Note: I was invited to dine in at Rosemary, however all opinions are my own.
Rosemary by EightyTwenty opened up in Kingston and serves the EightyTwenty café food by day. But did you know that at night, there’s a separate completely different dinner menu? I’m invited to try it out and choose a Friday night bringing our toddler with us. It’s still warm outside and this is before daylight savings ended, so we decide to sit outdoors (mainly so the toddler can run around).
There are two items on the kids menu and we pick the popcorn chicken with wedges, which comes out quickly. The two of us adults try the tasting menu (usually $79 per person).
The starter to come out is the focaccia with whipped ricotta, parsley oil and rosemary salt. It does not sound like much from the menu, and even I am thinking it will be standard carb fare to fill us up. But this simple dish is mind blowing. There’s something really special about the dip and hidden underneath is some leatherwood honey which seems to skyrocket the whipped ricotta to something extraordinary. It is OMG amazing and definitely a must try.
The Kingfish crudo with soy vinaigrette and finger lime is wonderfully fresh. There are six slices (three slices per person) and I really just want more.
The pan seared scallop with soubise, chilli butter and lemon is a lovely little morsel, I could easily have more. We ask what ‘soubise’ means and it’s a French technique for an onion sauce.
Our main is the Wagyu scotch fillet with burnt garlic sauce, and a chimichurri sauce. If it looks familiar to you, that’s because the chef is ex-Inka. This Wagyu is tender, if a little fatty, simply seasoned with salt flakes on top and we love the burnt garlic sauce.
This is served with a salad topped with ‘Rosemary’s dressing’ which comes with cabbage, lettuce and capsicum, sesame seeds and fried wonton strips on top. The salad is so good and probably the best side salad we’ve had in a long time. There’s something about the dressing too that makes it delightful. Another side of super creamy mashed potato with herb butter is also provided. Yum yum.
Dessert is a slice of tiramisu to share between the two of us. It is quite creamy and not overly strong on the coffee.
This tasting menu is so good, that we go back with other family members a few months later and order the same tasting menu. This time I add on the full rack of pork ribs from the a la carte menu to share. One person orders an extra serve of the focaccia with that amazing whipped ricotta to end the night!
Dinner is served Thursday to Saturday nights only. Highly recommend the tasting menu (minimum of two people required) if you want something a little different and delicious. They also have a vegetarian version of the tasting menu – how good is that?
See my reel of the experience below:
Rosemary by EightyTwenty
9/15 Tench Street, Kingston ACT 2604
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