Etch Restaurant, CBD

We came to this restaurant solely wanting dessert! :) 

Etch is located inside the Sydney Intercontinental , with a private entrance to the side of the hotel.  We had previously read the menu on their website , but as you enter the lobby of the restaurant, the "flower pattern" located on their website actually is a true reflection of the restaurant's ambiance.  Unlike most of the modern hotels these days (W or Westin in particular), entering Etch takes you back to grandma's house that's filled with antique chairs, old fashioned decor, and walls that are still lined with wallpaper.  Does wallpaper still exist?  haha :)

We started off with the Pavlova platter, which contained of mini pavlova shells, chocolate mousse domes, and ice cream.  Given the menu had 'pavlova' in the dessert's name, what came out was not what we had envisioned at all.  After tasting it, I would call it a deconstructed meringue, definately not a pavlova.  The meringue shells were crunchy and hollow on the inside, but no soft or silky texture of a pavlova base.  The mousse domes was quite dense but good, however the ice cream was pretty regular. 

Although the bottom of the dessert plate was lined with chocolate-lines, there was not enough of it to be able to lift it off the plate.  Guess it was solely a decorative-effort rather than an accompliment to the dish.  As much as I love most dessert, I felt this one was just 'meh'.  Even as I write this post, I noticed the website has been updated and it is no longer offered on the menu - trust me, you aren't missing much.

Mixture of Pavlova and Ice cream ($16)

Onto the next dessert tray - the Caramel date tart.  From the description on the menu, it does give the impression that it may be similar to a stick date pudding/tart.  But!  Obviously what came out was nothing like it. 

The tart was simply that - a thin layer of caramel followed by a layer of date filling, all on top of a shortbread crust.  Kinda like a pumpkin pie...except with dates.  A scoop of burnt butter ice cream accompanied it on the side, though I couldn't really taste the "burnt-ness" that it's name suggests.  And although of the two desserts, I personally liked this one better, it was still just 'ok'. 

Caramel date tart, burnt butter ice cream, 

Earl Grey tea syrup  ($16)

Based on the quality of these two desserts, I'm sceptical to return to Etch for dinner.  Etch - I really did want to like you, but something special would need to happen to convenience me to change my mind!