That’s the way you do it

The universe made it up to me last night after yesterday’s cranky blog post.

I was invited to visit a restaurant in Double Bay called Bartiga, which features modern Australian cuisine mixed with Southeast Asian flavours, paired with a cocktail menu highlighting a Seychelles rum called Takamaka.

I worked in Double Bay many moons ago when I first moved to Sydney as a 21-year-old writer for a fashion magazine called Studio.

Bartiga is located a few doors down from my old workplace in Bay Street and it was fascinating to wander past the building where my magazine career commenced.

The suburb was buzzing and every table at Bartiga was full of happy patrons.

Unlike my experience on Tuesday night, my friend Mira texted me an hour before our dinner booking to confirm that she WAS coming.

And she arrived on time, bearing a bottle of Champagne as a Christmas gift for me. She’s a keeper.

We settled at a table and were excited to sample head chef Faheem Noor’s creations. Faheem’s culinary portfolio includes stints at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze in London, Tetsuya’s and Empire Lounge. Paired with his Malaysian background, it’s a winning combination.

Among the menu highlights were entrees of Oysters with Salmon Roe, Tuna Tostada with Szechuan salsa, macha, chipotle aioli, avocado and crispy eschalots; Lightly Torched Scallops with buttermilk, yuzu kosho and truffle oil; Kingfish Crudo with nam jim dressing, crispy shallot and coriander; and Prawn Toast Sando with lemon and chilli sauce.

We were dazzled and sated, but we couldn’t help trying the Tom Yum Boullabaisse Spaghettini with mussels clams, white fish and grilled scampi; plus a Japanese Nicoise with seared crusted yellowfin tuna, baby cos, green beans, soft boiled egg, baby chat potatoes, red radish and roasted sesame wakame, furukake and ponzu dressing.

Every dish we tried was an exquisitely crafted flavour explosion and tasted every bit as good as it looks.

Yes, I ate far too much, but it was so delicious that it was hard to stop.

The bar menu also has a strong personality. The cocktails are formulated by ex-Pelicano mixologist and Casa Luna owner Vincent Valliere; while the wine list is curated by ex-Franca Brasserie’s Alex Cameron and features more than 80 options.

We sampled a few cocktails featuring Takamaka rum, which not only tastes delicious but also has sustainability in mind. Its made from cane that is grown locally in the Seychelles and has distinct terroir notes from the island group’s unique granitic soil mixed with beach sand, with the distiller also being committed to reducing its glass footprint.

Sipping Seychelles rum brought back memories too, as that’s where I went on my honeymoon waaaaaay back in the year 2000.

Stunning part of the world – I would love to return one day.

The Pandan Creme Brulee with coconut sorbet was a sensational finish to our experience, especially when paired with a cocktail featuring pandan syrup.

Pandan is so nom-nom. It brings back happy memories of when I lived in Singapore. It’s a tropical plant with a flavour that’s a bit like grassy vanilla with a hint of coconut. Loved every mouthful.

As for the conversation, we are both obsessed with snorkelling and wildlife, so we mainly chitter-chatted about that all night.

Bulk fun. Diet starts January 3.

Song of the day: Dire Straits “Money for nothing”