I can’t quite believe that in 2017 I walked into Mode for the first time. It was like dining inside a glass foodie spaceship inserted into the ground floor of Four Seasons Hotel. I am back, almost ten years later to review again as they relaunch the restaurant.
Arrival & Atmosphere
Walking into the reimagined Mode Kitchen feels like entering a space that’s finally shed its corporate hotel skin. I walk up the ‘catwalk’ to be greeted by the reception. This is like dining inside a glass chrysalis, hidden from the outside world transporting me to a 1920’s era. A stunning central bronzed bar breaks the dining areas into different pockets of light, intimacy and drama. We are seated in the far section in a curved booth area.
The Vibe & Dining Room
Oh its soo pretty! The room itself strikes a balance between elegant and warmth. My entry point is wonderfully sandwiched between the dry aging cabinets glowing like a prizemeat trophy and the wine cellar cabinets which are displaying many of my favourites from Charteris (Hunter Valley), Rockford (Barossa), Ruinart, not local but one of my champagne favs, and Montrachet a highly prized chardonnay from the Burgundy region.
The Chef
Executive Chef Gaurav Bide was born in Mumbai and trained in French fine dining under the Pourcel brothers, bringing 15 years of luxury hospitality experience spanning Sofitel, Fairmont, One & Only Hayman Island, and Merivale Group, where he oversaw culinary operations at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium.
The Menu
It’s all about the relationships with the producers – how things are bred, grown, fished, and foraged locally. There is something warming about this approach when combined with woodfire cooking. In a world where technology removes us ever further from humanity. Cooking with local produce over coals (as our ancestors did). Feels homely. Though if this was a home, it feels like the kind of food you would get at Buckingham Palace. There are a number of menus, a la carte broken down into snacks, small plates, pasta, mains and sides. You can also opt to go all out on the signature share dishes of hunks of dry aged meats or market fish. Dinner for Mary Sue and I, is the chefs degustation- 5 courses for $140, we also top it up with a few dishes we have heard about and can’t miss!
Dining at MODE -The Ritual Begins
I love bread. They bake the sourdough in house every day and nothing makes me happier than a duo of service which arrives. One serves us, whilst the other is holding a tray containing freshly sliced malty bread, along with three olive oils- virgin, basil and orange. We are asked to choose. Feels overkill, decadence maybe? But darn nice ! If a restaurant takes this much care over bread, I am excited.
Welcome bites of a crispy potato roesti topped with creme fraiche and rare Aquitan Sturia caviar. Unlike 97% of other caviar brands Sturia has full control over the production process. They are the breeder, producer, selector and refiner. The caviar is sweeter, and softer than others, the ‘pop’ is less pronounced.
Reading about a ‘small plate’ of beetroot on our degustation menu didn’t really excite me. How wrong I can be?. Plates with glass domes are laid down in synchronous timing and are lifted as wafts of swirling smoke enters my nostrils and into the air. It’s wonderful theatre, sharing a story – this is their opening act.
It’s phenomenal. Not the tired, sweet-earthy beetroot I have encountered a thousand times, but a double layered flower. The inner petals are shaved beetroot and the outer layer of long strands of crunchy pickled ginger sits on top of a bed of stracciatella. It’s crunchy, sweet, tangy, creamy oh and what the heck? There are candied pecans which burst with flavour. It’s hands down one of the single most imaginative dishes I have reviewed this year.
We have to order the wood-roasted scallops from WA’s Abrolhos Islands, their surfaces caramelized from the flame, sitting in a pool of herb miso with cultured butter that adds richness without heaviness. The Tiger Prawns get the fire treatment as well, with a zucchini flower stuffed with sun-dried tomato pesto. The combination achieves harmony on the plate thanks to the smokiness from the wood-roasting, and the sharp cut of pickled pear all working together to elevate prawns that are already exceptional on their own. However the concentrated sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes is too overpowering – its a dish which is a bit too busy.
Then comes the Murray Cod. Its a perfect cylinder, poached to perfection, flaky, pristine, cooked with the kind of restraint that lets the fish remain the hero. It contrasts beautifully with broccoli florets frame the fish, while Avruga roe pearls add briny pops. We also add a comforting ricotta gnocchi which arrives with a delicate sauce of field mushrooms.
Earlier Executive Pastry Chef, Nicolas Blanc told me that the dessert team is banging out close to 500 cakes a month! Yep, for around $150 a pop you can get your celebration cake made for you. Even better, the team will actually finish off the cake when you arrive at the Four Seasons to collect it, so you can video it for your pals – something tells me that this is perhaps even better for some, than eating a slice.
The Raspberry Pavlova has high expectations. Oh wow, it’s SOOO pretty! Instagram baby right there! Just look at that – how can you crack the meringue open when it’s so perfect? A few cracks with the spoon and it falls apart. The fresh raspberry sorbet and rose add brightness and floral notes to lovely crunchy meringue and the yoghurt chantilly cream balance out the flavours.
The Wine Program
Head Sommelier Aman Vikhona has curated over 200 labels with a strong local backbone complemented by global icons. The list champions small producers, many available only at Mode. His passion for wine and pairing jump creating a wine program that feels as thoughtfully sourced as the food. A bright lemony Charteris Semillion kicks off the journey, followed by a balancedl Hugel Pinot Gris which pairs well with our starters. Perhaps the wine of the night was the creaminess of the Californian, The La Crema Russian River Chardonnay.
The Verdict
What are We Addicted To? It’s a beautiful restauant. Dining in an international hotel can bring a step up in service and sourcing – Mode delivers on all fronts. The care around local produce, bedded in tradition but with innovation. Stunning dish after dish. The wine experience is phenomenal and of course THAT Shaved Beetroot starter!
What do we Need to be More Addicted? It’s a premuim experience and has the right to those prices. There’s little to fault here unless it is the price tag.
Mode Kitchen & Bar, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, 199 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Open Monday-Saturday 12pm-4pm & 5:30pm-10pm, Sunday 12pm-10pm. Aperitivo Hour – 3.30–5.30 pm. Guests can go à la carte or try The Perfect Pair – two seasonal snacks with a sommelier-selected pour for $45.