Onyx Dessert Lounge

Okay..so I've been a very MIA blogger, I blame uni, and working the Fringe... I have a little extra time now so I'll try get up to date ;)

After somewhere to eat between working shifts at the Fringe festival I headed to Onyx Dessert Lounge on O'Connell Street. This place has been around a little while and I have friends who love it and others that thought it was just so, as such I hadn't been itching to go and try them out. I was lucky enough to be pleasantly surprised on this visit as the food was lovely and the service fantastic :) The decor here is funky, kind of 70's retro. It is a very spacious venue with plenty of room for large groups and curtained 'booths' for a bit more privacy.

When we arrived there were a couple of large groups, but we were seated quickly. I spoke to the waitress about our food all coming out together and let her know we were in a bit of a hurry (short break for me eat) and she said they would be able to accommodate that. Drinks-wise we opted for soft drinks and after pursuing the menu decided on the duck donuts for entree, the steak, the polenta fries and a chicken scaloppini with green asparagus, rosemary and garlic potatoes. The meals were served pretty quickly, and although there was a slight mix up with the entrees this was fixed in a snap and with plenty of friendly smiles. Big tick, it's understandable that every restaurant will experience the odd hiccup, it's how they manage those that matters and the staff here did an excellent job!

The duck donuts were an unusual item, but really tasty. The centre was a soft minced type duck meat in a savoury donut batter, fried and served with a great aioli and porcini mushroom salt. The donut was perfectly golden and the flavours were reminiscent of Indian spices. The duck was tender and plentiful and it was a really well balanced dish.

The thick, chunky polenta fries were well cooked, golden with no sogginess and a soft fluffy centre. The relish was very, very moreish and complemented the polenta well. These were ordered as the steak didn't have any sides, so if you plan on ordering a meat dish I highly recommend getting something extra as well.

The sirloin steak was ordered medium and came out pretty close to that, it may have been on the little well done side for my personal preference but I do like my meat on the rare side. It was a superb cut with a great balance of fat/meat and it was cooked well. It was tender, juicy and the garlic butter was rich with a clear but not overpowering garlic flavour.

The chicken dish was fantastic, the breast meat was super moist, the sauce had plenty of depth and was well seasoned and the vegetables were cooked perfectly to avoid becoming soggy in the sauce. The potatoes were particularly good with a great garlic-herby flavour.

After our mains we had to rush off, but I was only working for two hours so we headed back for dessert when my shift was over! We ordered a cocktail each, I went with the classic sex on the beach and my friend had a whiskey sour. Both drinks were mixed by a bar man who was extremely talented, and obviously very passionate about his work. They were also both spot on, perfectly balanced and not overpowering in any way.

For my dessert I ordered the chocolate sphere with baileys ice cream, white chocolate mousse, peanut praline and caramel sauce. This was very similar to a dessert I had at Astonish a few months ago. The dish was beautifully presented and the flavour combination was so indulgent. Every bite was rich, creamy and decadent. The chocolate/caramel was smooth and creamy and the baileys ice-cream flavour very evident but well balanced by the white chocolate mousse. This was a fantastic dessert, very delicious but also great texturally.

My friend ordered the frozen chocolate mousse volcano with coffee, Frangelico and caramel hazelnuts. This was a really fun dessert, the waitress poured the boiling espresso into the 'mousse' volcano and it let out a cloud of steam! Again, gorgeous presentation and interesting textures. The outside of the mousse had a coffee crumble type coating and the strong liquid coffee was well balanced by the super sweet hazelnuts. The mousse was really rich but the coffee flavour cut through it so it wasn't sickly.

Overall I really had a great night at Onyx, not only did they accommodate my request for a quick meal they were friendly and all the wait staff were enthusiastic. The bar tender in particular deserves a special mention because every drink I saw him make he did with a superb level of skill and care. The owner let us know that they were about to do some renovations and change up the menu, so I plan to head back and have a look in the near future! A great mid range dinner and dessert venue, open until really late, friendly efficient service and in a convenient location... a winning combination really!