I went to dinner for a surprise birthday party of one of my best and closest friends. It was at this modern/contemporary Italian place called Buzo, in Woollahra, just around the corner from Oxford St next to the Light Brigade Pub on the junction of Jersey Rd (their actual address is 3 Jersey Rd and their website is http://www.buzoresteraunt.com.au ).
First impressions walking in, it's a very small place. The space downstairs only had three tables, and that looked about it. Upstairs was much more spacious but since we had a large gathering for it, the entire upstairs was booked out for our group. We had eighteen people in total, so they made a very large square arrangement from all the individual tables normally used. The mood lighting was very cosy, quite a warm atmosphere and well suited to relaxing, though it was quite dim in terms if visual ability to see the actual food, and eating but that didn't really seem to matter once you tasted it.
What had been organised was a set menu with choices for Secondi & Dolce. The Antipasto & Primi were set, and we had a salad of some kind with pinenuts and raisens, prosciutto wrapped goats cheese, asparagus, chicken peices and sardine fillets for the antipasto/appetisers while the primi was a very soft and warm gnocchi with tuna in tomato base. The choices for Secondi were quite varied, with offerings of lamb, steak, lasagne, risotto, fish, braised pork and so forth. I chose the Vincigrassi (porchini mushroom, prosciutto & truffle lasagne) because I wanted to have proper truffle. I've had 'truffle' bits before, when my father bought this jar of truffle paste, which was just some kind of garlic base with very fine shaved truffles, most likely offcut bits from the bad quality ones or something lol. Anyway, this lasagne was very very nice. Rich in flavour and creamy texture, the distinct smell and taste of the truffles really came through it, and the softness of the mushrooms with the layers of pasta was a good contrast to the hardtop from the baked cheese. Yum. The portion size wasn't very big, but that is always expected in these kinds of places due to cost and also the number of dishes being served, ie, lots of small dishes v one or two big dishes. I think the others also quite enjoyed what they had ordered, and I heard from across the table that their ability to cook the sirloin steak was very nice, pink and the steak quality not chewy at all, so top notch to those slaving downstairs in the kitchen. The side dishes was green long beans and roasted potatos.
For the Dolce (dessert) there was once again more choices, such as warm baked chocolate with icecream, semi freddo, cheese plate, pudding, afrogato, icecreams/gelato and what I chose which was a torta blueberry (essentially a blueberry trifle). It was very sweet. A small portion which really packed a punch. Fresh cream and marscapone with stewed blueberries and blueberry comfort, ontop of a very soggy sponge that had been soaked in some alcohol (I think Sherry) and candied/frost flakes of roasted almonds. It was delicious, but as said, quite quite sweet.
We did have an offer for tea or coffee but no-one took it because we had already had a lot of food and it was getting late (11:30pm) at this stage, and people had wines and drinks still. For me, I tried some wine (again) and this time I did drink about a third of a glass worth (I finished what I had, a 'splash' of wine as the waitress called it). From my friends comments, it was a very good quality wine, but a little more acidic than he was used to. For me, I guess with my evolving tastebuds, and opening of experiences to 'alcohol', the wine didn't taste 'bad' but it was slightly bitter, and not really sour as such. The aftertaste was ok, and it did feel 'dry' which is what you often hear about when talking wines, the dry wine. It was ok. ~shrug~ My friend said, to appreciate good wine, you just have to drink a lot of different wines including a lot of bad cheap stuff to be able to tell the difference. So, it might be a while before I can distinguish between then haha.
The evening was a really good night. Interesting conversation between the birthday boy's father (a now retired former government Senator, widely respected in the community) and the other folk ranging between what you do in retirement from such a job (cooking apparently), science fiction authors (like the Nordic surname of Andersson lol), alternative histories (like if Germany had won WWII), jobs (keeping options open and leaping opportunities when they arise ~nudge nudge to one person specifically~ ><), home grants, baby bonuses and other interesting schemes from the government (start a home saver account, deposit regularly and keep the money the government gives you because they can't take it back LOL). It was a lot of fun, and then the reminice of memories involving the birthday boy and the slightly crazy things he has been involved with over the years (accidental pidgeon death, wheelie chairs down Physics Rd, Fod & Tehen Dance, muggings in the park, the tickle that went wrong). It was almost a 21st party someone commented lol.
I had caught the train to Edgecliff and legged it the mile or so it was to the resteraunt by foot. The walk was quite nice, if not a little uphil in most of it. By the t ime dinner had finished and we said our goodbyes, it was late, and a good friend of mine was kind enough to offer to drive me home even though it was completely out of his way to do so. Thank you, it was much appreciated. Had he not done so, and I managed to get a lift to a station, it would have taken probably three times as long to get a nightride bus home at that time of the hour since the trains would have stopped running by then. Yes, Cityrail, you do indeed suck.
Thank you to everyone that organised it, thank you especially to birthday boy's sister who generously paid for dinner for us all. The cost of it would have been terribly expensive considering the quality of the food and service. Much much much thanks and appreciation. For the rest of you, if you would like a very nice meal, great services and a cosy warm atmosphere, Buzo definitely gets my recommendations.
First impressions walking in, it's a very small place. The space downstairs only had three tables, and that looked about it. Upstairs was much more spacious but since we had a large gathering for it, the entire upstairs was booked out for our group. We had eighteen people in total, so they made a very large square arrangement from all the individual tables normally used. The mood lighting was very cosy, quite a warm atmosphere and well suited to relaxing, though it was quite dim in terms if visual ability to see the actual food, and eating but that didn't really seem to matter once you tasted it.
What had been organised was a set menu with choices for Secondi & Dolce. The Antipasto & Primi were set, and we had a salad of some kind with pinenuts and raisens, prosciutto wrapped goats cheese, asparagus, chicken peices and sardine fillets for the antipasto/appetisers while the primi was a very soft and warm gnocchi with tuna in tomato base. The choices for Secondi were quite varied, with offerings of lamb, steak, lasagne, risotto, fish, braised pork and so forth. I chose the Vincigrassi (porchini mushroom, prosciutto & truffle lasagne) because I wanted to have proper truffle. I've had 'truffle' bits before, when my father bought this jar of truffle paste, which was just some kind of garlic base with very fine shaved truffles, most likely offcut bits from the bad quality ones or something lol. Anyway, this lasagne was very very nice. Rich in flavour and creamy texture, the distinct smell and taste of the truffles really came through it, and the softness of the mushrooms with the layers of pasta was a good contrast to the hardtop from the baked cheese. Yum. The portion size wasn't very big, but that is always expected in these kinds of places due to cost and also the number of dishes being served, ie, lots of small dishes v one or two big dishes. I think the others also quite enjoyed what they had ordered, and I heard from across the table that their ability to cook the sirloin steak was very nice, pink and the steak quality not chewy at all, so top notch to those slaving downstairs in the kitchen. The side dishes was green long beans and roasted potatos.
For the Dolce (dessert) there was once again more choices, such as warm baked chocolate with icecream, semi freddo, cheese plate, pudding, afrogato, icecreams/gelato and what I chose which was a torta blueberry (essentially a blueberry trifle). It was very sweet. A small portion which really packed a punch. Fresh cream and marscapone with stewed blueberries and blueberry comfort, ontop of a very soggy sponge that had been soaked in some alcohol (I think Sherry) and candied/frost flakes of roasted almonds. It was delicious, but as said, quite quite sweet.
We did have an offer for tea or coffee but no-one took it because we had already had a lot of food and it was getting late (11:30pm) at this stage, and people had wines and drinks still. For me, I tried some wine (again) and this time I did drink about a third of a glass worth (I finished what I had, a 'splash' of wine as the waitress called it). From my friends comments, it was a very good quality wine, but a little more acidic than he was used to. For me, I guess with my evolving tastebuds, and opening of experiences to 'alcohol', the wine didn't taste 'bad' but it was slightly bitter, and not really sour as such. The aftertaste was ok, and it did feel 'dry' which is what you often hear about when talking wines, the dry wine. It was ok. ~shrug~ My friend said, to appreciate good wine, you just have to drink a lot of different wines including a lot of bad cheap stuff to be able to tell the difference. So, it might be a while before I can distinguish between then haha.
The evening was a really good night. Interesting conversation between the birthday boy's father (a now retired former government Senator, widely respected in the community) and the other folk ranging between what you do in retirement from such a job (cooking apparently), science fiction authors (like the Nordic surname of Andersson lol), alternative histories (like if Germany had won WWII), jobs (keeping options open and leaping opportunities when they arise ~nudge nudge to one person specifically~ ><), home grants, baby bonuses and other interesting schemes from the government (start a home saver account, deposit regularly and keep the money the government gives you because they can't take it back LOL). It was a lot of fun, and then the reminice of memories involving the birthday boy and the slightly crazy things he has been involved with over the years (accidental pidgeon death, wheelie chairs down Physics Rd, Fod & Tehen Dance, muggings in the park, the tickle that went wrong). It was almost a 21st party someone commented lol.
I had caught the train to Edgecliff and legged it the mile or so it was to the resteraunt by foot. The walk was quite nice, if not a little uphil in most of it. By the t ime dinner had finished and we said our goodbyes, it was late, and a good friend of mine was kind enough to offer to drive me home even though it was completely out of his way to do so. Thank you, it was much appreciated. Had he not done so, and I managed to get a lift to a station, it would have taken probably three times as long to get a nightride bus home at that time of the hour since the trains would have stopped running by then. Yes, Cityrail, you do indeed suck.
Thank you to everyone that organised it, thank you especially to birthday boy's sister who generously paid for dinner for us all. The cost of it would have been terribly expensive considering the quality of the food and service. Much much much thanks and appreciation. For the rest of you, if you would like a very nice meal, great services and a cosy warm atmosphere, Buzo definitely gets my recommendations.
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