Spago - Beverly Hills, NSW

We are honestly rather spoilt for choice in the south with our abundant Asian options and various areas where you can get a good feed, but when it comes to contemporary Western cuisine, there's only really one place that stands out to me. When I think about how long it's taken me to write a blog post about this place, it amazes me because anyone who talks to me knows I won't shut up about this place. I am convinced that Spago is the BEST that the south has to offer. Which is why when it came time to celebrate my birthday, the choice was obvious. It was definitely not the first time the Mrs and I have been here so it really didn't take long for us to decide what to order (we were so quick that the waitress was rather surprised).

Our entrees came shortly after we had ordered. I stuck with what I knew was good and ordered the Angus Beef Carpaccio. This dish amazes me in it's flavourful impact and sheer simplicity. The texture and taste of the raw beef meshes so well with the capers and cheese that you just can't help but love it. The hint of Truffle aioli on top really kicks it up a notch for all those who love truffles. The Mrs chose the Octopus salad which based on previous experience, is rather impressive. The octopus was unbelievably tender and rather well seasoned which worked really well in the crisp and fresh setting of the salad of rocket and red onions.

For our mains, I chose the more indulgent experience by ordering the rump steak with cafe de paris butter and hand cut chips. As the butter melts over the seared exterior of that beautiful piece of meat, the flavours of the herbs and spices melds together with the charred. beefy meat to give you a delightfully moorish steak. In particular, the tart and savoury flavour profile of the capers really highlights how well prepared the dish is. 

The Mrs stuck with what she knew was good (and had been craving for a while) and ordered the squid ink spaghetti. In all the times where I've had the pleasure of eating that pasta, I've never once had a bad experience with it. Like always, the pasta is cooked al-dente and coated ever so lightly in a light olive oil sauce. The cherry tomatoes are ever so slightly cooked to accentuate the natural sweetness and the bits of crab is perfectly flavoursome. For good carby measure, we also ordered the fries with truffle aioli...I mean, how could you not? 

For dessert, the Mrs let me choose her dessert (which came as a part of the Weekday deal we ordered) and I chose for her the Panna Cotta. The panna cotta is rather seasonal as each time we've ordered it, it came with a different fruit compote. I believe this time it was a berry compote as it had bits of strawberry on top which worked really well in cutting through the smoothly sweet cooked cream.

In continuing the theme of indulgent dining on my birthday, I opted to have the triple chocolate mousse cake as my dessert. Indulgent is a pretty apt description of the dish as it was layered with hazelnut, dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse. This was all set on top of a chocolate and almond cake and covered with a chocolate mirror glaze. This was a chocolate lover's dream (which was great for me cause I don't like anything sweet but chocolate) and despite the heavy sounding description, it really wasn't that filling as I had expected to be bloated after the meal but wasn't.

As I mentioned above, I don't ever really stop talking about this place and they never really give me a reason to stop. With each subsequent visit, I just find more and more to love about the work that they do there. The quality of the service and food really speaks volumes about how much dedication the team there puts into the menu and the food. Pair that with excellent service and an incredibly decent price (the weekday deal is the best value ever), Spago becomes that one gem that you can never pass up.