The Ambassador Restaurant, Ryde

 

I've often driven past the Ambassador Training Restaurant which is located within the Ryde TAFE at the Le Corden Bleu school. The bookings availability appears to be mostly mid-week slots, some at dinner time and some at lunch time. Just after Valentines Day, I manage to get a slot on a Monday night. It's a three course meal for $44, plus any drinks you order. I think that's quite good value and you are also supporting trainee chefs and staff. 

Google takes us to the front of the TAFE where there is no parking. We drive around and are seemingly a bit lost but eventually we find the Ambassador Training Restaurant. There's an eager smile from a trainee lady who greets me and we enter.

The restaurant has a nice atmosphere. The Ambassador Training Restaurant also is licensed so you can purchase wine or beers. I settle for a glass of sparkling wine. Mr goes for a beer.

The students are really eager and full of enthusiasm. We are greeted by a trainee sommelier and waiter. I see a big group of trainees in the background, getting guidance from their head chef/teacher. You can visibility see the nerves from the students, I smile, trying to give them some comfort.

First up at the Ambassador Training Restaurant, is the amuse bouche which is a bite sized bruschetta. There's crunchy garlic bread with healthy dose of balsamic vinegar over the onion the the tomato.

I am feeling particularly hungry and also enjoy the bread and butter. The bread is quite tasty.

I note on the website, it says you are served alternating dishes, however on this particular day, we are given the option of choosing from the menu. I am not sure if it's because my other half has a shell fish allergy.

I personally had no expectations and was curious about the menu. For entree, I had the scallop galette, with braised leek, beurre blanc and balsamic pearls. The scallops are perfectly cooked and sit on a bed of creamy flavours. The beurre blanc is a classic french sauce of butter, white whine, shallot and cream - a match made for leeks. I quite enjoy the entree.

The texture of the galette was akin to the crispiness of a cracker but soften by the sauce and leeks. I'm pondering if a different textured base would have lifted the dish even further.

 Mr orders the tea smoked kangaroo with sweet potato and mascarated dates. He enjoys this dish and says it's well cooked. I like the consideration of textures, with the crispy sweet potato shard with the mash, the freshness from the beans with the earthy flesh from the tea smoked kangaroo.

 I had the Confit Salmon, with spinach gnocchi, pickled fennel and sauce vierge. The salmon is more on the well done side but is still enjoyable to eat. The spinach gnocchi adds for nice textural juxtaposition, along with the pickled fennel which adds for flavour juxtaposition.

The other main choice is the Beef Cheek, with fondant potatoes, warrigal greens and truss tomatoes. The beef cheek was quite flavoursome and delicious in the sauce. The potato fondant was over cooked and a bit burnt. The greens and truss tomatoes were a nice complement to the beef cheeks. I preferred the beef cheeks to the salmon, from a flavour perspective.

For dessert, there is the baked wattle seed cheesecake, with Davidson plum (says plum on the menu but appears to be strawberries in person) and pear crisps. It's hard for me to resist a cheesecake. I love a dense cheesecake. This cheesecake was very delicious and sugary strawberries add that sweetness to cut through the denseness of the cheesecake. It's a winner.

There's also the matcha sponge with white chocolate and lemon mytle mousse. The matcha sponge is a little bit dry and the texture of the sorbet is a bit coarse but it's still a nice enjoyable dessert.

Summary: Overall, I had a really nice dinner. I thought it was a nice setting and it was nice to meet the trainees. I am sure they have bright futures ahead for them! My favourite dish was probably the beef cheeks and cheesecake. Enjoy!

Location: Don't enter via Blaxland Road, go behind via Parkes st for parking in Ryde. The parking entrance is approx opposite 56 Parkes St in Ryde.

Price: I paid $44 per person for 3 courses, drinks are reasonably priced.

Opening Hours: Don't exist and will vary because it's a training school. Just go to open table and look for any spots.