MOSMAN DAILY, Thursday, May 13, 2010 51

DINING with KATE CRAWFORD

Chef the Darling of hungry diners

Chef Nathan Darling dishes up abrilliant view from Sails, as well as(inset) South Australian calamari,

chorizo, smoked rice, piquillopeppers and sherry vinaigrette.

Pictures: DAVE SWIFT

WHEN MasterChef contestantsare rewarded with a visit toNathan Darling’s kitchen, it’s abig clue to the calibre of hiscooking.

Darling is the chef at Sailsrestaurant at McMahons Pointand, as one of Sydney’s topchefs, he was featured in anepisode of MasterChef lastweek.

As a reward, aspiring cooksfrom the show got a chance tosee Darling at work and samplea three-course lunch.

Darling has impressivecredits as a chef, including

eight years at the Watermarkat Balmoral, two years at theluxury Bannisters resort andfour years at Otto. ‘‘I came outto Australia on a working visafrom the UK and fell in lovewith the place – the rest, as theysay, is history,’’ Darling said.

Darling says his style ofcuisine is ‘‘light and fresh’’ andhe avoids an excessively richmenu.

‘‘I don’t want people feelingso full they can barely walk outof the restaurant,’’ he said.

The restaurant occupies arare and spectacular water-front position, with a viewacross to Luna Park, the Har-bour Bridge, city and OperaHouse.

Part of the visual entertain-ment at the restaurant is theharbour ferry churning intothe wharf only metres away.

However, as all restaurantpatrons recognise, a greatwater view doesn’t let the chefoff the hook.

We tried two entrees – in-cluding the seared scallopswith bassan fritter, mintyoghurt, cucumber, corianderand tumeric oil – which werethe perfect promise of an im-pressive dining experience.

The pan-fried barramundiwith roasted Yamba prawnswas fresh and flaky, balancedwith a delicate crust, fenneland roman beans.

For those who like meat witha meal, the aged rib eye wasglorious – tender, generous andaddictive.

As for dessert, if you are a fanof creme brulee, the Sails ver-sion is arguably the best.

The restaurant also has atasting menu which, if youfancy yourself as a MasterChefjudge, offers you the chance tosample multiple dishes.

The wine list is impressiveand carries predominantlyAustralian, French and Italianwines, with select and interest-ing choices from vineyards inPortugal, Spain and Austria.

Sails

Where: 2 Henry Lawson Dr,McMahons Point.Open: Lunch Tuesday toFriday and Sunday. DinnerMonday to Saturday.Cost: Entrees from $23,mains from $34.Bookings: 9955 5998.

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