The Buffalo Club
Cuisine: Molecular Gastronomy

Level 1, Cnr Wickham & Brunswick Sts
Fortitude Valley
Ph: 07 3216 1323

www.thebuffaloclub.com.au

I knew it would make our wallets lighter, so while I have been curious about the goings on at the Buffalo Club I have let it lie on my “to eat” list for quite some time, much to the joy of my husband whose happiness is inversely correlated to the amount of money I spend. But as you can tell, since I am writing this and you are reading it, that we have made a visit, handed over our money and feasted. Thanks for this opportunity goes to the Doctor who invited us there to celebrate his birthday (Happy Birthday!).

The dining room sits perched over the centre of the valley with a floor to ceiling window giving you a view of the bottom of the Brunswick Street Mall. Bookings are essential and so is a good 2 to 3 hours spare to enjoy the many courses put before you. The menu changes even day to day and once you are seated you will find it in a crisp envelope before you containing the evening’s menu (for us, a 13 course degustation with a few extras in between).

It made me feel like we were all about to embark on a secret mission and sealed within were our instructions, for our eyes only and maybe they would even self-destruct soon. Maybe I am about to break the first rule of Buffalo Club, but here it is, what we ate.

Appertif – Something to get your taste buds going and your appetite ready and wanting.

Taster – This was made of Manchego cheese but had the texture of a prawn cracker. I could have eaten a whole bowl of these.

Hickory – Wild Rice, Garlic, Tomato, Onion, Shallots, Basil, Pollen
I could smell the pollen as soon as this was put in front of me. I loved the texture of the puffed rice and the thin slices of garlic and onion. The flavours went together so well as we found with pretty much every course.

Smoked Beef Jerky – Lime, Chili, Cilantro, Onion, Peppers, Avocado

Upon pieces of smoky beef jerky was lime, chili, cilantro, onion, peppers and avocado in either gel, paste or powder form. As I took bite after bite I was getting a different flavour each time. Do not underestimate the tiny drop of lime gel which packs a lovely citrusy punch.

Opah – Soy, Honey
Very thinly cut slices of Opah (a kind of fish) are shallow fried and then dotted with dabs of soy gel and honey. The mix of salty and sweet really complement the crispy pieces of fish.

Ocean Trout – Nasturtium, Smoked Roe, Fennel, Kettles, Onion, Yolk
A beautiful piece of fresh ocean trout is surrounded by ingredients in various forms again. I loved the crispy bits of onion and the tiny kettles (little potato chips, yes like kettle chips). I really loved the fish and I know there are 13 or so courses, but I could have eaten more of this.

Evidenced by the end result:

Long before we’d ordered the food or our drinks, the word Iberico on the menu excited more than one person at our table (though there was an obvious Iberico lover in our presence). And while I loved every course and we all knew going in that the food would be of the molecular variety, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for our dear friend when his beloved Iberico came out in dust form. So I guess it was just a lesson in realising that not everything is going to be as expected when experiencing this kind of dining.

Iberico – Olive, Treviso, Walnut, Pawpaw, Endive, Beetroot, Sunchoke, Roquette
As the night progressed I would try to taste each individual component on it’s own first before combining flavours. 

Foie – Marshmallow, Cello, Tamari, Almonds
The almonds were coated in tamari and nice and salty.

Calotte – Black Truffle, Gnocchi, Artichoke
A tender cut of beef with the most amazing gnocchi. The gnocchi were the size of a bean and sadly there were only 3 on the plate. This plate was all but licked clean.

Duck – Honeydew, Mandarin, Cashew, Aubergine, Yuzu
Yes, that is a honeydew jelly cube on the left in green.

Rib – Celeriac, Vanilla, Pumpkin, Pinenut, Pea
The meat was very tender and contrasted nicely with the crunch of the pinenuts and peas. The vanilla custard somehow worked with everything. I think we were all very happy that this delicious piece of meat was not made into a dust.

Time to cleanse the palate.

Palate cleanser – Passionfruit foam, papaya sorbet, grape, grapefruit and blood orange frozen in liquid nitrogen

Manchego – Quince, Porchini, Cress, Garlic, Brioche
A cheese course, beneath the crispy piece of Manchego cheese was more cheese.

Goats Curd – Strawberry, Goats Milk, Pistachio, Millet, Olive Oil

Buffalo Yoghurt – Date, Citrus Rind, Apricot, Sour Meyer, Carrot

Coconut – Chocolate, Caramel, Custard
In a heavy glass bowl came one of my favourite dishes and the last of the evening. These things combined, make one great dessert. If I could have, I would have happily licked this one clean. 

This was not just chefs freezing and liquifying different ingredients because they can and throwing it on a plate with a $145 price tag. Each dish had flavours that were matched and complementing sometimes even combining to create a different taste sensation all together on your palate. The ingredients on paper seem so simple but on your tongue it’s another story.

This is not just a meal, it is an experience. You may or may not visit more than once. I would go back if there was an occassion for it and a bit of money to spare. I will always remember this meal and the adventure of textures and flavours that it was. Bring good company with you, eat everything and savour every mouthful.

And just to finish the night off, some chocolate stamped with the Buffalo Club logo and edible sachets of Campari sherbert.