Mode Kitchen & Bar – Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
Monica Tindall
Mode Kitchen & Bar is Four Seasons Hotel Sydney’s all-day-dining restaurant. You might be wondering why The Yum List is in such a place, considering our preference for concepts with a singular focus. However, quite unlike many large hotels, this kitchen does not try to serve a variety of international dishes in an attempt to please all preferences; instead, it concentrates on uncomplicated yet memorable modern Australian cuisine.
The setting balances the casual charm of a bistro with the sophistication of fine dining, breathing both comfort and style simultaneously. We’re here for lunch and are immediately impressed by the compact menu. Rather than an encyclopaedia of world cuisine, it’s a one-pager dedicated to the provenance and quality of ingredients.
Mode Kitchen & Bar Sydney Menu
Wine List & Drinks
Mode Kitchen & Bar has a well-chosen wine list with lots of Aussie drops featured alongside an international selection. There is also a solid list of cocktails that tempt us. However, we’re heading to Grain Bar later this afternoon, so stick to wine for lunch.
You know my love for rosé in warm climates and as a versatile pairing, so it’s a pink start for us. The 2021 Maison Saint AIX (AUD 18) from Provence is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. It offers fragrant notes of blooming flowers, juicy peach, zesty citrus, and subtle hints of red fruits. The palate unfolds with freshness and lively acidity with an interplay of wild strawberry, raspberry, and stone fruits. It starts dry and ends dry. I’d be happy with this as a quaffer, but it’s also a friendly mate to our seafood and veg.
Entree & Snacks
Meals are light, fresh and extremely well-balanced in flavour, texture and presentation at Mode Kitchen & Bar. Chef de Cuisine April Shen has decades of experience in the industry, and her skill shines through in every recipe.
Zucchini Flowers (AUD 28) are not only one of the prettiest presentations on the menu but also very tasty. Wood-roasted zucchini flowers stuffed with light buffalo ricotta and white truffle are still attached to the vegetable. They sit on top of a pea puree with fresh whole peas, adding mini juicy bursts. Yum.
The Burrata (AUD 25) is another excellent choice. As we knife into the milky sphere, the creamy middle spills over a rich eggplant caponata. The velvety smoothness of the cheese tempers the savoury and acidic flavours of capers and olives.
Hiramasa Kingfish Crudo (AUD 28) gets rave reviews, and with the first bite, we jump on the bandwagon. From a prestigious South Australian farm, the lean meat is similar to snapper but better and has cliché melt-in-the-mouth texture. It’s dressed in the most delicious verjuice and yuzu kosho, along with pickled apple and kohlrabi and dots of macadamia puree. Nasturtium leaves and flowers add some bling and mild pepperiness to the profile. The light seasoning is so good that we forego the butter for our sourdough and instead use it to soak up the remaining drops of crudo marinade.
Mains & Salads
We order some light mains partnering wonderfully with Sydney’s hot summer. Swordfish (AUD 48) is expertly prepared, mild and sweet in flavour, and slightly firm to the touch, yet still melts on the tongue. The side of mustard greens with lemon myrtle dashi and ginger threads gives that acidity that always pairs well with seafood.
A Grilled Chicken Salad (AUD 35) might seem like an ordinary order, but under Chef April’s hand, it converts from common to extraordinary. Not exceptional in an overdone, too-many-hands-on-a-single-dish kind of way, but fabulous in terms of superb ingredients in just the right combination. Tender strips of cornfed chicken breast are sided with garden leaves, avocado, pancetta (oh my), almonds and Blue Mountain honey dressing. The mix of savoury, sweet, fatty and light acidity is simply perfect.
Sides
The sides are just as worthy of exploration as the rest of the menu. We enjoy the crisp yet tender bite of the Green Beans (AUD 15) in brown butter with preserved lemon and almond flakes. The Iceberg Salad (AUD 15) is just as good with the fresh, crunchy leaves in a delicious sesame and furikake dressing. Chef April insists we try the Crispy Potato (AUD 15), and we’re happy we listened to her. These white potatoes come from Tasmania and are cooked until they have a golden coat but remain soft within. And, something special from the kitchen, not on the menu… a little satay-inspired sauce. Wow. It is a match made in heaven for the potatoes. Malaysian friends and those who can handle the heat, ask Chef April if you can have a pot.
Desserts
We don’t really need dessert after such a fabulous meal, but we are here to do a job and that job we will do well by concluding with dessert. An Aussie classic, pavlova, has been given a refreshing twist in Mode Kitchen & Bar’s rendition, Frozen Pavlova (AUD 25). It features apricot sorbet, almond Chantilly cream, apricot gel and fingerlime and, as an added visual bonus, comes with a smoky dry ice presentation. The pav is the perfect texture with a crunchy shell and chewy middle.
Meanwhile, the House Mango Sorbet (AUD 6) is a refreshing and cleansing conclusion. The generous scoop comes in a glass bowl with shards of dark chocolate, breaking up the colour and the fruitiness.
Drinks Menu
Forgotten Classic Cocktails
Finally, we bring the meal to an end with a digestive from Mode Bar. With a craft cocktail bar also under the same roof (Grain Bar), Mode Bar focuses on the classics – maintaining clear territories. Even highlighting established recipes, the team under the lead of mixologist Hartonsy Andreanes, manage to surprise by producing a list of “Forgotten Classics.” The list is an ode to those that may be faint in memory but deserve attention. Our finale, Rome With A View (AUD 26), is a mix of Campari, Mancino Secco, lime and fizz. When bartender Alan promises it won’t be sweet (as per my request), he delivers. The colour of pink grapefruit in the glass, it is indeed a bitter, citric beverage, highly refreshing and a real quench thirster in the Aussie summer.
Mode Kitchen & Bar Sydney Review
Mode Kitchen & Bar is more than just a hotel restaurant. It’s a place to celebrate the simple things in life, connect with loved ones over delicious food, and be pampered with friendly and professional service.
Reasons to visit Mode Kitchen & Bar: contemporary Australian menu focusing on the provenance and quality of ingredients; must try the kingfish, zucchini flowers and if you have a sweet tooth, order the frozen pav for dessert.
Mode Kitchen & Bar
Ground Floor, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
199 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
+61 2 9250 3160
[email protected]
Mode Kitchen & Bar Operating Hours
Monday – Sunday: from 12 pm – 10 pm
Breakfast Buffet
Weekdays, 6:30 am – 10:30 am
Weekends, 6:30 am – 11:00 am
Lunch
Wednesday To Sunday, 12:00 Noon – 3:00 pm
Bar Snacks
Wednesday To Sunday, 12:00 Noon – 5:30 pm
Aperitivo
Weekdays, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Dinner
Weekdays, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Weekends, 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm
* A Surcharge Of 10% On Sundays And 15% On Public Holidays Applies
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Not into pavlova, too sweet for me.