LOCATIONOn Foveaux Street, just five minutes' walk from Central Station.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA A glowing red door amongst the fashion warehouses and creative agencies of Foveaux Street leads to a mysterious den of a bar, and the Sydney Morning Herald’s 2007 Best New Restaurant. Foveaux is the creation of Darrell Felstead who has worked with some of London, France and Sydney’s top restaurants since the age of 12.
Neutral cream hues and exposed sandstone bricks of the former Schweppes factory building lay the palette for an experience of vivid flavours, while the Red Door bar downstairs is reminiscent of a vintage smoking room. Corner red leather lounges create pockets for intimate rendezvous surrounded by low-lit lamps, bookshelves and a mirrored bar, its back wall lined with jarred fruit purées, rare spirits and home-made syrups.
Felstead’s cuisine is vibrant and creative using foams, jellies and purées to awaken diners to new textures. Dishes showcase innovative and playful features such as the light seafood flavours of sea urchin custard and scampi contrasted with caramelised venison tongue and powdered dandelion and rhubarb for entrée. Cold-smoked albacore tuna is served with zesty whipped ponzu and tomato salsa, the starter rounded with nutty sesame and avocado. Veal sirloin, oceanic characters from roasting in wakame already absorbed, is presented atop Jerusalem artichoke purée with asparagus and burnt butter jus, while herb-baked leather jacket fillet flanks braised rabbit and dramatic black olive purée. Felstead deconstructs flavours of his childhood with an adult version of banoffee pie presenting caramelised banana, banana ice cream and digestive biscuit spiced with tonka and coffee.
Edwina Storie