Ripples @ Sydney Wharf

It's been a couple of years since my last visit to Ripples, which was before my blogging era, so sadly I have nothing to compare it to. I remember the first time I came here - it was raining and cold. My friends and I were still young and hotblooded as we often say these days, with no stockings, no scarves, only a thin outerwear to protect us from the slicing cold. We shake our heads at the thought and at all the fresh uni students in miniskirts and towering heels. 

But enough with the reminiscing :p 

Ripples is a semi-outdoor restaurant with a few heaters here and there so if you're planning to go here in the middle of winter, I strongly suggest you wrap yourself in shawls, coats, cardigans, scarves and everything else to keep yourself warm. I didn't realize how cold it was until the wine wore off and I was shaking by the time we were in front of the Star. 

The first thing I thought as I sat down was that the tables were quite small. With all the glasses and plates, it was quite crowded. 

As you can see, the 'walls' aren't actually walls. Cold, but the view was spectacular!

Entrees. The food came out very quickly.

Crab & tarragon filled cracked black pepper ravioli. First impression - clean, simple, interesting. It wasn't a fancy artistic piece of work but I liked the look of the cracked pepper embedded into the ravioli. The ravioli was a bit cold, perhaps it was made beforehand or it was just too cold outside. The dough was chewy which I didn't mind since it was nicely flavoured with the crab and pepper but I thought it would have been better if it was fresh and warm so the ravioli was soft. 

Chorizo croquettes with roast garlic mayonnaise. I really liked these. It looks like it's been in the fryer for too long but that just made it crunchier on the outside. To my surprise, the inside didn't have any chorizo chunks in it but seemed like they just blended everything together. It was still delicious with a slight spiciness. 

The mains.

Fish of the day (dory) with sauteed potatoes, char grilled red onion, olives & spinach. To be honest, I was quite disappointed in the presentation. The fish looked deliciously golden but the overall setting of the dish was rather sloppy. Also, the sides didn't really complement the fish.

Oven roasted lamb rump with braised red cabbage & dutch carrots. The presentation was better than the fish but it could still be better. I liked the lamb and how they cooked it although it was quite cold towards the end of the meal. I wish they would have given more carrots on the side but overall, this dish was quite nice.

Honey roasted pumpkin with toasted almonds. Again, a bit sloppy but the pumpkin was lovely. It wasn't overly coated with honey and the sweetness was just right. The almond slices made the dish better.

Now to the favourite course - dessert!

Quince & frangipane tart with quince syrup & vanilla ice cream with quince liqueur. I couldn't taste the frangipane and I wasn't sure where the quince liqueur was in the dish but I still enjoyed it.  

Chocolate & hazelnut mousse with chocolate & orange cake. Now this is a chocoholic's dream. Rich and smooth, this was the winning dish of the night. The chocolate & orange cake is hidden within the layers of mousse but even without it, it would have made a delicious but homey dish.

A bottle of wine and three courses later, we were stuffed. Although an outdoor restaurant isn't the best place to be in the freezing cold, Ripples provides a homey dinner with a pinch of fanciness and a beautiful view for that romantic evening.