Automata, Chippendale

Automata is situated on one of the hottest foodie streets in Sydney - Kensington Street in Chippendale. It offers only one menu option - a five course tasting menu plus snacks for $88 (with an optional beverage pairing for $60). My friend and I were sat at the long communal table, with a view to the open kitchen.

We kicked off with the snacks for the evening. The Salmon skins with mustard mayonnaise and shiso were super crispy and simply delicious. The Wagyu tongue was incredibly tender and paired very well with the enoki and miso sauce. 

Wagyu tongue, enoki, miso and Salmon skin, mustard mayonnaise and shiso

The first proper course was the Raw kingfish with creme fraiche, pomelo and shiso. I am a big fan of kingfish but for me, the dish lacked balance. The fish was nicely treated but the pomelo did not provide the sweetness that I was expecting. 

Raw kingfish, creme fraiche, pomelo, shiso

The next course, though, was absolutely spectacular. The dish smelled incredible as it hits our table. Pulling back the roasted seaweed was the steamed hapuka. The fish was perfectly cooked, tender enough to flake apart at the slightest touch. The roe emulsion packed an incredible amount of flavour and really enhanced the dish. It was definitely a case of something tasting much better than it looked.

Steamed hapuka, cured roe emulsion, seaweed

Duck hearts is not a common ingredient found on menus but I quite enjoyed Automata's creation. The duck hearts were delicious and the seasoning hit all the right notes. The fennel added a freshness to the dish and the red cabbage puree was just the right accompaniment. 

Duck hearts, roasted lettuce, sauerkraut, fennel & herbs

The Smoked lamb neck was chargrilled to order. It was beautifully soft, paired with delicious fried capers and red witlof. Everything on the plate just worked together.

Smoked lamb neck, burnt eggplant, red witlof, eschalot & capers

My friend and I decided to share the optional cheese course. The Quicke's cheddar is a cow's milk cheese from Devon. It was crumbly with quite a mild flavour. The caramelised kiwifruit added a nice touch of sweetness.

Quicke's cheddar, caramelised kiwifruit $12pp (optional)

Dessert was the Yoghurt sorbet with meringue, persimmon, finger lime, rosemary and sumac. The yoghurt sorbet was tart and creamy, with discs of persimmon crusted in sumac perched on top giving it a lovely sweetness. I loved that there were so many different textures and flavours - the pearls of finger lime, the freeze dried plum and the fragrant rosemary oil made this a joy to eat.

Yoghurt sorbet, persimmon, finger lime, rosemary and sumac

All in all, I had a great time at Automata. The food was interesting and exciting and the service was very professional. I didn't leave feeling overly full, but with Koi dessert bar just around the corner, maybe that's not such a bad thing.