Plage, Cremorne

Having worked in some of the top restaurants on Sydney's north shore, Chef Tomo has now opened his own restaurant in Cremorne called Plage, serving food with Japanese and French influences. We started with a snack of Smoked cod cream with squid ink and seaweed powder. The paper thin, squid ink wafers looked striking as it hit our table. They were a good carrier for the smoked cod cream which had just the right hint of smokiness.

Smoked cod cream with squid ink and seaweed powder

The next dish of Black pudding, lime powder and anchoives packed bold, punchy flavours and really livened up my tastebuds.

Black pudding, black lime powder, white anchovies and olives

The Aburi salmon was delicately handled and paired well with the black garlic and white miso puree. Again, it's a plate of few ingredients but all combining superbly to create a very tasty dish.

Aburi salmon black garlic and white miso puree, kale powder

The Wagyu carpaccio in dashi broth was one of my favourite dishes of the night. The thin slices of beef arrive rare and is cooked in front of us as the dash broth is poured at the table. The rich aroma of the broth immediately hits my senses.  Bursting with umami flavour, I was tempted to pick up the whole bowl to gobble it all up. Underneath the wagyu was a cured egg yolk with mushrooms and broccolini. It's like a refined, miniature version of hot pot. 

Wagyu carpaccio with dashi, cured egg, pumpkin seed, mushroom and broccolini

The Wagyu carpaccio cut open

Onto the mains, and we started with the Jewfish with celeriac puree, finger lime, Gai Lan finished off with a fish and lemon sauce.  The fish was cooked to perfection, matched by the smooth and velvelty puree. I also really liked the caramelised artichoke hidden underneath the Gai lan, which brought another flavour dimension to the dish. Such an underrated vegetable!

Jew fish with celeriac puree, artichoke, finger lime and Gai Lan

The Broccolini with Kipfler potatoes was a wonderful side, with the truffle sauce really making the dish sing.

Broccolini with Kipfler potato chips and truffle orange sauce

The Roast chicken was very tender and came with a crispy skin. The caramelised carrots brought an intense sweetness which complemented well the pickled cherries. The dish would have benefited from a touch more sauce to give it even more flavour.

Roast chicken with crispy kale, chili, cherry and caramelised carrot

The Triple cooked chips comes with housemade aioli and tomato relish. It was tasty but felt a little out of place with our mains. 

Triple cooked chips with house made aioli and tomato relish

The dessert game at Plage is definitely strong. The Sweet sake mirin ice cream was out of this world delicious. My friend and I both had a big smile on our faces as we devoured this perfect quenelle of ice cream. It had the smoothest of textures and was a brilliant mix of salty and sweet, topped off with a miso crumb. It was so good that we unashamedly ordered a second one! 

Sweet sake mirin ice cream with miso crumb

Our second dessert of White chocolate mousse with redcurrant sorbet and pepperberry meringue was just as spectacular. The dish was perfectly balanced with the tartness of the sorbet offset with the sweetness of the meringue and creaminess of the mousse. 

White chocolate cheese mousse with redcurrant sorbet, chamomile, nuts, and pepperberry meringue

I was impressed with the creativity and the flavour combinations, backed up by beautiful plating and friendly service. Plage is definitely a wonderful addition to the north shore dining scene. They also serve some amazing sake too!

Sashimiso dined as a guest of Plage. All opinions are my own.