I’ll just go ahead and say it, Gastro Park is bloody brilliant. Book yourself a table and you’ll quickly realise why it’s the best meal you’ve had all year.

We began our recent meal with a pressed terrine of confit duck and foie gras – a combination that’s hard to beat, even more so with the addition of balsamic caramel and jellied consommé. I’m quietly amazed at the thin ribbons of king brown mushrooms, which add a whole different texture to the dish.

The dish I was most keen on trying was the snapper with crispy scales. Chefs normally groom each fillet meticulously for scales but Grant King has done the exact opposite and left the scales untouched. The scales are satisfyingly crisp and add a layer of crunchy perfection to the moist fillet of snapper. If seafood is King’s passion, then this dish is his homage to the sea. The odd splashes of murky ink sauce ties everything together beautifully.

Each course at Gastro Park is a piece of art, deserving a display case in MOMA than on a plate. The lamb saddle showered with flowers and cauliflower snowflakes looks more like a woodland forest in the autumn than a humble meat and veg dish. Mushrooms get top billing in this dish and there’s plenty to choose from, in all shapes and forms too (including the genius mushroom wires). The shantarelle, king browns, shimigi and enoki layered together add heady umami flavours to the soft buttery cuts of lamb.

We ended our meal with a chocolate, honeycomb and mandarin sphere. It wasn’t my first choice but rightfully swayed after a thumbs up from our waiter. The dish appeared swirling in dry ice, with the same sort of wonder as the opening scene of a Cirque du Soleil show. When we cracked open the sphere, a velvety cream poured out and enveloped the crumbs of gingerbread, the mini macarons and the salted caramel cubes in a custard landslide. It was bliss on a plate!

Go on, if you want to see what a home run looks like, give Gastro Park a buzz now. I’m now somewhat saddened that Gastro Park has ruined me for the rest of the year, I don’t think anything else will live up to it.

Gastro Park
5-9 Roslyn Street
Potts Point
# 02 8068 1017
www.gastropark.com.au