Blanca, Bondi Beach

Blanca's concept of Japan x Mediterranean fusion was one that piqued my interest. Located in the Hall St dining precinct, the restaurant offers a la carte or a selection of degustation options (seven, eight or ten courses). Eager to try as much of the menu as possible, we opted for the ten course option.

We started with the Sydney Rock oysters which were given a hit of citrus flavour from the mandarin-szechuan pepper mignonette and these were quickly downed in one gulp and left us wanting more.

SYDNEY ROCK OYSTER mandarin-szechuan pepper mignonette, amaranth, avruga

The slices of Raw aged beef were very tender and came served in a sesame leaf, which you roll up to eat. Together with the pickled radish and wasabi mayo, it made for a very tasty yet delicate dish. ​

RAW BEEF & SESAME LEAF aged raw beef, pickled radish, fresh wasabi mayo

The Bonito Pastrami looked like a painting on a plate and was one of my favourite dishes of the night. The bonito was cured and blow-torched giving it a smokiness, soaking up the umami flavours of the Yuzu-soy and brown butter dressing. This was offset by the yuzu cream which gave it a great touch of freshness.

BONITO PASTRAMI yuzu-soy & brown butter dressing, kombu, yuzu cream, avruga

The Peking duck croquette was exactly how you would imagine it - crunchy coating with the most delicious filling of duck, almonds and cinnamon cream inside.

CROQUETAS `BEIJING DUCK´ hoisin marinated duck, almonds, honey, cinnamon cream

The next dish of Blanca Black Bun looked just as impressive when it hit our table. The first thing that I noticed was the sheer size of the soft shell crab. They definitely didn't scrimp on the crab and the batter was super crispy. I would easily come back just for this dish.

BLANCA BLACK BUN soft black bun, crispy soft shell crab, XO-mayo, spicy red cabbage

Moving to a more Mediterranean flavour, the Grilled Octopus was served with a rich romesco dressing, garlic confit and thyme. The octopus was very tender and I especially loved the intensity of the sauce.

GRILLED FREMANTLE OCTOPUS & octopus carpaccio, romesco dressing, garlic confit, thyme

The Monkfish took us back closer to Japanese flavours with the white soy-wasabi dashi packing a punch. The roasting of the cabbage really brought out its sweetness.

SAIKYO MISO MONKFISH white soy-wasabi dashi, daikon, kale, asparagus, radish, roasted cabbage

The Pork ribs cooked in miso caramel was eaten in the form of a san choy bao. Like all the other dishes, it was full of flavour and the pork had wonderful caramelization, but unfortunately the meat was a little dry. The dish was accompanied by Crispy Blanca potatoes. Topped with aioli, furikake and a chii pickle sauce, the cripsy potatoes were irrestible and despite being quite full at this point, I couldn't resist eating them.

PORK RIBS & MISO CARAMEL togarashi, miso caramel, pork crackling, spicy baby gem lettuce with CRISPY BLANCA POTATOES & AIOLI garlic, furikake, chili pickle sauce

The Matcha Tea & Strawberry dessert was a great combination of textures and flavours, executed with great balance. The star of the dish was the sorrel sorbet, a unique flavour that was very refreshing.

MATCHA TEA & STRAWBERRY matcha tea-white chocolate cream, sorrel sorbet, almond frangipane, sorrel, strawberry, pistachio

The final dish of Bondi Sands with Chocolate and vanilla cream was very rich and I would have loved a few more segments of mandarin to cut through the richness.

‘BONDI SANDS’ No3 CHOCOLATE & VANILLA CREAM chocolate ganache, salted caramel, mascarpone-vanilla crème, hazelnuts, mandarin

The dishes at Blanca was an eclectic mix and I enjoyed the diversity. Service was knowledgeable and friendly, and I still can't stop thinking about the soft shell crab.