I’m not usually one to turn down an invitation to lunch, but my workload is so ridiculous at the moment I seem to be turning them down on a regular basis.

So I feel especially pleased with myself for accepting an invitation to lunch at Bacar, at the Pullman in Sydney Olympic Park – well worth skiving off work for a couple of hours.

Not only do I get to sample executive chef Gary Howieson’s new menu, I get to spend a delightful couple of hours being entertained by Accor’s Greater Sydney Director of Communications, David Lowe.

It’s just the breather I need at the end of another busy week. I arrive flustered, having been sent in the wrong direction by Apple Maps, and I’m quickly ushered to a quiet table in the corner by my charming host.

French bubbles arrive within the blink of an eye, I nibble on fresh sourdough and olives and I’m feeling relaxed already.

Now to the difficult choices: what do I choose to eat from this delightful selection? After agonizing over the choice between quail and scallops, I finally settle on the seared scallops served with guava gel, Serrano ham, pomegranate, goats curd, sourdough crumbs.

It looks almost too pretty to eat. But not quite. Delicious.

For main course, I choose the riverine beef fillet, skordalia, spring vegetables, foie gras butter, marrow fritter and David chooses the seared duck breast with raspberry, dutch carrot, pistachio dust, spiced wine (which I get to taste).

To drink, we choose a lovely Yarra Valley Pinot Noir; Balgownie Black Label, which goes perfectly with my beef – a nice light red just right for lunch.

And the rosemary and caper potatoes deserve a mention. Just look at them.

Service is always something I’m a harsh judge on (especially in Sydney because it’s usually so awful) but I have to say the service at Bacar is flawless. We’re never out of sight of our attentive waitress and she can explain everything on the menu to us in great detail, with a lovely friendly manner.

Bacar would be a great choice for a girls lunch out or night out for that matter. It’s a great escape from the city (although not really that far out of the city) and there is plenty of parking and public transport nearby.

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