Adriano Zumbo's Dessert Train, Star City,
IT was a cold, miserable day and there was a line up for the dessert train - but we were at the front of it!
We took our seat and watched the little train carry plates of sweet goodness around before grabbing a Violet Crunchie and a Pineapple and Mint Splice. The Violet Crunchie was a mousse dish; light as a feather and somehow tastes exactly like a violet crunchie even though the only real chocolate on there is that little square. Divine. The splice was a total refresher, soft juicy cubes of pineapple dot the mint syrup which is soaking into the crumbs. The pineapple foam was total bliss, it just kind of evaporates in your mouth. It doesn't melt, it just goes away, but somehow you're left with that beautiful pineapple taste.
The next dessert pulled off a carriage was the little cherry delight. I forget what it was called but I like to think of it as a deconstructed cherry macaroon. The bottom layer was a coconut paste with some cherry coulis and an Italian meringue piped on top. It was so good I forgot I was eating (basically) raw egg white. Next course!
Watermelon Yoghurt. That was a no go for me. Watermelon makes my ears itchy and the yoghurt was super sour. It looked super pretty with the foam though. So, onto the next plate which was probably my favourite.
It was a beautiful Hazelnut Dacquoise which is basically a fudgey, wafer-like biscuit. It tasted a like nutella but nowhere near as sweet and the hazelnut was far more prevalent. The overall texture of the dacquoise was amazing and the hazelnut cream next to it was so super smooth and silky. I enjoyed that perfect, crunchy little hazelnut at the end.
The macarons. Hmm. I hope to think I was just expecting something mind-blowingly amazing because, honestly, I was disappointed. I also like to hope my disappointment is due to the fact that my 'first choice' flavours were sold out, but the logical side of my brain says no. I ordered two buttered popcorn macarons, one cream bun macaron and one passionfruit macaron. Each had a really beautiful flavour which was totally spot on but the macarons were, well, dry. The cream in the centre was silky but those shells were dry and crumbly (not to be confused with crackly, as they should be). That beautiful, sticky, almond-rich chewiness that macarons usually embody was non-existent. I hope my macarons just came from a bad batch.
All in all, a delicious experience and one I would go back for (with the hope of chewy macarons).
