Q Dining 
61 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000
Mon to Wed: 7:00am – 9:00pm and Thurs to Sat 7:00am – 9:30pm
(02) 9256 4044
Website

Perched with a view overlooking Sydney Harbour, Q Dining is a modern and chic restaurant waiting to take your breath away.

Q Dining, has been described as the restaurant “where land meets sea” for a good reason. The venue is located between the Royal Botanical Gardens and Sydney Harbour and has a splendid view of the Harbour Bridge. However this is just where the magic starts. As soon as one enters the restaurant, it is blatantly clear that the service is going to be top notch, the atmosphere relaxed and the view is only going to improve as the night goes on. The first impression is the interior, and this was encapsulated by the vibrant colours the venue has chosen to showcase, like foliage greens and earthy oranges but breaks them up with an injection of pink clay and brass elements.

Q Dining

The restaurant specialises in an infusion of Australian flavours, and prides themselves on sourcing the freshest ingredients by working closely with local suppliers. There is a focus on sustainable, ethical and seasonal ingredients, which shone through the taste and quality of the food. Speaking of food, let’s get into the meals that we had the pleasure of tasting.

For entree, we ordered the roasted Mooloolaba king prawns with chilli and nori butter and the 12-hour Port Lincoln octopus with romesco and pickled basil leaf. Seafood from all around Australia, cooked to perfection and seasoned with some truly sumptuous tastes? Yes please! We were blown away with the presentation and overall yum factor in the entrees, specifically how fresh and tender both the prawns and the octopus were, and how well the different flavours were infused in each individual dish to achieve such a high standard.

For main, we decided on a share plate because we simply could not go past the 180-day grass fed, 600g Chateaubriand which was sealed until smoky and oven roasted to our liking. We ordered the wagyu fat kipfler potatoes and carrots to accompany the meat, which were the perfect sides to such a rich and full-flavoured meat. The Chateaubriand was cooked flawlessly, melting in the mouth with a hint of smokey-goodness and paired extremely well with the delightful vegetables. The quality of the food and the skill of production was reinforced for us throughout this dish, and, even though we were full, made us very excited for dessert.

Excitement was definitely the right emotion to settle on, confirmed if from nothing else by the presentation of the delectable desserts. Of course, the taste helped. The textures of chocolate with feral plum, strawberry, eucalyptus oil and warm chocolate fudge was indulgent and luxurious, while our second choice, the almond milk panna cotta, green ant meringue, pumpkin caramel, ginger cake and wild fennel was light, airy and tangy. Both were the perfect end to a simply exquisite meal and evening.

We applaud Q Dining on their fine service and their recommendations when trying to pick the perfect meal, although if they hadn’t of been there, we suppose we would have just had to go back. Oh, wait – we ARE going back.