http://www.chillontedder.com.au/
A trip to the Gold Coast is always a great opportunity to catch up with Blossom and Matt. We went over the Australia day break and the weather was near cyclonic by the Sunday of our 3 night stay. Without the options of beach or pool, all we really had to look forward to that day was lunch at Chill. It was a restaurant that Blossom recommended and she has superb taste in everything so I was excited to try it.
Marc and I parked in a side-street off Tedder Avenue on Main Beach. We then literally sprinted to the shelter of the restaurant, getting drenched at a point where we ran in opposite directions, unsure of exactly which block Chill was located (Marc turned out to be correct, resulting in me getting more drenched than he).
The restaurant is small but nicely styled so that it feels roomy and sophisticated. There was a Summer lunch promotion available when we went. Our entire table went for the 2 course special, allowing us to choose any 2 courses from the lunch menu (entree and main or main and dessert) for $40 or $45 including a glass of wine. Marc and I couldn't refuse the wine option.
Fresh figs wrapped in proscuitto - with goats cheese and rocket salad
The entrees arrived first. Blossom chose the fresh figs with goats cheese and proscuitto. She liked it and mentioned that she never had proscuitto with figs before. Matt tried one and commented that whilst he didn't mind it, he wouldn't be able to handle an entire plate of it.
Sashimi of atlantic salmon - with pickled cucumber, shaved radish, flying fish roe, pickled ginger and soy mirin dipping sauce
Marc ordered the sashimi. It came as a colourful plate of salmon and various accompaniments. Marc liked this dish but it was quite sparse. There wasn't a lot of actual salmon but it did come with a small plate of Asian herb salad on the side. What I thought was an extra mound of salmon turned out to be pickled ginger.
Thai fish cakes - with Asian slaw and sweet chili fish sauce
My entree was of a larger serving size. It comprised of 3 fat patties of fish and an Asian salad on the side. There was a sweet chili dipping sauce too. The patties weren't bad but had an unpleasant woody texture.
Twice-cooked duck leg confit - with witlof, raddichio, shaved pear, walnut, marinated feta and watercress salad with a citrus dressing
For mains, Blossom ordered the duck. She loved this dish and said the duck was cooked perfectly, with tender flesh and crispy skin. It was served with a light and colourful summery salad. I thought the salad alone sounded great and wouldn't mind a whole bowl of just that for weekday lunch.
200g grange sirloin - with creamy mashed potato, buttered baby spinach, tempura-coated onion rings, pancetta crisp and rich shiraz jus
Matt and I ordered the sirloin steak. The steak itself was delicious. My piece was a gorgeous blushing pink and very juicy. There were no chewy fatty bits and the outside was rendered nicely.
Cut-shot of steak
The mashed potato was unreal - silky and buttery. Matt had kittens over the onion rings, exclaiming that they "sh*t over Hungry Jacks'". The tempura coating made them light and crunchy.
Parmesan-crusted whiting - with fennel salad
Marc's main was the whiting. After his small entree, it was disappointing to see his main was also on the petite side. What it lacked in quantity, it made up for in taste. The parmesan batter was full of flavor but unfortunately, it wasn't crunchy at all.
Orange and cardamom creme brulee - with confit orange, spiced chocolate ice-cream and cinnamon shortbread
Matt had chosen to get a dessert instead of an entree, or rather, Blossom insisted on his behalf. She chose the orange creme brulee and we all dug in to have a taste. I really enjoyed this dessert. The creme brulee had a strong citrus flavor that Blossom thought was a tad overbearing but I didn't mind it. The bitterness of the toffee topping helped to offset the sweetness. The chocolate ice-cream combined with the candied orange was a classic jaffa combination that worked well. Even the shortbread was tasty.
Latte and complimentary dark chocolate almond clusters
We ended on some coffee. I had a latte (very good) and was brought out a plate of nutty chocolate too. It was delicious chocolate!
We were impressed by the food at Chill. The steak and duck were exceptionally good and I liked the dessert too. It was a nice atmosphere to dine in, even in the rain, but our waitress had a sour expression on the whole time. Still, I would recommend others to give it a try.
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