Hot at Iceworks

Wow, the new Iceworks has taken off with a bang. I went there on Friday night with Natascha and Kaye after the Nude Food launch and it was standing room only in the front Iceworks Bar, Dining, Lounge, which opens up onto Latrobe Terrace. The crowd was mixed and obviously enjoying the new setting. Down the side in the Dowse Bar the guests were younger but it was much less crowded and noisy.

We took one look at the crowd and headed to the rear and Peak Fine Dining where chef James Williams, ex- Restaurant Two, is turning out some great food. The prices are fairly steep - $24 upwards for entrees, around $35 to $45 for mains, desserts $16.

As we had filled up on some fine Granite Belt food entrees were enough and we all opted for one - the salad of ocean king prawns and mud crab with candied fennel and an orange cardamon dressing. It looked good (see the photo) with the crab as a thin layer that looked like a slice of bread. The prawns were excellent with that sweet/salty flavour and firmness that means super fresh.

The other entree that tempted me was shaved jamon with vincotto and cherry jelly with watermelon foam and rocket salad. I've been overly fond of jamon since I tasted some of the best at the Spanish stand at Sydney's Fine Food show last year.

We decided to share a dessert and it was hard to go past the fine chocolate tart with orange granita and orange sherbert. It came with a tricky little straw to suck it up - very cute. Natasch has a similar recipe on her Courier-Mail Degustation blog.

The restaurant was quite full but it wasn't particularly noisy, great for those who hate loud dining spaces. There's some booth seating at the rear that must have looked great for a tight spot on the architect's plan but I bet this won't last - just too confined and claustrophobic.

Find it on Latrobe Terrace at Paddington, just opposite Lang Park. More info on the restaurants at www.iceworksapartments.com.au