Yes, it’s a big call to say that a humble 30-seater in a converted terrace just off King Street is even in the same stratospheric league as Australia’s number one restaurant and an establishment regularly voted into the top 10 in the world. But Daniel Puskas’ food did for me on Tuesday night what Tet’s failed to do a month or two ago, that is give me goosebumps and leave me with a Cheshire cat grin at the absolute serendipitous brilliance of what was going on in my mouth; not just with one or two of the 9 degustation courses, but almost all of them. Another major plus was that the whole meal felt somehow more “authentic” than Tetsuya’s.
August was my second visit to that hallowed shrine of fine dining, but it felt a bit like the army of staff there just were going through the motions on that second visit. They’ve been serving many of the same 14 dishes to a hundred-odd punters every night for a long time. There was no personal attention, no engagement between kitchen, waitstaff, food and customer. Dare I say there was a whiff of cynicism in the air that cold August night. Oscillate wildly on the other hand had a true buzz; there was a palpable excitement and passion in the air.
The room is unpretentious and almost cramped. The vibe is comfortable, Inner West-come-as-you-are, without being overly casual. There’s starched, white linen on the bistro tables, but the staff don’t do that silly fine-dining crumb scrape thing between courses. The two floor staff worked hard to ensure diners were comfortable and that the meal was moving at our pace and rhythm. Their tone was spot on. The only other waiter I’ve encountered who struck such a perfect balance between professionalism and friendliness, passion for the food without masturbation, was a Frenchman in Gordon Ramsay’s Tokyo outpost. Right at the beginning of the night we were invited to ask any questions we may have about any of the dishes or ingredients. A tick for avoiding snobbery and making it OK not to know what “Tonka” is! Dishes were explained matter-of-factly when brought to the table and when compliments were given as empty plates were taken away staff seemed genuinely pleased to hear them.
So, what did we eat that was so good? Delicious, warm house sourdough was a promising start. The really emorable dishes were the duck with sassafras, sweet potato and cinnamon, and the “deconstructed” pumpkin pie for dessert. But the absolute crowning highlight was the liquorice-cured salmon with blood grapefruit and beetroot sorbet and lavendar (yes the flower!) foam. I still marvel at the phenomenal combination of flavours on the palate. I quite simply can not think of another dish in my entire life as a foodie that made me that excited. (Though Tetsuya’s sashimi scampi with passionfruit and white miso comes close).
All of that sensational food with a decent espresso and heavenly petit fours at the end came in at just $202 for two – plus $45 spent earlier at the bottle shop for a decent bottle of BYO Eden Valley riesing. That’s pretty much the same price as each person would pay at most other restaurants of this calibre in Sydney.
My only thought as to how this place could improve (and I’ve had to scrape the barrel) would be to put the price up by $20 and concentrate on sourcing local and organic ingredients of the highest quality. Maybe I’m a victim of a food fad, but I almost felt lost not knowing whether the ingredients were locally sourced, biodynamic or somehow special, or whether on the other hand the kitchen hand had just popped around the corner to Franklins to get them.
I’m glad to have dined at Oscillate Wildly while it is perhaps still just on the cusp of fame and greatness and while it is still small and intimate. In fact I wish I’d been there a few years ago in its infancy when it was still doing a-la-carte. I certainly hope it stays small and unpretentious rather than expanding and losing its authenticity.
