We went to Pei Modern’s one night only Christmas in July dinner for a six course meal that included local seafood and suckling pig. In the restaurant, bons bons were laid out on the tables and Christmas songs were playing in the background… it almost seemed like Christmas!
We were excited to see the suckling pigs being hung up in the kitchen.
The oysters were first off the bat. They were fresh and complemented by the caviar and crème fraiche.
The jumbo prawns (or prawn) was cooked to perfection – the sweet flesh was still juicy and easily came off the shell.
The substitute dish for the jumbo prawns was a pretty beetroot salad with prosciutto and red cabbage.
The pheasant soup was cleverly made to look like egg nog, and the meaty and slightly sour combination made for a surprisingly good soup. It was a perfect winter warmer, especially with the small pearls of barley at the bottom of the cup.
The trout was probably my favourite course of the night. It was flaky, soft and moist and the bitter blood orange sauce and sweet pumpkin worked wonderfully to counteract the rich oiliness of the fish.
The most anticipated course blew us away with its enormity. We were given a pot of suckling with poached pears, sides of crispy roasted potatoes, carrots, onions, and grapefruit and dandelion salad.
To be honest, the skin could have been a lot more cracklier, but it was still delicious. The meat was tender and moist, the sides were cooked nicely and the well-poached pear brought a fruity note to the pork.
Dessert was a good old pavola. The burnt crisp shell and clementine slices brought bitterness and acidity to cut through the sweet fluffy meringue and the sorbet freshened and cleansed the palate.
We paid $95 per head, which was not bad considering the amount of food (we were very full afterwards) and included a glass of South Australian sparkling shiraz.
Pei Modern is located in the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel in Sydney’s CBD.
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