For our fifth anniversary, The Boyf and I went to The Powder Keg in Potts Point. I booked through Dimmi the week before and was ridiculously excited to go (mostly because of the infamous Bloody Marys they have there).

On the way to the restaurant, I checked Instagram to see if they had put up any more photos, purely because I wanted to be reminded of their menu. It just so happened that they had just launched a set menu that day for Wednesdays. And the day we were going was on a Wednesday. Score.

For $50, you could get:

Before our first course arrived, we were both served a palette cleanser. It looked like an enlarged cough drop on a spoon, but turned out to be some sort of gin encompassed in a jelly exterior. I put it in my mouth, not really knowing what to expect, and then POP! I can only describe the feeling as being like popping a pimple (I sincerely apologise to The Powder Keg for comparing it to something so disgusting when it was, in fact, quite amazing). The gin swirled around in my mouth, and was apparently meant to prepare us for the cocktails to come.

For drinks, I chose The Powder Keg Bloody Mary, which included cherry tomatoes, beef jerky, candied bacon garnishing quite a normal-tasting Bloody Mary. It was really the extras and the presentation of the Bloody Mary that enticed me to try it, especially since it was served in a Campbell’s Tomato Soup Can. I, quite honestly, don’t even like Bloody Marys, but this was a special occasion. That candied bacon was the best thing I have eaten in a while. It was completely hard and tasted similar to Vienna almonds on the outside. The Boyf chose the Meadevil Mule, which consisted of bourbon with honey mead and fresh pressed apple, served with a pinch of sea salt and ginger beer. The garnishes included candied ginger, apple and bourbon drizzle.

For entrees, I chose the Quail Scotched Egg, while The Boyf chose the Peas and Goats Curd. We swapped halfway through so we could each try what the other had chosen. The quail egg was just the right amount of gooey, and the sausage meat covered in bread crumbs was just the right amount of soft. The peas went so well with the mint and goats curd, making it refreshing.

Now…here’s the embarrassing bit. I’m an AWFUL, picky customer. I liked everything on the menu except for the mains, so I asked to switch to the Smoked & Roasted 1/2 chicken with lentils, artichokes and mint. And they allowed it, which was ridiculously lovely of them, especially since it was a set menu and it was their first night of having a set menu. The Boyf had the Roast Snapper and said it was amazing. For me, the chicken was a bit much. There was A LOT of chicken, which I had convinced myself I’d be able to eat, but instead ended up giving half of it to The Boyf to finish. The artichokes… It’s so difficult to explain how great the artichokes were. I’ve eaten artichokes in antipasto platters, and they’re lovely additions to things, but NEVER have I EVER had baked artichokes. And my god were they great. Slightly salty, slightly charred, incredibly tasting pieces of heaven.

I had commented on The Powder Keg’s photo on Instagram that day about us coming for our anniversary dinner, and had received a response to say we should tell Martin. I had no clue who this Martin fellow was, so had to ask the waiter, who pointed out a man in a black waistcoat near the kitchen. I mentioned it to him, but he already knew, and I still don’t know how. We each chose the TPK Jaffa for dessert. It was like a deconstructed jaffa cookie (the ones from the UK), with chocolate mousse, brownie pieces and dehydrated pieces of orange.When our dessert arrived, we each were amazed to find the words “Happy Anniversary” adorning our plates in chocolate. And when that wasn’t a surprise enough, Martin produced a pineapple with the top cut off with two straws and a sparkler in it! Something was bubbling over the side of the pineapple, and we found out it was a complimentary cocktail for our anniversary. The pineapple had been scooped out, and dry ice had been placed inside the empty fruit. Dark rum, apricot liqueur, bitters, fresh passionfruit and overproof Rum float were the ingredients used to make this awesome concoction. Bubbles were spitting out over the top of the pineapple, so of course it was aptly named the Volcano Punch.

The Powder Keg went seriously over and beyond for us, and we were shocked for most of the meal (in a good way, of course). Definitely going back, and excited to try their new Late Menu!