I have dined at Sage Dining Rooms a number of times over the past 10 years or so (around every 18ths). At around A$300 for dinner and drinks for two (2015 prices) it is very much a special occasion location for me, as it is for most people.
Every time, until my most recent visit in November 2015, I could not fault the restaurant. The food was delicious, the drinks well paired, and the service impeccable.
Remembering the price tag, my most recent visit was a major disappointment. At $100 (as opposed to $280 – and that was with a couple of free drinks – more on that later) I would have left feeling so, so.
As it was, I can no longer recommend Sage and cannot see myself returning – given the wide choice of restaurants in Canberra. Were it one or two disappointments during the meal I could have forgiven them but at A$300 I expect something approaching perfection and not plate after plate of mediocrity, at best. I also expect bar staff who can tell the difference between a dry sherry and a sweet port and not just assume that their customers’ ignorance matches their own.
I can only assume the restaurant has changed hands and/or chef since my last visit.
The detail – though it pains me to write it.
The restaurant offers two sittings, the first around 6pm and the second at 8.30pm. We chose the latter, as we have in the past. On arrival no-one greeted us and we were left standing, hovering over another couple’s table for 3-4 minutes until someone came to welcome us.
Once seated we were given menus but were not offered a drink. When the waitress returned we had decided to go for the five course degustation menu with matched wines (again as we have always done here). At this point we ordered a Mojito and a dry cherry as pre-dinner aperitifs.
Within a reasonable time we were served an appetizer and shortly thereafter a starter selection (pictured above) prior to our first course. I was rather surprised that both were identical to what we received 18 months previously. Had they not changed the ‘chefs surprise’ degustation menu in that time? Leaving that aside, both dishes were delicious and soon, very soon, we would be regretting that the remainder of the dishes presented were not as they had been on our previous visit. As we were finishing our starter selection our wine parings for the first course arrived.
Still our aperitifs had not arrived. I queried their whereabouts and a couple of minutes later two drinks arrived, as did a seared tuna dish.
I was rather surprised to see that my dry sherry was a very dark red colour. On tasting it, not that I needed too, it was obviously a very sweet port, which I immediately sent back. The waitress returned later with a drinks menu explaining that they didn’t have any sherry and asked me to select anything from the last page which would be ‘on the house’, as would the mojito. The last page of the menu comprised dessert wines and liqueurs – clearly neither the wait-staff not the bar staff had any idea.
I really didn’t want, nor need, an aperitif now as wines were being served but I persisted and eventually I was served a glass of the dry sherry which I had ordered in the first place. While an excellent sherry, in itself, it tasted awful with the wine and food I was now consuming. Additional hint to barstaff – you should wash your knife between preparing drinks such that mojitos do not contain bits of strawberries which you cut up for a previous drink order. The red colouring is a bit of a give away.
In terms of the food, all of which looked nice – so full marks for presentation:
First course (picture 2) – seared tuna with daikon, an inadequate spot of aioli and edible flowers. The tuna and aioli were tasty but nothing special. Edible flowers, like foam, I can put up with as they seem to be par for the course in higher end places these days.
Second course (picture 3) – quail on a bed of something with the texture of porridge, served with silverbeet. The base I liked though it could have been better seasoned. The quail was miniscule, overcooked and totally tasteless.
Third course (not pictured) – mussels and pork belly with a nori garnish. The mussels and pork did not work together. I accept that this may be personal taste. In any event, the mussels were overcooked and the pork was 80% fat. This piece of meat should not have been served and points to a serious lack of attention by the chef.
Fourth course (picture 4) – lamb with onion and greenery. The onion was well done and the greenery was fine. The lamb was full of sinews and extremely tough. Again, another piece of meat which should not have been let leave the kitchen.
Prior to our dessert we were served a carrot sorbet as a palate cleans. It was fine.
Dessert (picture 5 right) – a cherry sorbet on a bed of chocolate ‘dirt’. The sorbet was a bit sour for my liking and the chocolate dirt was overcooked and had a burnt taste to it.
The wines served were not as nice as I have had previously at Sage and in general I didn’t feel they matched the dishes – though perhaps that says more about the food than the wine.
Leaving aside the staff’s lack of knowledge in the drinks department, the service was markedly worse than on previous visits, care factor was pretty low and bread was not replenished without our asking for it. The bread itself, a sour dough, was very nice though we learned it was from a local bakery and not baked on the premises, as I recall it used to be.
When the bill was presented no inquiry was made as to how we enjoyed our dinner. I didn’t bother telling them. At least they managed to get the bill correct and true to their word didn’t charge us for the aperitifs, eventually served well into our meal.
I didn’t leave a tip!
Address: Gorman House Arts Centre, Batman St, Braddon
Phone: 02 6249 6050
Theme: Eclectic/International
Website: http://www.sagerestaurant.net.au/tag/canberra/
For my next CANBERRA – INNER NORTH review click HERE.
For other Canberra reviews click HERE.
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