Last Friday night I found myself in a delightful restaurant Azafran, a hidden gem in Brisbane. Having persuaded the menu online prior to arrival I was immediately transported back to my time living in Paris.
The menu was delicate, simple and inspired.
For starters… ‘Seared Scallops, shaved maple pork, Fennel puree pickled Samphire’. Samphire for the novice house cook like myself is an edible plant that grows in coastal areas. It looks like ‘honey I shrunk the asparagus’ however, it has the slight taste of aniseed. The sweetness of the the maple syrup with the perfection of the scallops made me simply say WOW. Main consisted of more WOW moments ‘twice cooked Duck with quince and cinnamon, silverbeet leaves, tarragon gratin and jus’; the duck was tender, flavoursome and had that oh so naughty straight to the hips layer of duck fat. This was followed by a Azafran’s stand alone signature dessert…
Could there be anything more delightful than a turkish deligh pannacotta, saffron caramel, pistachio ice cream and fairy floss? Non, in case you are wondering…there is nothing more delightful.
The only thing I could say whilst consuming this light, complex fusion of a dessert was ‘oh’. Speechless is something I am not on the worst of occasions, however, ‘oh’ was the only adjective I could conjure.
Best meal I’ve eaten in Brisbane.
Note to self, must extend my vocabulary…’wow’ and ‘oh’ do not do Azafran justice, but aptly describe my dining experience.
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