Review: Restaurant Weeks At Ascots Restaurant
[Written by Mikaela Ian Pearman]
My fourth stop for Restaurant Weeks was the lovely Ascots Restaurant on Friday night. I invited my friend Kelly to dine with me as she appreciates a delicious meal just as much as I do.
On arrival, we were escorted to a table overlooking the courtyard. Kelly ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio and I asked for a citrus based mocktail. Both were brought over quickly as we perused the menu.
The great thing about Ascots is they allow you to have the chef’s daily specials as part of the Restaurant Weeks menu for the same price, including the fish of the day. Pretty excellent value in my opinion.
I decided to stick to the menu for my starter – Confit Duck & Homemade Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms in a brandy cream sauce. It was rich, creamy, decadent and super savoury.
The pasta was light, the mushrooms were earthy and the sauce was lick the bowl amazing! Kelly opted for the special appetizer – a local tuna carpaccio which she said was melt in your mouth delicious.
For my main, I decided to order the fish of the day as the options on the menu were very meat heavy. The dish was Pan-Seared Wahoo with asparagus foam, grilled asparagus and toasted walnut crumble.
The fish was flavourful and impeccably seared. It came with a side of veggies and mashed potatoes. The veggies were crisp and well-seasoned, while the mash was velvety and left me wanting a bit more. I really enjoyed this dish because it was pretty classic and well executed.
Kelly ordered one of the starters as a main – Fresh Mussels and Shrimp Voul-au-Vent, which was described as a Puff pastry case filled with spinach topped with Mussels and Shrimps cooked in a white wine cherry tomato leek velouté. Being a seafood lover, she was in heaven with this dish.
Dessert was Pear and Pecan Nut Pie served a la Mode, with Poire Williams vanilla custard and crème anglaise. The pie was tart from the pear and crunchy from the nuts with a touch of sweetness to balance it all out.
The crème anglaise was decadent and the ice cream tasted like it came from Bailey’s – my favourite. My only complaint is that I wanted more of the crème anglaise. I wanted to drown my pie in that delicious sauce!
Kelly ordered the Meringue Nest filled with a toffied pineapple and orange, served with a mango sorbet, rested on a berries coulis and finished with a hibiscus cream. She said it was light and refreshing and especially loved the sorbet.
Overall, I enjoyed my Ascots experience. It’s one of those restaurants that never disappoints. I’m always going to have a wonderful dinner with great service to match. I definitely think it’s one of the better values in the $52 category.
This year’s Restaurant Weeks runs from January 12 to February 3, with the largest number of participating restaurants ever – 50 – and the introduction of lunch, which is being offered as two-courses for $22. The three levels of pricing for this year’s event are $32, $42 and $52.
We will have additional coverage as Restaurant Weeks continues, and you can view all our coverage of Restaurant Weeks here, the list of participating restaurants/prices here [PDF], and all coverage of cuisine here.
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