Icebergs Restaurant and Bar

Icebergs was our belated-Valentines-because-I-hadn’t-gotten-my-first-paycheck slash welcome-to-Sydney-we-finally-have-furniture dinner.  Icebergs isn’t a place I would visit monthly, but definitely a place for a celebration.We got there early so we could checkout the bar.  As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by very friendly waitstaff who guided us into the bar area where we found two seats on a balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Bondi Beach.  My inner-boy never gets sick of watching the waves crash over the infamous Bondi infinity pool that runs adjacent to the Pacific.  Yes, it’s childish, but I must have interupted Esther with a “ohhhh” and “look at that one” (referring to the enourmous waves) at least 5 or 6 times over the course of 30 minutes.  It’s a dimmly lit bar that is chic and meant to impress, but not too pretentious.  I ordered a martini and an oyster; Esther an Old Fashioned.  Both drinks were perfectly prepared.  The oyster was moderately fishy, oozing with salty freshness, and cold and delicious.

After our cocktails, we were escorted to our table.  I was surprised by how small the restaurant is—probably only 30-40 tables.  There is a quiet energy to the dining room—100 or so people who are very excited to be there, but are on their best behaviour and trying to keep their voices down.  I was very impressed by the variety on the menu (one of the reasons I chose Icebergs for this dinner). They have a beef menu and a fish menu plus lots of off-menu specials.

Wine

Yarra Valley, Pinot Noir ($68).  I forget the name of the winemaker but I’m quickly learning that Yarra Valley is a great Pinot region.  This wine was very flavourful.  One thing that was GREAT about this restaurant was their price range for wine.  Usually at a swanky restaurant, they only have swanky prices.  But at Icebergs their entry bottles were $36 and champagne topped off at $9,000 (I shit you not, you can buy a French champagne there for $9,200 if you’re so inclined… maybe next year).

Entres

Four cheese risotto.  Esther is a big risotto lover and she gives this her risotto seal of approval, despite that it was a little too al dente for her personal preference.

Main

Sea Scallops.  The scallops were very meaty and cooked properly, but Esther thought they were a little too salty.

Ribeye Steak.  I was dying to try the ribeye because Timeout Sydney has it ranked #2 on their “best steaks in Sydney” list.  I have to say, it was outstanding.  A thick cut rubbed with salt and pepper, char-grilled, and served rare.  It comes with a sauce (I don’t remember exactly what it was, but it was oily and herby) as well as 3 kinds of mustard.  To be honest, the sauce and mustards were very tasty, but I ended up eating the steak without them—it didn’t need anything.  I have a hard time ranking “best ever” foods and although I wouldn’t put this #1, it’s certainly a memorable steak and I’ll order this again if I find myself back at Icebergs.

Asparagus (side).  Yum.

Dessert

Yogurt cheese cake w/ mango.  This was an off menu special that the waiter recommended to us.  I forget what it was called but he described it like the texture of a cheesecake except made with yogurt.  That’s exactly what it tasted like, so if you like cheesecake, I think you’ll like this too.  Although it was very yummy, it’s not one of those desserts you’ll never forget.

If you’re celebrating a milestone birthday, or have your parents in from out of town (especially if they’re paying), or need a very special date spot, I do recommend Icebergs.  It has a beautiful view, great ambiance where you can actually have a conversation, and a great menu.  The service is also outstanding (they offered to call a cab for us while we were paying the bill).  However, it is very expensive—our bill was almost $300 for two including drinks and wine.  You can get as good of a meal at a place like Porteno where our tab was closer to $200 including wine and drinks.  That being said, I’m glad to have Icebergs checked off my Sydney dinner bucket list and I would go there again.