RAVE - Quince restaurant

Wow. Wow. Wow. Having made dramatic improvements to what was already a pretty decent space occupied by Myth, Quince delivers on every front. Elegant and welcoming lounge, busy but not overcrowded dining room.

The service was impeccable; the food was exquisite.

David and I sampled a $65 bottle of beer. Yes, $65 for a DeuS Brut Des Flandres, which tasted more like champagne than beer. Perhaps too sweet and perfumed to knock back by the gallon, but certainly something to tell the grandchildren about.

We had both tasting menus, which included:

• Monterey Bay prawn
• Squid ink chitarra, with razor clam, cuttlefish, cherry tomato and agretti tortelloni
• Porcini mushroom, parmagiano reggiano fonduta and borage.
• Paine Farm squab, foie gras and green cabbage.
• Yoghurt semifreddo, warm pistachio sformato.

And:

• Maine lobster, corn and English pea with lemon verbena essence cappelletti.
• Burrata alla panna, brocolli and cheddar cauliflower tajarin.
• Spring lamb with zuccini and their blossoms.
• Suckling pig, roasted cherry, sarawak pepper, cipollini onion and red dandelion
• Dirty Girl farm strawberries, almond and tapioca.

I have my doubts about restaurants' pretentious use of ingredients like "Sarawak pepper", as if it makes a huge amount of difference which of dozens of peppers are used, and the over-use of completely obscure terms like cappeletti, tajarin, chitarra, borage and the like.

Whatever ingredients they used, the restaurant is right up there with Michael Mina, Fifth Floor and RN-74. Again, I can't praise the staff enough.

They were the (Cape Verde Islands spring water) icing on the cake.