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.