The Poernomo Brothers launch a new truffle menu at Monkeys Corner

You can’t dine at Monkey Corner without the feeling that Masterchef is channelling greatness onto your plate and palate. There is a reason for that. The story starts with their mum, Ikem who ran a restaurant where the boys (Ronald, Arnold and Reynold Poernomo) ‘her little monkeys’ learned their passion for food.

Fast forward a few decades; Reynold works his way into our chocolate loving hearts during Australian Masterchef and his brother, Arnold takes Indonesia by storm, achieving the role of Masterchef judge. The trio lead by the third brother, operations guru Ronald, then launch dessert bar Koi, followed by Monkeys Corner which was a tiny, but refined speakeasy with a short menu on Kensigton street.

It’s now grown up now. They moved to the western side of Central Park, into a more roomy, glamourous space with a modern design. It has a three-in-one restaurant concept delivering take home desserts and coffee ‘Koi’, a seriously gastronomic degustation experience heroing deserts called ‘Koi Experimental’ and Monkey Corner shares the same area, but leans towards Reynolds passion for savoury offerings.

We are here to check out the new truffle menu. Asian food is ‘my bag’, add truffles to that and I am happier than a Lagotto Romagnolo pooch (the top truffle sniffing dog in the world). I still think I could give him/her a run for their truffle money.

The room glows amber orange in the night air, from outside as I can see diners sitting up at the stunning curved bar. We take our seats at one of the wooden tables by the window. The place smells glorious. I order a glass of Ruggeri Argeo prosecco which has lovely aromas of pear and lemon blossom. Michelle, my dining partner is very taken with her glass of certified organic Defaix Petit Chablis. Their 30 year old vineyards yield a pears and apricots and the beautiful glassware elevates the experience.

Service from Evan is smooth, silky and elegant. He doesn’t falter through a busy service and it’s a treat to be served with knowledge and precision.

We start with four sydney rock oysters from Pambula which arrive on ocean going pebbles, topped with elderflower mignonette with lemon myrtle and herb oil. The shells are really unique; shallow, artfully curved, not like any Sydney rock I have seen, they resemble an Angassi oyster.

The uni (sea urchin) looks like a desert. A tiny rectangle of spongy, malty sourdough is topped with two savoury, briny, umami laden pads of urchin butteriness. The richness is offset with a mandarin gel, which doesn’t need it flavourwise, but looks incredible.

The dish of thinly sliced wagyu tongue with finely diced shallot, lime, chilli sends my dining companion into a moment of quiet inner contemplation. She went somewhere ethereal, eyes rolling back into their sockets and then landed back to earth…and proclaimed to Evan;

Insanely magnificent, finely sliced aged beef, so soft, so creamy that I want to eat that for the rest of my life…

Similar feelings of euphoria come from a dish named ‘duck fat potatoes, trout roe, sour cream, fennel'($19). Now, we were expecting burnished orbs of roast potato. Er, no! This version is like a Vienetta of potato which has been cooked, confited, fried then doused in sour cream and decorated with fennel. It is glorious. The slices of potato are stacked vertically, so they fall away like beautiful petals of a fish fillet. Trout roe pops in our mouth as the silky texture melts away into oblivion. How can a potato be transformed into a dish that we are dreaming about and we haven’t even left?

We haven’t even got onto the truffle menu yet. The moment arrives and its dark.

I am staring into a black abyss, a bowl of egg noodles covered with generous shavings of truffle. They are the mushroomy scales that cover the bowl of egg noodles. I can just about make out the murky mushroomy sauce that lies in the depths below. It’s an imposing, almost regal dish. Decadent, balanced and the chewy noodles are a good battle ground. The serving sizes are small, whilst they can be shared, they are really meant to be fought over.

For comparison we order the signature chilli crab egg noodles. Boom! They are ridiculously morish. I feel for the kitchen hands who have handpicked mudcrab (not fun), it’s a romp through the ocean and a lively fresh flavours, the stock is lighter than a bisque but retains a depth of fishy-ness.

I am not normally one for deserts but here it feels rude not to. A rectangle of date pudding is topped with a quenelle of oolong tea gelato. At the table a caramel sauce is drizzled from above. It’s everything heartwarming and balanced. A mouthful of savoury, sweet deliciousness.

Sydney has largely rejected fine dining, however Monkeys Corner provides that in between experience. Dishes which can be individually ordered tapas style, shared (if you dare), are works of art, but in an approachable relaxed way.

Monkeys Corner 6 Central Park Av, Chippendale, Chippendale, 2008
Hours: Tues – Sun: 5:30pm to 10pm