Mad Cow @ The Ivy
320 George Street
Sydney, NSW 2000

Had a wonderful lunch at Mad Cow for a friend’s birthday. It’s a brand new restaurant and when I made the reservation, I was given the impression it was cafe-style dining, which is great as we were intending to go for a casual lunch. Turns out it IS cafe-style, but very classy and expensive cafe-style!! No regrets though, it was worth every cent – from the gorgeous French decor to the superb food.

We settled in on the pretty white sofas (though the 4 of us girls had to squish in since they really only seat 3 a side), and eager pondered the MASSIVE menu. Not massive by selection, but by size. We were struggling a bit trying to hold up the menus and not knock each other in the face 😉 The Freshly shucked rock oysters from today’s market, dashi pearls, avruga caviar were SUBLIME. Big and fat and juicy.. and the caviar wasn’t overpowering. I wish we’d ordered more of these delectable morsels of bliss. Hehe.

My main was Crisp confit of suckling pig glazed fennel, carrots, garlic. HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was initially a bit wary of it, as I hate fat. I hate that squishy weird texture *shudders*. But this one? It was just a big fat slap of lean pork.. with the thinnest layer of at encased snug between the pork and the crispy skin. Oh, I also normally hate skin. But this one was crisp and salted perfectly. OMG OMG OMG. I am most definitely going back for that dish!

I just loved the restaurant. So chic, clean and delightful. Really expensive but the quality makes it all worth it. It must be said though, that we waited almost 45 mins for our order. But since it was with friends, I chatted through most of it without noticing for quite a while. But when I did, I also noticed other tables that arrived much later than us (it was pretty much empty when we arrived) were already eating. NOT GOOD. They need to brush up on their efficiency skills and if it takes longer than necessary, give your diners free dessert or something!

Me and Miss Bday Girl

Beautiful, open-air cafe

The bar area

The Fantastic Four

Australian + Malaysian + French. So multicultural!

Loved the linen

I like loose salt in a bowl 😛

BIG menu!

Bread to start with

Rose wine: 2007 SC Pannell Grenache – McLaren Vale, South Australia (AUD$55/bottle)

Freshly shucked rock oysters from today’s market, dashi pearls, avruga caviar ($4 each)

Crisp confit of suckling pig glazed fennel, carrots, garlic (AUD$37)

Herb crusted rack of lamb, chick peas, roma tomatoes thyme jus (AUD$38)

Eye fillet, grain fed with Bearnaise sauce (AUD$38)

Pan roasted barramundi fillet, green olive, preserved lemon, almond, thyme salsa (AUD$35)

Rosemary grilled quail, fried black olive polenta, green beans (AUD$33)

Tunisian vegatable pie, baby bean, mint, pomegranate salad (AUD$29)

Black angus minute of fillet steak, 250g, diane sauce (AUD$35)

Desiree potato puree (AUD$8) – Wowwww this was amazing!

Happy Birthday hon 🙂

Hehe probably fairly true

You Are Chocolate Ice Cream

You have a flair for the dramatic and love to party. Your personality is super strong and unique. Many people crave you constantly – while you turn a few off. You are most compatible with coffee ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?