosphere of Marque…

“Very nice, dark, intimate, not too loud but still lively, not too formal but still classy”

“Elegant & classy without being intimidating”

… with the one downside being somewhat out of the control of the restaurant owners.

“Was nice, but empty which detracted”

Service

This area was awarded the most points, with 60% of the table giving it the highest score possible.

“Waiters were friendly and knowledgeable”

“the service was efficient & quick”

And it seems like ‘presentation’ is important, not just when looking at our plates:

“…… and – if that wasn’t enough – even reasonably good looking (at least after all that wine)”

Food presentation

The presentation held up to the standard expected from a restaurant with a ‘hat’,

“overall the presentation highlighted the experimental nature of the food”

“Truly convincing – fantastic presentation without presenting over-the-top artwork”

“the lemon & dilly jelly was a fun way of garnishing the cured trout dish”

However it may not have been innovative enough for one of our reviewers:

“pretty generic in terms of presenting fine dining”

Food quality

The food quality was judged to be outstanding in most cases, with one sentiment repeated in a few reviews:

“the food quality was excellent, but the wine quality even more so!”

Food taste

There were definitely some hits and some misses.

“Some was delicious, but others were ‘challenging’. I don’t know if I want to be challenged when I go out to dinner”

However, overall the taste of the food was judged to be of a high quality, interesting & innovative as long as we were willing to step outside our comfort zone once in a while (and possibly not finish a dish).

“I had more dishes that I didn’t enjoy as opposed to the minority that were really excellent”

“Outstanding – amazing combination of flavours and thoroughly enjoyable”

“too much foie-gras butter on the tuna dish”

“The wines enhanced the food taste.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed most dishes”

Overall Rating: 4.12/5