Ripples Sydney Wharf, Pyrmont

Sydney Restaurant Group manage a lot of popular waterfront venues across Sydney, Ripples Sydney Wharf in Pyrmont is the one that Mr C and I constantly hear good things about. A few weeks back we decided to visit Ripples to celebrate our 44 months anniversary with a short dinner after work.

(Update: Unfortunately the restaurant is now closed!)

The restaurant is located in a quiet and romantic wharf in Pyrmont close to The Star. Ripples Sydney is perfect for an intimate dinner with a relaxing atmosphere and waterside view, I really liked the location because it’s close to everything but just far enough that it’s still serene.

It’s not often we visit restaurants with haloumi on the menu so this was of course a must. I simply loved the texture, not too tough but still manages to stay firmly together as haloumi should. I was happy with my piece because it was cooked a little long, giving it a bit more crunch and a nice charcoal taste.

Along with the haloumi we also ordered some oysters with grapefruit (top), pretty much for myself because Mr C doesn’t enjoy oysters at all. The oysters were delicious and fresh, really good value for what you get!

Accompanied with pumpkin puree, it was sweet and left slightly raw so that it remained soft in the inside. The colours makes the dish a lot more appetising and give it a little bit of flair which is rare in scallop dishes. The only downside is that it was served cold – I personally enjoy my scallops much more hot.

Recently I’ve become an advocate of tomato based pastas over creamier pastas because of the taste and health aspect. This particular dish was very flavoursome and had a surprisingly large amount of crab pieces mixed in. I’ve always loved crab based pastas and this was no different, amazing presentation and great flavours make this dish one of my favourites.

That right there is a big piece of beef sirloin accompanied with red wine jus and creatively plated parsnip puree. To me it almost looks like an artwork based around a sunset image. Cooking it medium rare just the way I love it left it juicy, with a perfect amount of red wine jus served alongside. The mushrooms were very tasty as well and the dutch carrots were interesting but good.

Starting from left to right – the chocolate brownie was so delicious and sweet that even Mr C who usually doesn’t enjoy sweets as much loved it. It has you filled within minutes and tastes even better with vanilla bean gelato. Then there is the apple mille-feulle, the pastry was soft and fluffy with a similar taste to apple strudel. Finally the hazelnut semi freddo which was a fave for Mr C as he loves hazelnut. I have to say the vanilla bean gelato took the win from me!

The location is really good and the menu prices quite decent, it’s not hard to see why the restaurant is very popular most weekends. In winter the restaurant is still very warm and has plenty of heating to keep everyone cosy. There are also two more Ripples restaurants based in Milsons Point and Chowder Bay for those who don’t want to travel from the north, definitely check them out for a great meal!

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