Song Kitchen

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Posted 2018-03-14 by GiGi GMV ⇒ follow

Did you know you can support good charitable causes in the comfort of a classy not-for-profit restaurant? is a special restaurant serving beautiful meals with a good dose of social conscience.

The French head chef, Charlotte Gonzales, leads this special venue with a purpose. is a not for profit restaurant and 100% of profits are given to funding services and support for domestic violence victims.

is situated near the Hyde Park (the Museum station end) and people tend to associate it as a hotel restaurant, but in fact, it offers more than that.

It has a setting of an upmarket restaurant, with high ceiling, airy dining space, beautiful lightings and a comprehensive bar area, but it is not an overpriced restaurant. The meals are designed around fresh, seasonal produce with a Mediterranean twist to them.

We decided to try it out on one lovely evening. We were greeted by well-groomed and attentive staff and they politely attended to our requests.

We started our evening with a lovely dainty pink coloured rose & lychee cocktail from the bar. The cocktail looked deceiving simple with a few rose buds and a lychee fruit resting by the side, but it was a beautiful drink. Not overly sweet and you can taste a hint of vodka aftertaste embedded in midst of the sweet floral scent.

It was soft and delicate in appearance, but it showed its strength.

[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/004/03/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney4.jpg" caption="Sydney Rock Oysters $4 each
(shucked to order, champagne vinegar mignonette)" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/004/03/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney42.jpg" margin="5" title="GMV, Food, Restaurant, Review, Brunch, Sydney" wrap="0" align="CENTER" border="1" width="100%" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/004/03/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney41.jpg"]

Freshly shucked oysters are always an indulgent start to any fine meal. When I saw they served champagne vinegar mignonette dressing, I could not resist.

The petite oysters were well presented on ice and they were full of flavour. The light champagne vinegar dressing was not overpowering, so we still could taste the taste of the sea.

[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/005/02/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney7.jpg" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/005/02/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney71.jpg" width="100%" border="1" align="CENTER" wrap="0" title="GMV, Food, Restaurant, Review, Brunch, Sydney" margin="5" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/005/02/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney72.jpg" caption="Kingfish Ceviche $19
(radishes,citrus, finger lime and crispy grains)"]

The kingfish ceviche was artfully presented and it was one of my favourite dishes of the evening. The cubed kingfish pieces had a lovely finger lime citrus dressing and the crispy grains added an element of surprise to every bite. It was the superb attention to presentation that added so much to the experience.

It matched really well with the rose & lychee cocktail.

[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/005/08/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney8.jpg" border="1" width="100%" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/005/08/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney81.jpg" title="GMV, Food, Restaurant, Review, Brunch, Sydney" wrap="0" align="CENTER" margin="5" caption="Bruschetta $14
(ricotta, sauteed mushrooms and prosciutto)" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/005/08/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney82.jpg"]

Instead of typical bruschetta topped with diced tomato, offered a more appealing version. Our bruschetta looked very appetising and it was topped with ricotta, sauteed mushrooms and thinly-shaved prosciutto. The chargrilled sourdough bread was deliciously crusty and complemented the toppings very well.

[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/009/05/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney9.jpg" title="GMV, Food, Restaurant, Review, Brunch, Sydney" wrap="0" align="CENTER" border="1" width="100%" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/009/05/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney91.jpg" caption="Rabbit Terrine $18
(apricot and pistachio, chargrilled bread)" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/009/05/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney92.jpg" margin="5"]

There were many indulgences on the entree menu and my friend, who just came back from her month-long European holiday and being an adventurous diner, was very interested in trying the Rabbit Terrine.

The Rabbit Terrine was incredibly flavoursome and rich, it contained apricot and pistachio to balance out the meaty texture. It was served with chargrilled sourdough, mustard, cornichons and caper berries.

Authentic French terrine is rare to come by and you should seize the opportunity when you do. We did, and it will be remembered in my epicurean mind.

[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/006/01/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney1574912.jpg" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/006/01/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney15749122.jpg" caption="Grilled Swordfish $35
(eggplant puree, young fennel, mint and pomegranate & kalamata olives)" margin="5" align="CENTER" title="GMV, Food, Restaurant, Review, Brunch, Sydney" wrap="0" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/006/01/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney15749121.jpg" width="100%" border="1"]

Swordfish has a meaty texture and is a hard fish to master. I was hesitant to order this main, because of past bad experiences. I was about to pass on it but was intrigued when the waitstaff informed us it was served flame-grilled 'aburi' sashimi style.

Indeed, the swordfish was lightly grilled with a perfectly pink centre. It was soft and juicy. To enhance the dining experience for this dish, I would suggest to slice the fish more thinly instead of large chunks.

My friend thoroughly enjoyed the crunchy fennel, mint and pomegranate salad. I agreed with her, it has a refined taste.

[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/002/03/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney11.jpg" caption="Roasted Carrots $8.00
(caramelised garlic butter & Aleppo pepper)" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/002/03/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney112.jpg" margin="5" title="GMV, Food, Restaurant, Review, Brunch, Sydney" wrap="0" align="CENTER" border="1" width="100%" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/002/03/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney111.jpg"]

We decided to order a healthy side dish and as it turned out, the roasted carrots tasted like an indulgent naughty treat! They were the most delicious and tender roasted carrots with caramelised garlic butter. We could not stop ourselves. They were truly irresistible!

By this time, the dimly lit restaurant looked cosy and intimate. A perfect venue for catch-up or a celebration with loved ones.

We thought the evening was almost perfect until our waitstaff presented the dessert menu to us. Immediately we realised there was a void that needed to be filled.

[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/009/08/gmv-food-restaurant-wine-review-brunch-sydney.jpg" caption="Pfeiffer Classic Topaque $11
(Complex and rich with characters of honey, toasted pecans and butterscotch, resonating with a creamy caramel finesse)" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/009/08/gmv-food-restaurant-wine-review-brunch-sydney2.jpg" margin="5" wrap="0" title="GMV, Food, Restaurant, Wine, Review, Brunch, Sydney" align="CENTER" width="100%" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/009/08/gmv-food-restaurant-wine-review-brunch-sydney1.jpg" border="1"]

To finish our meal, paired each of its desserts with a glass of dessert wine. I decided to try the Pfeiffer from Rutherglen in Victoria, which had a rich sweet caramel taste.

[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/001/00/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney9792512.jpg" align="CENTER" title="GMV, Food, Restaurant, Review, Brunch, Sydney" wrap="0" border="1" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/001/00/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney97925121.jpg" width="100%" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/001/00/gmv-food-restaurant-review-brunch-sydney97925122.jpg" caption="Crepes Suzette $14
(caramelised crepes, orange caramel and Madagascar vanilla ice cream)" margin="5"]

The caramelised Crepe Suzette was thin and soft, topped with candied orange segments and a large scoop of vanilla ice cream. What a sweet way to finish the meal.

My friend really enjoyed the almond tart with fresh peach. It was scrumptiously delicious, it was honestly better than I can make you believe.

This is a delightful restaurant serving delicious dishes of the highest quality, combined with the waiters' warm nature, makes for a very enjoyable evening.