Esquire has a unique approach to the menu. Rather than offer any al a carte options, it simply has degustation—you can choose between the short menu (6–9 courses) or long menu (9–15 courses). Each day the menu changes to use the best produce available so you can never be quite sure what you’re going to be served.

Esquire’s degustation-only menu is not necessarily going to appeal to everyone, there’s something quite adventurous about it—unusual textures and striking flavour combinations that some may find challenging. But those willing foodies should have faith in the talent of chefs Ryan Squires and Ben Devlin, they put forward sublime plates of food.

On the night we dined, we opted for the long menu ($150 per person) and were treated to:

• Kim chi
• Air dried beef
• ‘BBQ’ kettle chips
• Truffle and ham
• Scampi nigiri
• Ike jime coral trout with avocado and perilla
• Squid with bisque and cauliflower
• Corned beef with quark and cavalo nero
• Itchi bai with almond and apple
• Deckle of beef with yoghurt and parsley
• Popcorn with chocolate, berries, hazelnut and coconut and cocoa rocks
• Campari with orange, curds and whey
• Strawberries, tea and cake

As each dish was brought to the table the produce and processes used to prepare it was explained to us…and the final product was flawless—like art on a plate that tasted absolutely amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed eating at Esquire—each dish served to us seeming better than the last, made up of lots of little elements all complementing one another perfectly.

It was a leisurely dinner, accompanied by beautiful wines chosen for us by the sommelier. You would expect the bill to make your heart skip a beat, but really, for the quality and care taken with the food, wine and service, it was quite reasonable. Something we would happily go back for.

‘A first-class restaurant in a shopping mall?’ you ask. I was a little dubious too. The surprisingly intimate experience starts at the front door—wrought iron covered in leafy vines. Guests are greeted at the door by a staff member who leads you down a long hallway, decorated with branches and vines. To me, it felt like being welcomed into an enchanted forest. The hall opens out into the elegant dining room, with a honey-hued sandstone feature wall, large arched windows and more branches and leafy vines amongst velvet-clad lounges. The atmosphere is very warm and inviting, at the same time it feels luxurious…and all this before the food and drinks begin!

The seven-course degustation actually ends up being about nine courses with the extra bits and pieces that are brought out as part of the dining experience. Our degustation included:

• Snacks—tapioca crisps, soubise mousseline, fried bread, cured lardo
• Becasse artisan bread, olive oil butter
• Local radish, melon, oloroso and green zebra gazpacho
• Chilled ocean consommé, Pacific oyster, scallop and octopus
• Spanner crab, chamomile, young coconut and crab jelly
• Flame-grilled mussels, caramelised calves sweetbread, duck prosciutto and kohl rabi
• Extra course (not on the menu so I don’t know precisely what to call it): a smashed potato gratin
• Slow-cooked lamb shoulder, pine smoked summer heirlooms, cardamom jus OR Slow-roasted pork, endive, olive, fennel and lemon myrtle
• Autumn still life
• 68% Alto Beni Zokoko chocolate cadeau, dulce de leche, peanut and milk sorbet OR Verbena crème caramel, golden peach, blueberry and lemon balm
• Petits fours.

The overall dining experience could only be described as decadent. The food is breathtakingly beautiful in presentation and, combined with the sommelier’s wine selection to complement each course, a foodie’s delight to eat. The flavours are delicate and refined as you would expect any good French restaurant to serve.

I’m not sure that I could pick a favourite course but I was pleasantly surprised by the calves’ sweetbreads. Having never eaten brains before, I wasn’t sure what to expect but they tasted like perfectly-cooked tender veal, although a bit softer in texture. Delicious…

At the end of the degustation it feels like you’ve been on a very exclusive journey with your fellow diners. Like a secret shared only with a select few. And taking excellent customer service to the extreme, when signing the bill we were given takeaway bags with lovely breakfast pastries from the Becasse Bakery. It certainly leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling about the evening. A very nice touch indeed.

This is a big commitment—amuse bouche, eight tasting plates then finished with tea, coffee and petits fours. But if you can spare the time (lunch was four hours) and the expense, it is well worth it. I can’t think of a better spot to while away an afternoon (or evening), overlooking Sydney Harbour, eating absolutely superb food.

The only downside is having to book well in advance. We booked five months in advance and still couldn’t get dinner booking, hence the long lunch instead. Thankfully, the tasting menu is the same for lunch and dinner. Here’s what we had:

Amuse bouche is the chef’s selection of a bite-size hors d’oeuvre—just a little something to whet the appetite. Ours was oyster cream, sustainable caviar and micro herbs.

Sashimi Hiramasa kingfish, pickled kohlrabi, octopus, nastursiums, white dashi jelly. This was a showstopper, not only beautifully presented (everything is at Quay), but with so many wonderful flavours.

Baby white heirloom cucumber gently braised in oyster and wakame juices, shaved black lipped abalone, oyster cream. I’d never eaten abalone before so wasn’t quite sure what to expect but the subtle seafood flavour with the crunch of cucumber was delicious.

Native freshwater marron, rose salt, organic pink turnips, jamon de bellota cream, oloroso caramel, green almonds, society garlic flowers. Yet another perfectly balanced dish with amazing flavours. I loved the crisp vegetables contrasted with the soft marron. Everything on the plate combined flawlessly.

Butter poached coturnix quail breast, pumpernickel, morel and ethical foie gras pudding, walnuts, quinoa, truffle custard, milk skin. I’m becoming a huge fan of quail and this one was tender and juicy. The dish was spectacular—so tasty—with the nuts and mushroom, like the essence of winter on the plate.

Slow braised Berkshire pig jowl, maltose crackling, prunes, cauliflower cream, perfumed with prune kernel oil. The pork was mouth-wateringly soft and savoury, beautifully complemented by the sweetness of the maltose crackling and prunes.

Glenloth squab breast, roasted cherries, banyuls, almond cream, bitter chocolate black pudding crumbs, tonka, beetroot chard. Yum, so rich and delicious! The squab was amazing! Words fail me it was so good—beyond description.

White nectarine snow egg. Pure perfection. Nectarines have such a lovely delicate flavour and the snow egg with its different components—ice cream, granita and nectarine fool—was too good to be true. Not too sweet and a great palate cleanser.

Preserved wild cherries, coconut cream, chuao chocolate crumble, cherry juice and chocolate sorbet. I’m not a massive cherry fan so I really thought this second dessert would be too much for me but I found it more chocolatey than fruity.

I particularly enjoy Peter Gilmore’s food philosophy “food inspired by nature”. Each dish is a work of art, not just in how it’s presented but how it tastes as well. There’s something to be said for using the best and freshest produce in innovative ways. We left thinking, yet again, that we simply have to come back.