This was published 8 years ago
My Kitchen Rules graduate Scott Gooding rates Colin Fassnidge's 4Fourteen
The bold Surry Hills eatery of Colin Fassnidge rewards the adventurous but makes a pig's ear of the vegetarian main course.
By Sarah Berry
WHY I LOVE THIS PLACE
WHO
Scott Gooding
My Kitchen Rules semi-finalist (2013), cookbook author and founder of the Scott Gooding Project, an online platform for sharing recipes
WHERE
4Fourteen, Surry Hills
The interior at 4Fourteen is lowly lit to create a sense of occasion.Credit: Michele Mossop
WHY
"The very first time I went there was for the MKR media launch. I loved the layout, with seating all around the pass where you can watch the kitchen.
"I went back a short time later with my girlfriend and 99 per cent of the time it's a well-oiled machine, but they were just getting slammed. But the service is great – very attentive, but not over-attentive.
MKR alumnus Scott Gooding loves 4Fourteen for its "smells and flavours and textures".Credit: Janie Barrett
"It's our go-to for a semi-flash meal or an occasion. It echoes the flavours I grew up with. My mum and dad ran pubs in London and embraced the nose-to-tail philosophy. You can go through Colin's menu and see pretty much every part of the animal – he doesn't leave anything out. They're smells and flavours and textures that excite me."
WHAT
"It changes fairly regularly, depending on the seasons. [Colin Fassnidge] uses nose-to-tail but is also quite creative – like the crab and black pudding with crackling, which was f---ing yum. There's also the pig's ear schnitzel – crumbed and in the shape of a schnitzel. And another standout is the liquorice beef cheek – it's rich and sticky and amazing with a dark, viscous, a little bit sweet jus. Something about the texture gets me going.
"There's the farm veg, but he does this thing – cos he's Irish – colcannon. It's a mashed potato with butter, and probably some cream. It's salty and buttery and it's off-the-charts.
"Sometimes I drink, sometimes I don't. If I do, I'll have a negroni or a glass of pinot noir. No dessert."
The licorice beef cheek is typical of chef Colin Fassnidge's robust style.Credit: Michele Mossop
AT HOME
"It depends on the time of year. In the cooler months I'll start slow-cooking – ossobuco, lamb shoulder or beef cheeks. I'm trying to have veg and fish during the week, one vegan day, and red meat on the weekends.
"I do fish – sardines or swordfish or mackerel with sweet potato and capers and mustard and heaps of butter and blanched broccolini or asparagus."
Seats at the bar allow diners to get the best view of the open kitchen.Credit: Michele Mossop
4Fourteen
414 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
9331 5399, 4fourteen.com.au
Sides $12, small plates $19-$23, large plates $30-$42, desserts $16. $100 for two, plus drinks
FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS
REVIEW
Sometimes I go to a restaurant and the side dishes look so sensational I'd happily skip the main event.
It seems the man sitting behind me at 4Fourteen has the same idea. He is deeply absorbed in his dinner: a creamy, silky-smooth bowl of colcannon ($12), an Irish version of mashed potato (skins intact) with butter and cream and spring onions.
Another side of seasonal farm veg ($12) – today a bright bowl of lemony, buttery chard and kale – also hits the mark for its standout simplicity.
Along with a glass of smooth, savoury Austins pinot noir, I'm set. Except it seems rude not to linger longer and try out other delights from the kitchen of My Kitchen Rules judge and celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge. He is not in the kitchen tonight, but we watch the smooth operation of the open kitchen from our theatre seats at the marble bar.
4Fourteen is an industrial-style space with exposed brick and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Bourke Street in Surry Hills and is made warm with candles, low lighting and smart design. The waiter's station and bar breaks up the room, creating cosiness in an open room. It's the kind of place you can dress up and go to celebrate an occasion but is not so formal that it risks being stuffy.
The menu is fresh takes on old favourites and designed to be shared. My companion chooses the pig's ear, which has been crumbed and presented like a schnitzel, with salsa verde and apple sauce ($12.50). A rich dish, not for the faint-of-heart, she is impressed but still struggles with the ear concept.
"I feel smug about the sustainability but you've really got to be OK with eating a pig's ear," she confesses.
An unusual but successful pairing of crab with black pudding and crackling ($13) is probably the best crackling she's ever had, she says, adding that she's never experienced the texture of the black pudding – a blood sausage – which is velvety and smooth.
A starter of tempura chard with dollops of sweet potato mayonnaise is on the money. The batter is light, crisp and dry, not leaving the flabby residue of oil in your mouth, while the mayonnaise is so moreish I ask for more, a request that the warm waiter obliges.
In fact, the service is obliging and excellent overall. Relaxed and professional, when we "um and ah" over the challenging, well curated wine-list our waiter offers us tastes, without us having to ask.
The one let-down of the evening is the vegetarian main. I am aware, before going to 4fourteen, that it is very much meat-eater's restaurant, and Fassnidge's reputation for nose-to-tail philosophy precedes him. Still, Porteno, a restaurant that is also a serious carnivore favourite, does brilliant vegetarian dishes, as do many other "meaty" restaurants in Sydney. So I have high-hopes for 4Fourteen.
I know that being a vegetarian makes me a second-class citizen, particularly to carnivorous chefs, but a $30 meal of a semi-cooked onion chopped in half on a thin broth of miso is ridiculous. Thank goodness for the sides, which I probably should have stuck with on this occasion.
My unimpressive main dish is redeemed by the desserts. The white chocolate sandwich with dulce de leche ($16) is heaven on a plate, while the poached quince with honey and whey sorbet and ginger ($16) is equal parts tangy, sweet and spicy, creamy, smooth and crunchy. They are the best desserts I've tasted in a good while.
The flavours at 4Fourteen are robust and rich, leading my companion to remark that it is very much a "blokes" restaurant where you have to have a fairly adventurous palate. And if you don't, you can always stick with the sides.