Level 41

Despite (or perhaps because of) its featuring in the movie The Matrix, this restaurant's food is getting more erratic. Unlike a previous meal 5 months ago, the service was poor - slow and forgetful. Bread was ordinary (11/20). The starter (we both had the same) was the best dish: tagliatelle in a champagne sauce with shreds of black truffle and good Parmesan. The pasta was excellent, the truffle lending a lovely aroma - 17/20 would not be too high a mark for this.

Sadly everything went down from here. Beef fillet was decent enough, on a bed of mash but with some rather overcooked mushrooms and a jus that lacked intensity (14/20 only). Prawns with "potato waistcoats" were prawns wrapped in a thin sheet of potato and deep-fried. The prawns were tender enough, but the stir-fried beansprouts onions and cabbage accompanying them were burnt (11/20). Preceding this was a little cup of chicken soup with lemongrass (13/20). 

A dessert of truffle cake with raspberries and a raspberry coulis had good texture and flavour (16/20), while fruit sorbets (strawberry, kiwi fruit and mango) were in a millefeuille arrangement where the sesame biscuit layer was too hard, and surrounded by fresh fruit (mango, strawberry, blackberries, blueberries, kiwi fruit) and passion fruit sauce (14/20 at best). Coffee was good, with a "large espresso" for once meaning that (coffee 16/20). Petit fours comprised a tasteless Madeleine, a square of chocolate-coloured sponge that was also tasteless, and a biscuit containing raisins, which was good (12/20 overall). Service was poor, the wine list very fine but with no sommelier. Penfolds Magill Estate 1986 was very good, followed by Noble One de Bortoli (good as ever). The meal was very expensive at GBP 85/head, as to an extent you are paying for the fine view from the top floor of the skyscraper overlooking Sydney. It seems to be popular for power lunches for the affluent business community.