4Fourteen, Surry Hills

I have been keen to try 4Fourteen for a while, seeing all the dreamy photos of the food on other blogs and hearing rave reviews from my friends about it. My curiosity was piqued further after watching My Kitchen Rules last year for the first time and seeing the contestants battle it out in 4Fourteen’s kitchen under Colin Fassnidge’s guidance. We spotted him in the flesh on our way in for dinner, but unfortunately we weren’t sitting at the bar next to the open kitchen and instead we were shown to a comfy table on the side.

I love the contemporary decor at 4Fourteen which makes use of the cavernous space with a fun feature wall above their wine racks, spelling out random place names. We kicked off our meal with some nibbles to share, in the form of CJ’s Chips and Dips, featuring lightly battered chard and light as air crackling. Both were wonderful starters – the chard was surprisingly tasty for a veggie, helped by the tempura like batter coating it and the tasty dip which accompanied it.

CJ’s Chips and Dips, $9

Next up was the beautifully presented Miso Smoked Salmon with dollops of lemon curd and fennel lavosh delicately balanced on top. The smoked salmon was moist and had a lovely flavour and texture, but the distinctive scent of miso wasn’t particularly strong in this dish.

Miso Smoked Salmon, $19

Our other starter was the intriguing Herb Crusted Bone Marrow with chimichurri and grilled bread. I have never had bone marrow before and wasn’t sure what to expect. I scooped out a small portion from the bone and attempted to smear it on a piece of grilled bread, but it was quite gelatinous and it stayed put in a lump. It has an incredibly rich flavour and in my opinion is best consumed in small portions.

Herb Crusted Bone Marrow, $16

The star of the night was undoubtedly the Whole Spring Lamb Shoulder, heartily cooked so that the meat is tender and falling off the bone. We shared this between 4 and paired with the tomatoes and the creamy colcannon (a kind of Irish potato mash with cabbage), it was quite a satisfying meal which filled us right up.

Whole Spring Lamb Shoulder, $78

To balance out all the meaty goodness we were consuming, we also ordered a Mixed Grain and Pomegranate Salad on the side. It was possibly one of the prettiest salads I have seen in awhile, accented by all that quinoa and bright pomegranate seeds and tasted great too.

Mixed Grain and Pomegranate Salad, $12

Although we were pretty full by this stage, we still had room for dessert and I had the honour of picking out the desserts to share. The White Chocolate Sandwich with Dulce de Leche was a decadent dessert as expected, featuring a thick slab of creamy white chocolate parfait sandwiched by two thin chocolate crisps, complemented by the addictive dulce de leche. A modern, upmarket take on the humble icecream sandwich and oh so good.

White Chocolate Sandwich with Dulce de Leche, $14

Our other dessert was the Honeycomb Peanut Butter Block, which was just as gloriously delectable with soft chunks of peanut enveloping creamy innards.

Honeycomb Peanut Butter Block, $14

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at 4Fourteen. It lived up to expectations and delivered well executed and interesting food all the way through from the nibbles to the mains and finally to the stunning desserts.

4Fourteen
414 Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph:(02) 9331 5399

4Fourteen on Urbanspoon

9 Comments

Leave a Reply to Excuse Me WaiterCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.