I have long ago learnt to moderate my expectations when it comes to online coupon deals for restaurants. I was definitely hesitant about Memento Lounge & Bistro, which is in the lobby of the Mantra Hotel in the CBD (yes I know, it’s not even a stand-alone restaurant). But the coupon deal seemed to good to pass on for a Friday evening – a 3 course meal for two and a bottle of wine for $70. Bargain.
Memento really pleasantly surprised me! The entrees were average, the mains were great, and the desserts were a solid finish. Overall, I enjoyed the meal and would recommend Memento.
Entrees: salt and pepper squid and BBQ chicken wings
The salt and pepper squid was pretty good – well seasoned and very crispy on the outside though I had doubts as to whether Memento made them in-house or purchased frozen salt and pepper squid that they just fried.
The BBQ chicken wings were less appetising – the chicken was definitely overcooked and I felt that the marinade was a bit boring. There was no spice nor sweetness so no real balance to the salty/savoury flavour. I would also have loved to have a bit more sticky gooey sauce on the outside.
Mains: sirloin steak and crispy skin salmon
Wow wow wow to the quality of both main dishes.
The sirloin steak was perfectly cooked to medium rare as requested and served with beautiful, well-seasoned asparagus, broccolini, potatoes and dutch carrots. The vegetables were still crunchy and not soggy.
The crispy skin salmon (sorry about the poor quality of my photo!) was really well cooked and moist on the inside but crispy on the skin. It sat on a tasty pea puree with dutch carrots and potatoes which accompanied the salmon well.
Desserts: chocolate fondant and tiramisu
On the menu we were given for the coupon deal at the restaurant, the chocolate option was actually listed as a chocolate brownie but when we were served a chocolate fondant instead, it was definitely an upgrade in my books! The fondant was warm and the liquid chocolate centre was right on point. I loved the raspberry sorbet that it was served with which had an acidic element that cut through the richness of the fondant. Beautiful.
The tiramisu was decent but not amazing. I could taste the coffee flavour but would have loved a bit more of it. I also would have loved more of the mascarpone as the tiramisu was a bit heavy on the sponge so it was lacking a bit more variety in texture.
Service
Look, the service wasn’t great as during the peak of dinner time, they were definitely understaffed but given it was a Friday night and we had a bottle of wine on our table, we were definitely not in a rush to keep the meal moving to the next course. The staff were very friendly though.
Details: Memento Lounge & Bistro, Ground Floor, 2 Bond Street, Sydney NSW 2000
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