waqu spring menu, crows nest

15 September 2009, 04:49

It’s been a while since my last visit to Waqu (308 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest) and since noods’ rellies were in town we thought it was time for a revisit. We managed to get the private room which was great because the lighting was pretty dim and i ended up resorting to using flash. Waqu’s five course Spring menu (from 1/09/09 -30/11/09) is $55p.p with a choice of dishes for entree and mains.


Course 1 Amuse. Spicy softshell crab taco; sweet corn vichyssoise, crystal prawn pincho; kabayaki roasted eel fillet on sushi rice; agedashi taro potato fritter, sweet sesame spinach. My one and only non flash photo haha the taco is blurry my bad! It was my favourite on the plate too! Holding the taco in two hands i chomp thru the crisp shells and into the salty softshell crab innards which has also been deepfried with a 5spice coating and is balanced by the julienned vegetables and the light dollop of mayo. The sweet corn vichyssoise is refreshing and i manage to steal noods’ prawn. The eel on sushi rice was tasty but a little difficult to eat as it was a thin rectangle and ended up falling everywhere. The taro fritter was interesting but not too memorable other than its shape


Course 2 Sashimi. Ocean trout two way- cured ocean trout, soy balsamic jelly, ikura caviar and tropical fruits nouve ocean trout tartare, sour cream espuma. LOVED this i think it was my favourite course overall with the satin smooth ocean trout and the shiny ikura caviar a burst of briny saltiness matched with mouthfuls of sweet fruity jelly. I could easily eat 2 plates of this and be happy altho Waqu doesn’t offer ala carte.


Course 3 Entree Choice 1. Sand whiting- tamari senbei crusted sand whiting fillet, seasonal vegetables, konbu vinaigrette. Presentation-wise i wasn’t too impressed because it just looks like a plate of deepfried which you know, i am totally a fan of but there needs to be a balance yo! Luckily the batter was light and the whiting and vegetables shone through. Would have liked a bit more of the vinaigrette. But it was tasty.


Course 3 Entree Choice 2. Scallop gyoza ravioli- fresh oyster and garam masala sauce with slow cooked oyster. Heh that was one giant ravioli! Look at him! So packed full of scallop goodness!


Course 3 Entree Choice 3. Wagyu beef cheek- braised wagyu beef cheek, lightly fried eggplant, creamy yaki-imo potato puree. I had eventually decided on the waqyu beef cheek and boy was i glad i did for the beef was so tender that it fell apart with the slightest jab and the potato puree was so creamy i died and went to potato heaven


Course 4 Main Choice 1. Hoji tea roasted duck- roasted hoji tea smoked duck, passion fruit+mango dip, beetroot puree, dengaku daikon radish. While i loved the intense smokey tea flavour in the duck i found it a bit overpowering after a few bites. The duck skin was so tasty tho and i liked the combination of the duck with the sweet beetroot puree


Course 4 Main Choice 2. Lamb cooked two way- roasted rack of lamb, red wine sauce + braised lamb shoulder, ginger foam. The ginger foam was interesting… Foamy. But zomg the roasted lamb! Perfect ratio of fatty goodness to baby pink tender meat and the boy can’t resist in picking up the bone and gnawing at it. The lamb shoulder was tasty too but nowhere near as mindblowingly tasty as the rack


Course 4 Main Choice 3. Miso cod sakura pink style- grilled miso marinated cod fillet, sakura sauce, five japanese grains risotto. i had deliberately chosen the miso cod in case i was too full and i have chosen correctly after sampling everyone elses dishes i was starting to clutch at my stomach haha but the cod was delicious and the risotto was an interesting mix of textures. i couldn’t figure out what the orange chips were. Pretty sure it was sweet potato. But it might have been pumpkin. Um.


Course 5 Dessert. Rich bitter sweet belgium chocolate ice cream; white chocolate cheese cake; strawberry pannacotta. i love a tasting plate of dessert because it caters for everyones tastes! The smooth and creamy white chocolate cheesecake was my favourite and the chocolate icecream was so rich but the pannacotta was nice and light and a perfect end to the meal


Hihi!

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  1. Man, I live so close to here but I haven’t been yet. What fail!

    And oh! How funny that in the group shot you’ve managed to come out as one of the tallest :)

    — shez    Sep 15, 09:45 AM    #

  2. Ohh I’ve been meaning to try their Spring menu it looks so gooood. I like how they’ve done something different for the sashimi course and the scallop ravioli looks a bit like the scallop dumpling of theirs I used to love! I miss the days when it used to be a la carte :(

    — Steph    Sep 15, 09:47 AM    #

  3. mmm time to be a Waqu virgin methinks; except I hope they don’t put any pink on my plate (things that make you clutch your stomach) haha

    — Lex    Sep 15, 12:52 PM    #

  4. taco bluriness is depth of field. You shouldn’t apologie for it cause it’s a good photo.

    Always wanted to go to this restaurant. Will have to see if I can book soon :)

    — Simon    Sep 15, 01:36 PM    #

  5. I think the top pic is great – lovely depth of field. I remember the miso cod was the highlight for me last time – must get back here soon, and whoah, no wonder you guys warranted the private room! hi hi everyone!

    — Helen (Grab Your Fork)    Sep 15, 08:04 PM    #

  6. I love the photo of the deep fried stuff, the way that parsley looks waving about the fish. Fantastic plating, will have to try.

    — Moya    Sep 15, 11:22 PM    #

  7. $55 for a 5 course meal that looks THAT good? MAD!!!!!!

    — Trisha    Sep 15, 11:47 PM    #

  8. looks like they’ve improved, & kept the tao thing hehe

    had no idea they had a private room, thats pretty cool

    — betty    Sep 16, 12:06 PM    #

  9. Ginger foam!! Did you just dip the lamb into that? The sashimi plate looks so pretty!

    — Belle    Sep 16, 06:13 PM    #

  10. Wow $55 is not bad… Especially when you have a choice. Your photos look great.

    — Katherine    Sep 16, 10:02 PM    #

  11. Ohh Waqu’s dishes look so much better than before! I have’t been back since they had moved to the new location.
    Hope you all had a great family gathering together :)

    — Yas @ hungry.digital.elf.    Sep 16, 10:57 PM    #

  12. shez: lol waqu is totally in your hood man!
    steph: yes me too! while sashimi is always tasty it’s nice to see a different plating
    lex: haha is pink not manly a colour enough for ya?
    simon: lol thanks dude and yes you should definitely give it a try!
    helen: hehe hihi! yeah the private room was great! there was a minimum spend but didnt matter cos there was so many of us having the degustation
    moya: lol waving around haha =D
    trisha: i reckon hey! cheap and quite alot of food!
    betty: yup there is a minimum spend on the private room but if you have around 10 ppl its doable
    belle: lol it wasnt my dish so i only managed to swipe a bit of the foam erm it was ok…
    katherine: thanks dude! and yup i reckon $55 is awesome! such a great deal and heaps of food!
    yas: definitely more roomier than the previous location but it does get quite loud

    — chocolatesuze    Sep 17, 02:24 AM    #

  13. omg wow $55 for a 5 course meal? That’s a bargain! not to mention that it looks so good. definately paying that place a visit.

    — betty    Sep 22, 05:01 AM    #

  14. I want to go Waqu againnnn XD!!!!!! Although the portions do look mighty small… and why did u start flashing (:P)? Me likey the first photo, just change wb a bit

    — FFichiban    Sep 22, 11:06 PM    #

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