Restaurant Rec: Sidart
For my husband’s recent * big * birthday, I made reservations at Sidart, the first restaurant by Sid Sahrawat. (Sahrawat also runs Cassia, a contemporary Indian restaurant, and The French Café, which they purchased in 2018 and continue in a traditional French fashion.) I debated between Sidart and The French Café, but then a foodie friend of mine said, “Most people would choose The French Café as it is a traditional fine dining experience. Sidart’s food is more out there.” I was sold on Sidart.
The restaurant itself is in an unassuming building in Ponsonby, up a flight of stairs and behind a modern sliding door. From the outside, you would have no idea that there is a culinary experience to be had. We were immediately whisked to our table which had a wonderful view of the Sky Tower.
When making my reservation, I decided on the five course tasting menu. There is a seven course option and à la carte dining as well, but I generally think that five courses is the right amount. Any longer and I’m falling asleep, and the tasting menu is always much more exciting than à la carte as there are no constraints on the chef. There were also two wine pairing options, a standard option with regional wines, and a premium option with more international wines - though New Zealand was still heavily represented in the premium option as we later discovered.
All of the food was beautifully presented and creative. I can say for certain this is the first time I’ve ever had yak broth, and of course there were staples like foam. (To be fair, I love all of the things that can be foamed, but I do feel that foam itself is now overplayed.) My favorite dishes were the quail and mushrooms, and honestly that venison with yak broth accompaniment was pretty darn tasty. We started off light, with amuse bouches that were in addition to the five courses. This was followed by the giant scampi pictured above. We had some foam and radishes, the quail, and some perfectly juicy venison. Following the delightfully cute palette cleansing sorbets in tiny cones, we decided to add a cheese plate prior to the expected dessert, and then they brought out a second (better) dessert for my husband’s birthday. All in, it was 9 different plates, which was more than enough. While at the beginning of the meal we thought we were blowing through the experience too quickly - we were done with three courses forty five minutes in - by the end, I was infinitely glad that I stuck with my guns and only did the five and not the seven course. It was two and a half hours in, and we were tired.
The service was very good, and the second best we’ve had in Auckland. (The best was in the now-closed Meredith’s. Fortunately, sometime in 2020 Michael Meredith is supposed to be opening a new restaurant in Britomart. In the words of Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there.”) All of the dishes were clearly explained, but there was nothing above and beyond that totally wowed me.
The biggest disappointment for my husband was the wine. Around the third course he said that it was like each of the wine pairings was off by a course. And he was expecting more international selections given he ordered the premium wine option that was described has featuring international wines. With that being said, there was nothing bad about any of the wines themselves, they just seemed mismatched and domestic.
Sidart provides a delicious meal in an upscale setting - though in true Kiwi fashion, we definitely saw some diners in shorts and jandals (nice jandals, but still…) - and is one of the few dining establishments that is aiming for fine dining. If you’re looking for creativity and the unexpected, I’d put this on your list.
