Balla: Let's do lunch (4)

All Good things have to come to an end.

So concludes my Let's do Lunch escapades during this years' Good Food Month, finishing off with a meal at Balla @ The Star.

I apologise for the lack of photos of the establishment itself, but stepping into imposing grounds have always seem a bit intimidating for a timid blogger like I am. Surrounded by panelled glass and bleached wood, Balla exudes a very light and casual feel; however, the throngs of business admin personnel and office workers that stream in, made the mood a whole more sombre than I would have liked for the carefree afternoon.

For starters, I choose the Baked Zucchini Flowers stuffed with four Cheeses; this instantly brought me back to the days of working the line in Our Place on Darling, where I had to painstakingly clean the stamens out of those delicate flowers which arrived by the carton full, and then pipe a generous amount of goats cheese filling into them. So with heartfelt understanding, I had a deeper level of appreciation for this seemingly simple dish. The balance of flavors in the tomato sauce accentuating the pungency of the cheese filling, the crisp stems of the zucchini providing a layering of textures.


My companion's Duck Terrine with Pickled Onions however, failed to meet expectations. It's large portion, a tell-tale sign of the Chef's knowing of its' inferior status. The terrine was dry and lacked the usual richness that comes from the fatty protein, duck; the pickled onions, scattered so nonchalantly in the mix, doing nothing to aid as a binder for the parched terrine. I would have liked it better if there was a conscious effort to serve it at room temperature as well. For me, it was just slightly on the frigid side.


Thankfully, her next course of Wood grilled Rangers Valley beef blade with spring salad swooped in to the rescue. The blade taking to the marinade like a fat kid to cake. Grilled to perfection, it was tender and extremely juicy. A well executed dish.


Arriving at the table in a shallow pool of reddish vibrancy was my Swordfish loin simmered in tomato, olives and basil. The tomatoes yielding to the heat with a burst of its juicy innards. One thing to note about Balla is it's perfect execution of it's tomato sauce, a fundamental layer to loads of classic Italian cuisine; in my dish, the intensity of it played second fiddle to the freshness of the swordfish; the restrained seasoning throughout bringing out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.

All in all, Balla is deserving of it's One-hat status; however service converges on the obtrusive and pushy side. That can be worked on.


We concluded the afternoon with desserts from Adriano.

With Zumbo, you're often met with a hit or miss situation. This time, it fell way off the mark with the Wheely Good ($9.50). Pictured so elegantly, this entremet sounded like a tethering stack of hazelnut layers, accented with a touch of lemon in the form of a lemon fluid gel. However, upon closer examination, we couldn't make out the different layers of dacquoise, mousse, liquid praline, hazelnut chantilly and hazelnut syrup cake; in all honesty, it all was a spoonful of mushy textured goop. The saving grace, that salted chocolate disc.

Balla @ The Star
Level G, Harbourside,
The Star,
80 Pyrmont Street
Pyrmont NSW 2009
tel:02 9657 9129