What better occasion than a birthday to dine in at Pilot? The 7-course degustation menu is $140 per person, and we all opt for the non-alcoholic drink pairing, an additional $55 each. Seating just 30 people, the restaurant is laid back and casual with an open kitchen and bar.
We start off with a cold-brewed Welcome Tea and receive a packet of this loose leaf tea at the end of the night as a parting gift.
Course 1 – the Watermelon Mary – is a compressed watermelon in a celery, watermelon and spring onion broth, topped with salmon roe. This is served cold, and is quite a unique taste – sweet yet savoury at the same time.
Course 2 – A set of three ‘snacks’ is provided. A yoghurt and sourdough starter bread cooked over the habachi grill served with ricotta, yuzu and cracked pepper. This is so moreish and I really want another piece!
Hawaiian tarts made from grissini pastry dough with fermented pineapple and chilli caramel, nduja paste topped with fried salami, blanched tomatoes and pecorino. This tastes just like a mini Hawaiian pizza! And lastly, smoked mussels in an escabeche sauce served cold.
We receive two matched pairings at the same time. The first is the mango and juniper shandy with hints of cumin and cardomom. The second is a lilli pilli tonic, described as a non-alcoholic style of sloe gin.
Course 3 – Daikon cured snapper, served tartare style, on a bed of oyster cream mixed with horseradish and cucumber, topped with crispy nori seaweed, chive flower and a dash of yuzu oil. I like that this is really fresh, with textural balance and the oyster cream really complements the snapper. This is matched with a lychee, celery and chrysanthemum tea mocktail. I do note some citrus flavours but just can not get over the celery taste, so I don’t end up finishing this drink.
Course 4 – shredded pork shoulder cooked in plum sugar and caramel chilli, shredded mango and garlic flowers. The crunchiness of the mango and hints of chilli reminds me of a Thai green mango salad – very fresh and zesty. The matched mocktail is a Chinese 5 spice tepache. Our waitress describes this as a non-alcoholic mezcal, with cumin and cardomom. It does go so well with the dish.
Course 5 – barbequed quail sitting on zucchini puree, mint oil, fresh mint and lime, served with cos lettuce and radicchio topped with a vinaigrette. The matching mocktail is blueberry with kombu and uses bay leaves from the garden just outside. This is another great complement to the gamey flavour of the quail.
Course 6 – a beetroot dessert sitting on dark chocolate ganache and plum, topped with dehydrated daikon with beetroot granita and beetroot sherbert. It is very earthy and tart and is matched with a passionfruit and black sesame pairing. I’m not too fond of black sesame in a drink, but I can understand the match of earthy notes.
Course 7 – apricot and almond, with a layer of aerated cream on top. This reminds me of a delicious trifle without the sponge. A pandan coconut colada matches this sweeter dessert perfectly.
The food at Pilot is fresh, and key ingredients thought out to be complementary as a whole. Nothing was overwhelming in flavour. I love that the pairings are carefully considered and made to match texturally as well as the flavour characteristics of the food. Seven mocktails for $55 is pretty good value for money too. Bookings are essential.
Pilot
1 Wakefield Gardens, Ainslie
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