Allegro at The Westin
The square wood tables with a serviette in place of a cloth or place mat and good quality heavy silver plated cutlery and comfortable seating is a good start. The black garbed waiters go about their work quietly and professionally.
The meal begins with hors-d'oeuvres. We were presented with a tortilla style slice of omelette covered with a layer of spinach and topped with roast cheddar which looked good but was overcooked and rather dry,
This was followed with another dry offering - a mini pizza.
This was followed by an even drier spinach pakora
and next came a mushroom pate on bread which was pleasant enough with a bit of extra seasoning.The entree was another attractive looking trio, a slice of Chorizo with a tomato salsa, a pea wonton and a roll of smoked salmon on a blini.
The tastes failed to exciteThe main courses are shared. Of the five on offer we chose honey glazed salmon on rice, prawns on rissotto and lamb chops on polenta. The other two choices were an Indian samosa vegetarian dish and a chilli spiced spatchcock.
Once again presentation was appealing but now the food was as good as it looked. The salmon lightly cooked, went well with the honey glaze, the rissotto with a tart lemony taste was pleasing and the chops prepared with a gentle hand.There is a large cheese and bread table
and a reasonable smorgasbord of desserts freely available
and the meal ended with coffee or a large beaker of tea.There is a background of a bass played quietly with a young lady singing from Porgy and Bess
Price $75/person includes a glass of Snow Road nv pink bubbly or a beer. Wine by the glass is around $10 or $50 up for a small range of bottles
Comments This is a sort of value added lunch designed for a relaxing afternoon, but somehow it fails to excite
Score:13.25 /20
This came with another great champagne - the 1992 oenotheque vintage also served in red wine glasses. Once again I have to say the pork belly was totally fantastic and my only wish was that there was more of it. The accompaniments added some balance and sweetness to make the whole thing a delight.
then followed a deconstructed quail burger

before the tea/coffee and petit fours
Paparadelles also served as an entrée were also very good.
For mains the pigeon was replaced by an excellent pheasant.
An offal dish – lamb brains, sweatbreads and pigs trotters served with a variety of mushrooms. It was disappointing, again the trotters had been shredded and crumbed and lay on a bed of thin sliced potato It was hard to find the brains despite the waiters assurance that they were there!!
The standout dish is the pigeon. It's prepared in the same as the pheasant and looks much the same in this photograph but I have not had a tastier better prepared pigeon ever. Cooked to perfection it was tender and juicy. It’s a regular on the menu and it’s worth going just for that.
The passionfruit dessert was also unexpectedly excellent but if you have it be prepared for the very tart sorbet
They have a modest wine list, modestly priced. We had very quaffable Imiprint Shiraz by the glass ($6.50)








Of course not everything was meat


A 'world first'!



This was followed by deep fried whitebait which is an undistinguished dish but a pleasure to eat
Dumplings had fine pastry and were well filled with prawn and scallop but not special
Two more dishes



The pic did not capture the smoke that rose from the dish as the dome under which it was served was lifted
Red and white radish, yellowfin tuna, hand picked mud crab, grapefruit tarragon
John Dory, celery heart, seaweed broth, toasted leek
The 'simplest' offering of the night. A delicate preparation
Slow cooked free range pork, confit turnips, house made black pudding, apple- cooked at 62 degrees for about 20 minutes
Terrior This is a word we are going to hear a lot more of in the next few years. "Terroir" is a French term that literally translates as terrain but has come to mean the way foods and wine express the soil, climate, culture and tradition of a region.
Sauterne custard with apple bits and pieces
on a fresh tomato sauce warm sour dough bread and extra virgin olive oil were delivered.
Grilled sea scallops (are there others), cauliflower puree, olive tapenade, green apple reduction had a superb sweet salt taste which lingered for some time after the plate had been removed.
Steamed yabby tails were replaced by bug tails, served with a spaghettini pasta came with the best crustacean veloute I have ever tasted, with just a little dill.
Yamba prawn tortellini, celeriac, a touch of Indian spices topped with some mini coriander was made with a gentle hand so that each of the flavours could be recognized and enjoyed.
.
I skipped the cheese
Coffee and petit fours, included, completed a thoroughly excellent meal.
I drank a 2005 Ruffino Chianti, by the glass ($15) which was light enough to enjoy with all the dishes selected. There is an extensive wine list priced reasonably for this quality of restaurant
which sat on very tender pork belly and had a
It sat on a slice of watermelon and the textures and tastes blended beautifully or you could deconstruct part of the dish to experience the 
A very good dish but not outstanding
also fell into that class of very good but not outstanding.
You can't describe it you just have to try it for yourself. Served with a 2001
with a
and coffee completed an excellent meal
This I'm going to make at home

Something quite special.

White 


