First Entry - Universal Restaurant

So this would mark my first entry for this blog :) Basically I've decided to create a new blog to document my daily (or even weekly if I'm feeling a little lazy) happenings, which i think would mostly consist of food related articles. I wish i had started this earlier, as I have been to many restaurants and yet failed to photograph and even remember the experiences I had at these restaurants! To begin with, the bf took me to Universal restaurant in Darlinghurst for a one off experience, as i have been dying to try their Gaytime inspired dessert! I met up with him at Parramatta after he finished his exam and drove to the city right after. We did get lost trying to find Palmer Street (where Universal is located) due to my map reading knowledge but we eventually got there at 6pm, 30 minutes earlier than our scheduled reservation. Next to Universal were a few other restaurants and what I remember was Phamish and Lucio's pizza. A young girl lead us to our table right next to the bar and entrance to the kitchen in which we were then taken care of by another young guy. We also saw Christine Manfield, chef and owner of Universal hovering around the restaurant greeting diners. The waiter presented us with the wine list; however there were too many unfamiliar alcohols and cocktails so i opted for lemon lime and bitters.

Lemon Lime and Bitters $4.00

 Unfortunately the drink was more concentrated with lemonade rather than Bitters but I was still satisfied :) Moving on, we asked for the food menu. Universal is slightly different compared to other restaurants, where there are no entrees and mains. We were advised by the waiter to order three savoury dishes and one dessert, as the sizes of the savoury dishes are roughly the same serving size. We decided to go for two savoury dishes and one dessert, as the thought of ordering a third savoury dish felt like it might overfill our stomaches :P For the first dish, i ordered the pork belly in broth with barley and chanterelle mushrooms and Drix ordered the jasmine tea smoked duck breast placed on fine Chilli Sichuan noodles. The broth served with the pork belly went well together as the heaviness of the tender pork accentuated with the flavoursome broth and mushrooms.The duck breast that Drix ordered had the right balance of flavours with the noodles, which was infused in chilli (I am not a big fan of chilli!) but luckily i was able to withstand it! His dish also reminded me of BBQ duck and egg noodles you could order in any typical Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant in Cabramatta but presented better of course.

Pork Belly In Broth With Barley and Chanterelle Mushrooms $30.00

 Jasmine Tea Smoked Duck Breast Placed on Fine Chilli Sichuan Noodles $28.00

Our next course arrived not too long after. What I was surprised about was that the time between each course served was faster than other restaurants I have been to. I ordered the rare roasted lamb served on a bed of scalloped potatoes, avocado tempura and curried broth. Although the lamb was the focal point of the dish, i believed the avocado tempura topped it all off. The batter was crunchy while the avocado was creamy and smooth. Drix ordered the Braised Rabbit on Spinach Puree & Gruyere Cheese Vol Au Vent. My dish was enjoyable but Drix's dish was DELICIOUS! He took a risk in ordering the rabbit as he has never consumed it but i guess this time round he was lucky. The puree was smooth and luscious while the rabbit was extremely tender and sweet.  

  Rare Roasted Lamb Served on a Bed of Scalloped Potatoes, Avocado Tempura and Curried Broth $31.00

Braised Rabbit on Spinach Puree & Gruyere Cheese Vol Au Vent $30.00

The friendly waiter asked if we would like to order dessert in which we informed him that we had ordered it at the beginning haha. This was the part where i was extremely excited about, which isn't surprising as dessert seems to always complete the meal. Drix ordered the Mocha bomb while I ordered the highly anticipated dish Gaytime goes nuts. I was astounded by the presentation of both dishes, which were appealing and unique. I couldn't wait to dig into my dessert which consisted of a choc caramel cylinder filled with honeycomb ice cream, salted hazelnut caramel and topped off with caramel parfait. The flavours were rich yet complimented each other due to the sweetness of the ice cream and the saltiness of the cylinder and hazelnuts. This is way better than the original Gaytime ice cream and I definitely reccommend it! Drix's dessert reminded me of a early morning at uni where we would be half asleep in lectures craving a cappucino or mocha. The chocolate mousse was airy and light yet had the right level of sweetness while the intense flavours of the espresso caramel and ice cream complimented the mousse very well. 

 Gaytime Goes Nuts! $19.00

Mocha Bomb $19.00

Our desserts were so enticing, we tried to clean up as much of the plate as possible hehe :)

Our bill totalled $173.00, in which we were charged an extra $2.00 which was donated to a charity. What a sneaky way of adding onto the bill but i guess it went towards a good cause. The staff also returned the incorrect change, which was rapidly fixed. The ambience at Universal was very relaxed and informal, yet service was friendly and satisfactory.