bentley’s, one last time before they move Ayshim, 27 June 20261 July 2026 We normally go to Bentley’s Restaurant and Bar for big celebrations — like birthdays or anniversaries. This year, we have no time to wait until those celebrations roll around, because we heard that Bentley’s is moving out of its current spot, which has been their home for the last decade, I know of. We had to make the most of it while we could, as the move is scheduled for August. With that in mind, we decided to go and try their current vegan tasting (degustation) menu. That was last night. A tasting menu is presented as tiny little dishes, but it’s still quite a bit of food. We don’t seem to be eating a lot these days, so we opted for a 5-course vegan tasting menu, but Bentley’s wonderful team had other plans for us. The dishes from their 7-course vegan menu began to arrive, accompanied by the chef’s compliments. This is what we were supposed to have: 5 Course Vegan Tasting Menu26th June 2026 Malt Dinner Roll, EVOO C. 2019 ‘Beet-strami’ + Horseradish C. 2o16King Brown Mushroom + Pistachio + Pepperberry C. 2021 Smoked Leek + Native Pepper + Fermented Black Bean C. 2022 Pressed Celeriac Terrine + Nori + Mushroom + Pickled Walnut C. 2009 Butternut Pumpkin + Koshihikari Rice + Pepita Seeds + Tamarind Sauce C. 2025Butter Lettuce & Soft Herb Salad Chardonnay & Mandarin Dressing Liquid Pineapple + Soft Chocolate + Pineapple Sorbet C. 2007 …and here’s what we had: Instead of malt dinner roll with extra virgin olive oil, we were served Laminated Malt Brioche + Sunflower + Pepita: The brioches you see in the photo are glazed with honey and served with cream and nut salsa. ‘Beet-strami’ + Horseradish (vegan pastrami made from beetroot) was on the menu a few years ago and was part of the ‘starters’. The other starter of the evening was King Brown Mushroom + Pistachio + Pepperberry. We had all of that and then some… Beet-strami on the left and king brown mushroom on the right. We had all of that and then some… Crisp Potato + Smoked Sour Cream + Chives (on the left) and Tomato Gazpacho with Croutons. Now we’re on to the mains. The first one is Smoked Leek + Native Pepper + Fermented Black Bean, as seen below: We were expecting Pressed Celeriac Terrine, but instead we received the Jerusalem Artichoke dish with black barley. I have always loved the way they work with such an unusual vegetable like Jerusalem artichoke at Bentley’s. Then came the star of the night… This is Pressed Celeriac Terrine + Nori + Mushroom + Pickled Walnut. Basically, layers of bursting flavours. I believe it was garnished with purslane. Another main: Butternut Pumpkin + Koshihikari Rice + Pepita Seeds + Tamarind Sauce, served with Butter Lettuce & Soft Herb Salad Chardonnay & Mandarin Dressing At this point, we were so full. I prayed for a melting dessert like ice cream and the liquid pineapple arrived. However, that liquidity was hiding inside a tube of chocolate. Liquid Pineapple + Soft Chocolate + Pineapple Sorbet (above). At Bentley’s, you always expect to finish off with a complimentary petit four, but we didn’t expect all the others. The WinesWine pairing is an art at Bentley’s. It has always been this way. Last night, we decided to have a sommelier’s selection. This way, you get to talk to the sommelier of the night, and we had one of our favourite sommeliers from Slovakia! The wines, carefully selected for our menu (above). All European wines, because our incredible sommelier was listening as we told him what we liked. We LOVE the food at Bentley’s Restaurant, but we also LOVE the wines, and last night was no exception. Thank you, Team Bentley! We’ll definitely follow you wherever you choose your new home to be. life in sydney australiasydneysydney dining