I never knew how many restaurants had alcohol-fuelled titles until I ate in two of them in one week. While I was abstaining from booze. Hmm.
My Mum and I decided, on January 31, that we'd attempt FebFast. No booze for 28 days. It seemed achievable until I realised Caliban and I were going on holidays for six days during Feb. OK, OK - 22 days without alcohol. That's reasonable. We were certain we could do it. And you know what? We did. Hurrah!
But my month off the sauce was definitely made more difficult by eating at the Bavarian Bier Cafe and Sake in the space of five days. OK, beer I can live without. Especially on a Monday night. Alright, a cold beer would have cut through the fatty veal schnitzel and sauteed potatoes nicely, but as I said, I could live without it.
But sake? Mmm. That's a different story. My friend Miss M and I went to Sake very early on a Friday night. Miss M doesn't drink too much, so she wasn't offended when I said I wasn't going to imbibe. (Honestly, you should see the looks on some people's faces! It's as if I've told them I'm taking away their booze as well as my own.) We feasted on Sake's excellent menu - grilled chicken and zucchini skewers, assorted sashimi (including some of the freshest, tastiest tuna sashimi I've ever eaten), spicy miso chips with salmon and tuna sashimi (a big hit; if only there were more than four on the plate!!), the crispiest and best salt and pepper tofu I've ever had, butterfish lettuce cups (a must), green salad, and a Philadelphia handroll (skip this one: cream cheese in sushi??? Not for me). The food was all excellent, the cute waiter deserved every penny of his tip...but I couldn't help but think there was something missing. That's right: hooch. Every time someone else received their sake or wine or beer or champagne, I felt a little twinge, the way diabetics must feel when their awful friend orders the profiteroles for dessert.
But never mind, because the following week, I went back to Sake with my considerably more booze-friendly friend D, who happily joined me in a glass of Pinot Noir. It was a soggy mess of a Sydney night, so we holed up cosily at Sake with dynamite and spider maki rolls, chicken ka-arage with assorted salsas (not to be missed - it will make you rethink fried chicken) and some disappointingly bland prawn and lotus skewers. But in all, Sake is a delight. The service is excellent, the food even better and the drinks menu extensive. Next time, I must try the chocolate fondant...even if I'm dining with a diabetic.
Sake
12 Argyle Street
The Rocks
Sydney
+61 2 9259 5656
www.sakerestaurant.com.au
Showing posts with label Sydney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sydney. Show all posts
Saturday, March 6
Saturday, February 13
the little snail
In preparation for our European honeymoon, I'm learning French. Here are some of the words I know: "Bonjour!"; "Merci!"; "Mon dieu!"; "Au revoir!"; "Croissant!". Are you impressed yet? I thought so.
Last week, Caliban took me to The Little Snail (the French, if you're wondering, would refer to this as "Le Petit Escargot"...that's just a little something I picked up) in Pyrmont. He'd been before, but I hadn't. I was incredibly excited, as I love French food and I've heard good things about the restaurant. Also, I love escargots.
The restaurant was near empty when we arrived at 7pm, yet the waiter sat us right next to the piano...where the jazz singer was about to set up shop. Not a great sign. We asked to be moved, and the waiter whisked us upstairs. Much better.
We ordered a bottle of chardonnay and our entrees - escargots for me and salmon terrine for Caliban. Less than five minutes later, we had our first dishes. Again, not a great sign. The escargots were lovely - properly buttery and packed with herbs and garlic. My white dress didn't agree so much...so I took to wearing my napkin as a bib after the first splatter of butter hit the silk. Caliban's salmon terrine wasn't as good - slices of smoked salmon forged together with generous smears of cream cheese didn't quite live up to the lofty expectations of salmon terrine.
For our mains, Caliban ordered the seafood plate and I the kangaroo fillet. Again, they were at our table just minutes after we finished our entrees. I really love eating out, and so I want it to be an enjoyable, relaxing, even languid experience. I don't want to feel as though I'm being rushed...but that's exactly what this felt like. We took our time with our main dishes, though. Mine was superb. The kangaroo was served rare (as it should be) with a beautifully soft, flavoursome honey demi-glaze. The sweetness of the honey tempered the gamey bite of the kangaroo. Caliban, unfortunately, got the raw prawn again. Or should I say, the fried prawn. Almost everything on his seafood plate was fried, except the mussels. Quelle disappointment! I'm always puzzled why seafood plates are so often comprised of fried calamari, crab and prawns. Seafood in Australia - in Sydney, no less - is so fresh and tasty that you really don't need to do much to it. It's such a shame to deep-fry such gorgeous produce.
We requested a break between our mains and dessert, but again, our dishes were served within minutes of each other. My fresh, homemade profiteroles were great - beautifully light choux pastry filled with silky custard. Poor Caliban - his "Tasmanian brie with raisin puree and spiced carrot salad" just wasn't any good. And that's being kind. The "brie" was clearly from a supermarket and wasn't served at room temperature. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's cheese served incorrectly. I mean, how hard is it to take the cheese out of the fridge before serving? Sheesh. Feeling bad for poor Caliban, I gave him one of my profiteroles, which he loved.
At over $170 for the two of us, The Little Snail was overpriced and underwhelming. Je ne suis pas impressed.
The Little Snail
50 Murray St, Pyrmont
+61 2 9212 7512
www.thelittlesnail.com.au
Last week, Caliban took me to The Little Snail (the French, if you're wondering, would refer to this as "Le Petit Escargot"...that's just a little something I picked up) in Pyrmont. He'd been before, but I hadn't. I was incredibly excited, as I love French food and I've heard good things about the restaurant. Also, I love escargots.
The restaurant was near empty when we arrived at 7pm, yet the waiter sat us right next to the piano...where the jazz singer was about to set up shop. Not a great sign. We asked to be moved, and the waiter whisked us upstairs. Much better.
We ordered a bottle of chardonnay and our entrees - escargots for me and salmon terrine for Caliban. Less than five minutes later, we had our first dishes. Again, not a great sign. The escargots were lovely - properly buttery and packed with herbs and garlic. My white dress didn't agree so much...so I took to wearing my napkin as a bib after the first splatter of butter hit the silk. Caliban's salmon terrine wasn't as good - slices of smoked salmon forged together with generous smears of cream cheese didn't quite live up to the lofty expectations of salmon terrine.
For our mains, Caliban ordered the seafood plate and I the kangaroo fillet. Again, they were at our table just minutes after we finished our entrees. I really love eating out, and so I want it to be an enjoyable, relaxing, even languid experience. I don't want to feel as though I'm being rushed...but that's exactly what this felt like. We took our time with our main dishes, though. Mine was superb. The kangaroo was served rare (as it should be) with a beautifully soft, flavoursome honey demi-glaze. The sweetness of the honey tempered the gamey bite of the kangaroo. Caliban, unfortunately, got the raw prawn again. Or should I say, the fried prawn. Almost everything on his seafood plate was fried, except the mussels. Quelle disappointment! I'm always puzzled why seafood plates are so often comprised of fried calamari, crab and prawns. Seafood in Australia - in Sydney, no less - is so fresh and tasty that you really don't need to do much to it. It's such a shame to deep-fry such gorgeous produce.
We requested a break between our mains and dessert, but again, our dishes were served within minutes of each other. My fresh, homemade profiteroles were great - beautifully light choux pastry filled with silky custard. Poor Caliban - his "Tasmanian brie with raisin puree and spiced carrot salad" just wasn't any good. And that's being kind. The "brie" was clearly from a supermarket and wasn't served at room temperature. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's cheese served incorrectly. I mean, how hard is it to take the cheese out of the fridge before serving? Sheesh. Feeling bad for poor Caliban, I gave him one of my profiteroles, which he loved.
At over $170 for the two of us, The Little Snail was overpriced and underwhelming. Je ne suis pas impressed.
The Little Snail
50 Murray St, Pyrmont
+61 2 9212 7512
www.thelittlesnail.com.au
Thursday, February 11
bills: a sydney institution
Bills, in Surry Hills, is one of my favourite places to eat. You always know you're going to get great food at Bills. Owned by celebrity chef Bill Granger, by day it's an amazing cafe, and at night, it moonlights as a great bistro-style restaurant. The waitstaff are friendly and chatty (but not creepy), and never, ever pretentious. The food isn't the most inventive or creative, but it's always made and presented beautifully. And at an average of $25 for a dinner main, it represents great value.
My friend Miss C and I went to Bills last night after an unsuccessful attempt to secure a table (sans reservation, admittedly) at The Winery. Neither of us was drinking (I'm doing FebFast, C had to drive) so sticking around without food wasn't so appealing. We walked up the road to Bills, found a table immediately and got stuck into some mineral water. It was a pretty crazy Friday night.
We ordered a mozzarella and saffron risotto ball each to begin with. I don't know about you, but I've never met a risotto ball I didn't like (except for my own, I can never get the crunchy texture quite right). These were no exception - crunchy on the outside, gooey, creamy risotto inside and chunk of mozzarella smack-bang in the middle. A side of homemade tomato sauce added a kick. Yum. The only question: why did we only order two??
We both ordered the lamb kofta for our main, and neither was disappointed. Three juicy, spicy kofta kebabs served with grilled flatbread, tomato and mint salad and a capsicum-almond relish: delightful. It was such a great example of how Bill cooks. Fresh, locally sourced ingredients served without too much fuss. You know how great dancers make dancing look really easy? Bill makes cooking look really easy, because he's so damned good at it.
Miss C was full to the brim, but I felt I deserved dessert as I wasn't drinking. I ordered the ginger biscuit icecream sandwich with butterscotch sauce...and it was ah-mah-zing. At first, though, I assumed they'd mistakenly given us two servings, as there were two sandwiches on the plate. Not so - two sandwiches is one serving, meant for one person. Personally, I think that's way too big, but if you're really into desserts, you'll enjoy. The ginger biscuits were fabulous: clearly fresh and homemade, and with that great spicy kick of ginger. Yum. Vanilla bean icecream held the biscuits together, and a wildly delicious butterscotch sauce was poured over the top. Pinch me, I'm in dessert heaven.
Bills
359 Crown St, Surry Hills (also Woollahra and Darlinghurst)
www.bills.com.au
+61 2 9360 4762
My friend Miss C and I went to Bills last night after an unsuccessful attempt to secure a table (sans reservation, admittedly) at The Winery. Neither of us was drinking (I'm doing FebFast, C had to drive) so sticking around without food wasn't so appealing. We walked up the road to Bills, found a table immediately and got stuck into some mineral water. It was a pretty crazy Friday night.
We ordered a mozzarella and saffron risotto ball each to begin with. I don't know about you, but I've never met a risotto ball I didn't like (except for my own, I can never get the crunchy texture quite right). These were no exception - crunchy on the outside, gooey, creamy risotto inside and chunk of mozzarella smack-bang in the middle. A side of homemade tomato sauce added a kick. Yum. The only question: why did we only order two??
We both ordered the lamb kofta for our main, and neither was disappointed. Three juicy, spicy kofta kebabs served with grilled flatbread, tomato and mint salad and a capsicum-almond relish: delightful. It was such a great example of how Bill cooks. Fresh, locally sourced ingredients served without too much fuss. You know how great dancers make dancing look really easy? Bill makes cooking look really easy, because he's so damned good at it.
Miss C was full to the brim, but I felt I deserved dessert as I wasn't drinking. I ordered the ginger biscuit icecream sandwich with butterscotch sauce...and it was ah-mah-zing. At first, though, I assumed they'd mistakenly given us two servings, as there were two sandwiches on the plate. Not so - two sandwiches is one serving, meant for one person. Personally, I think that's way too big, but if you're really into desserts, you'll enjoy. The ginger biscuits were fabulous: clearly fresh and homemade, and with that great spicy kick of ginger. Yum. Vanilla bean icecream held the biscuits together, and a wildly delicious butterscotch sauce was poured over the top. Pinch me, I'm in dessert heaven.
Bills
359 Crown St, Surry Hills (also Woollahra and Darlinghurst)
www.bills.com.au
+61 2 9360 4762
Friday, February 5
was this the worst lunch ever?
Possibly. I'll keep this short, because I don't enjoy talking about bad food experiences. But this completely lacklustre meal must be talked about...so here goes.
In my humble opinion, tourist trap restaurants ought to be good. Really good. They charge exorbitant amounts of cash for lattes and biscotti, so they'd better be serving something out of this world. More to the point, tourist traps serve tourists - people who spend enormous amounts of money in this country of ours. Let's keep them happy, OK?
Unfortunately, the food in tourist trap restaurants, like those in Sydney's Darling Harbour or Queen Victoria Building, is somewhere between "this banana bread is like every other piece of banana bread I've ever eaten" (that's the better end of the spectrum, mind you) or "this banana bread is two weeks old." Yesterday, I dined at a two-week-old banana bread cafe.
Queen's Cafe does not live up to its name. Not by a long shot. The menu is small (usually a good thing: I think huge menus are scary...how can a chef possibly know how to cook 23 main meals expertly...and how fresh are all the ingredients he needs for them?) and frankly, boring. Ham and cheese sandwich, anyone? Pumpkin soup? Ham is big at the Queen's Cafe - it features in all three of its main food genres: sandwiches, salads and tarts. I'm not big on ham, so I order a Smoked Salmon Salad, which, at $13.90, is definitely the worst food investment I've ever made.
I really wish I'd taken a photo, because my description just doesn't do my poor, tiny, overpriced salad justice. But close your eyes, dear reader, and picture something like this: a bed of wet iceberg lettuce. Three slices of tomato. Four slices of cucumber. One slice of pink, not-so-fresh looking smoked salmon. An inordinate squeeze of storebought creamy dressing. It was, in other words, gross. I mean, it's summer, people! Fresh vegetables are everywhere, and pretty cheap, too. It's so disappointing to get a bad salad, when there are so many amazing salads around. One of my regular lunchtime haunts is Speed Bar, on Park St in the city. Their $9 tuna salad is to die for. Baby spinach and rocket, fetta, tuna, sundried and regular tomato, cucumber, avocado, capsicum, a poached egg and rye bread to serve - now that is a salad.
Queen's Cafe
Queen Victoria Building
Sydney
Speed Bar
Shop 1, 27 Park St
Sydney
In my humble opinion, tourist trap restaurants ought to be good. Really good. They charge exorbitant amounts of cash for lattes and biscotti, so they'd better be serving something out of this world. More to the point, tourist traps serve tourists - people who spend enormous amounts of money in this country of ours. Let's keep them happy, OK?
Unfortunately, the food in tourist trap restaurants, like those in Sydney's Darling Harbour or Queen Victoria Building, is somewhere between "this banana bread is like every other piece of banana bread I've ever eaten" (that's the better end of the spectrum, mind you) or "this banana bread is two weeks old." Yesterday, I dined at a two-week-old banana bread cafe.
Queen's Cafe does not live up to its name. Not by a long shot. The menu is small (usually a good thing: I think huge menus are scary...how can a chef possibly know how to cook 23 main meals expertly...and how fresh are all the ingredients he needs for them?) and frankly, boring. Ham and cheese sandwich, anyone? Pumpkin soup? Ham is big at the Queen's Cafe - it features in all three of its main food genres: sandwiches, salads and tarts. I'm not big on ham, so I order a Smoked Salmon Salad, which, at $13.90, is definitely the worst food investment I've ever made.
I really wish I'd taken a photo, because my description just doesn't do my poor, tiny, overpriced salad justice. But close your eyes, dear reader, and picture something like this: a bed of wet iceberg lettuce. Three slices of tomato. Four slices of cucumber. One slice of pink, not-so-fresh looking smoked salmon. An inordinate squeeze of storebought creamy dressing. It was, in other words, gross. I mean, it's summer, people! Fresh vegetables are everywhere, and pretty cheap, too. It's so disappointing to get a bad salad, when there are so many amazing salads around. One of my regular lunchtime haunts is Speed Bar, on Park St in the city. Their $9 tuna salad is to die for. Baby spinach and rocket, fetta, tuna, sundried and regular tomato, cucumber, avocado, capsicum, a poached egg and rye bread to serve - now that is a salad.
Queen's Cafe
Queen Victoria Building
Sydney
Speed Bar
Shop 1, 27 Park St
Sydney
Wednesday, January 20
crossroads bar and restaurant, swissotel
Continuing our quest to eat as many Fast Festival Feasts as possible this month, Caliban and I went to Crossroads at the Swissotel before seeing David Sedaris at the State Theatre (sidenote: David Sedaris is just the coolest person ever).
Seated at 6.45, we had our meals (grilled Atlantic salmon on bean and citrus salad) by 6.55. To some, this might seem worrying, but we had to haul butt to the Theatre in less than an hour, so we took it as a welcome development.
The Stoneleigh sav blanc worked so well with the salmon, which was perfectly pink. The crispy skin lacked the flavour we saw at the Garden Court earlier in the week, but it was still good. I loved the bean and citrus salad - segments of grapefruit, orange and even lime were mixed with fresh, crunchy green beans and tossed in a basil and shallot dressing. Great summer fare.
Like all good customers, we also ordered a side of roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary. I love potatoes, and these were among the best I've ever had. Scratch that - they were the best. Tiny new potatoes that were fondant-like on the inside and crispy on the outside. So damn good. Luckily for Caliban, the meal was so filling that I had to forgo some of my little nuggets of starchy bliss. He ate them willingly.
We got the bill quickly and expected our Ferrero Rocher chocolates to come with it. We pointed this out to the waitress.
"Oh, we don't have any left. I can see if the chef will make you come petit fours. Would you like that?"
We agree that yes, we'd like the dessert we're entitled to, and I notice other people around us getting bread before their meals. You know my drill - treat every customer with the same respect. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful meal, and one we thoroughly enjoyed, but it would have been nice to be treated like the other customers at the restaurant. Add to that the fact that the waitress had just forgotten about our chocolates...and, well, I was less than pleased with the service.
I do realise that I've spent the better half of the last two posts complaining about service - which possibly makes me look spoiled and ungrateful. Sorry. I do intend for this blog to be a place to rave about food I love, so I promise this will be the exception, not the rule. Apologies in spades.
Crossroads Bar and Restaurant
Level 8, Swissôtel Sydney,
68 Market St, Sydney
02 9238 7082
Seated at 6.45, we had our meals (grilled Atlantic salmon on bean and citrus salad) by 6.55. To some, this might seem worrying, but we had to haul butt to the Theatre in less than an hour, so we took it as a welcome development.
The Stoneleigh sav blanc worked so well with the salmon, which was perfectly pink. The crispy skin lacked the flavour we saw at the Garden Court earlier in the week, but it was still good. I loved the bean and citrus salad - segments of grapefruit, orange and even lime were mixed with fresh, crunchy green beans and tossed in a basil and shallot dressing. Great summer fare.
Like all good customers, we also ordered a side of roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary. I love potatoes, and these were among the best I've ever had. Scratch that - they were the best. Tiny new potatoes that were fondant-like on the inside and crispy on the outside. So damn good. Luckily for Caliban, the meal was so filling that I had to forgo some of my little nuggets of starchy bliss. He ate them willingly.
We got the bill quickly and expected our Ferrero Rocher chocolates to come with it. We pointed this out to the waitress.
"Oh, we don't have any left. I can see if the chef will make you come petit fours. Would you like that?"
We agree that yes, we'd like the dessert we're entitled to, and I notice other people around us getting bread before their meals. You know my drill - treat every customer with the same respect. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful meal, and one we thoroughly enjoyed, but it would have been nice to be treated like the other customers at the restaurant. Add to that the fact that the waitress had just forgotten about our chocolates...and, well, I was less than pleased with the service.
I do realise that I've spent the better half of the last two posts complaining about service - which possibly makes me look spoiled and ungrateful. Sorry. I do intend for this blog to be a place to rave about food I love, so I promise this will be the exception, not the rule. Apologies in spades.
Crossroads Bar and Restaurant
Level 8, Swissôtel Sydney,
68 Market St, Sydney
02 9238 7082
Monday, January 18
subsolo
I have been looking forward to eating at Subsolo since a work colleague raved about being invited to its opening night. She went on and on about the cocktails and tapas at this inner city, underground Spanish restaurant. As I've established, I do love cocktails and tapas, so it seemed like Subsolo and I were meant to be.
I was wrong.
Ready to try another Fast Festival Feast, my friend D and I went to Subsolo on a rainy Wednesday night. We're excited by the meal we're about to receive: a selection of Subsolo's signature tapas. Excellent, we think. A chance to try all the amazing things we've been hearing about this place.
When we arrive, I tell the waiter that our reservation is under "Lauren." He scans the reservations and can't find it.
"Sorry, there's nothing here for Lauren for 6.30."
"But I booked! Yesterday. I know I booked. Maybe they took my name down incorrectly," I plead.
"Mmm," he says, glancing at the book. "Is your last name Moan?"
"No," I say, before realising that I am Moan. I must have enunciation problems, because a lot of people think my name is Maureen if we've met over the phone. "Oh, actually...I think that's me. The waitress must have thought I said Moan."
By this stage, D is laughing so hard she might need stitches. "Moan? That's a good one." I feel like reminding her of her not-so-normal Indian name that people mispronounce all the time, but being benevolent and in need of tapas, I don't.
So here we are, Moan and D, ready for tasty Spanish morsels. We're seated and the waiter asks us which of the FFF drinks we'd like, the beer or wine. We both order the pinot noir. Moments later, another waiter arrives and asks us the same thing. We tell him we've already ordered our drinks, and he looks a little miffed. As if to say, "Well, excuse me for daring to give you girls some service! Next time, I'll just waltz on by." Which, of course, he does, for the next two and half hours of our meal.
Our drinks arrive. D gets her pinot noir...and I'm given the sav blanc. I didn't ask for it, but in the interests of keeping the peace (and also because I do quite enjoy a sav blanc) I don't say anything.
About 45 minutes later, our tapas boxes arrive. Oh, goody! Obviously I want to hear what each piece of tapas actually is, so I can report back to you, dear reader. But with a flourish of napkin, the waiter is gone and D and I are left to investigate our meals alone.
We decide we love the patatas bravas. The potatoes are roasted to crispy perfection, and the tomato sauce is infused with enough chilli to warrant the extra bottle of wine we order (too bad it takes 35 minutes to show up). The salt cod croquette with aioli is good, too. The chorizo is a little too oliy for D, but I love it. The texture is great and it's good and spicy. The meatballs filled with manchego cheese should, by rights, be the standout. They're on a bed of tomato sauce (which is great), but the meatballs have obviously been made and cooked hours ahead of time. The cheese doesn't ooze from them as it should - it's a hard little rock in the centre of cold, tough mince. The Portuguese chicken in peri-peri sauce is good, but again, it's cold and tough.
We decide it's time for Subsolo to redeem itself, so we order dessert (we're nice like that). While waiting for our bottle of temperanillo (did I mention it took 35 minutes to get from the bar to our table?) I settle on Spanish churros filled with dulce de leche with Spanish chocolate sauce and honey nougat icecream, and D orders the hot chocolate pudding with melting chocolate centre, chocolate sauce and vanilla bean icecream.
About 40 minutes whizzes by until finally, we're given our dessert. To be honest, it was worth the wait - the dessert was definitely the highlight and if we ever visit Subsolo again, it'll be the sole reason. My churros were fresh from the deep-fryer, and filled with the most decadently rich caramel sauce ever. It was thick, not overly sweet and just plain amazing. The chocolate sauce was a little too much with it, but the icecream worked well. D's chocolate pudding was similarly indulgent. The centre was a puddle of thick, oozing sauce and the edges were slightly crispy.
But dessert isn't enough to save a meal - especially one where the service was so ridiculously bad. Come to think of it, it's quite ironic that they misheard my name as Moan, if you catch my drift.
Subsolo
161 King St, Sydney NSW 2000
Corner Castlereagh St
9223 7000
I was wrong.
Ready to try another Fast Festival Feast, my friend D and I went to Subsolo on a rainy Wednesday night. We're excited by the meal we're about to receive: a selection of Subsolo's signature tapas. Excellent, we think. A chance to try all the amazing things we've been hearing about this place.
When we arrive, I tell the waiter that our reservation is under "Lauren." He scans the reservations and can't find it.
"Sorry, there's nothing here for Lauren for 6.30."
"But I booked! Yesterday. I know I booked. Maybe they took my name down incorrectly," I plead.
"Mmm," he says, glancing at the book. "Is your last name Moan?"
"No," I say, before realising that I am Moan. I must have enunciation problems, because a lot of people think my name is Maureen if we've met over the phone. "Oh, actually...I think that's me. The waitress must have thought I said Moan."
By this stage, D is laughing so hard she might need stitches. "Moan? That's a good one." I feel like reminding her of her not-so-normal Indian name that people mispronounce all the time, but being benevolent and in need of tapas, I don't.
So here we are, Moan and D, ready for tasty Spanish morsels. We're seated and the waiter asks us which of the FFF drinks we'd like, the beer or wine. We both order the pinot noir. Moments later, another waiter arrives and asks us the same thing. We tell him we've already ordered our drinks, and he looks a little miffed. As if to say, "Well, excuse me for daring to give you girls some service! Next time, I'll just waltz on by." Which, of course, he does, for the next two and half hours of our meal.
Our drinks arrive. D gets her pinot noir...and I'm given the sav blanc. I didn't ask for it, but in the interests of keeping the peace (and also because I do quite enjoy a sav blanc) I don't say anything.
About 45 minutes later, our tapas boxes arrive. Oh, goody! Obviously I want to hear what each piece of tapas actually is, so I can report back to you, dear reader. But with a flourish of napkin, the waiter is gone and D and I are left to investigate our meals alone.
We decide we love the patatas bravas. The potatoes are roasted to crispy perfection, and the tomato sauce is infused with enough chilli to warrant the extra bottle of wine we order (too bad it takes 35 minutes to show up). The salt cod croquette with aioli is good, too. The chorizo is a little too oliy for D, but I love it. The texture is great and it's good and spicy. The meatballs filled with manchego cheese should, by rights, be the standout. They're on a bed of tomato sauce (which is great), but the meatballs have obviously been made and cooked hours ahead of time. The cheese doesn't ooze from them as it should - it's a hard little rock in the centre of cold, tough mince. The Portuguese chicken in peri-peri sauce is good, but again, it's cold and tough.
We decide it's time for Subsolo to redeem itself, so we order dessert (we're nice like that). While waiting for our bottle of temperanillo (did I mention it took 35 minutes to get from the bar to our table?) I settle on Spanish churros filled with dulce de leche with Spanish chocolate sauce and honey nougat icecream, and D orders the hot chocolate pudding with melting chocolate centre, chocolate sauce and vanilla bean icecream.
About 40 minutes whizzes by until finally, we're given our dessert. To be honest, it was worth the wait - the dessert was definitely the highlight and if we ever visit Subsolo again, it'll be the sole reason. My churros were fresh from the deep-fryer, and filled with the most decadently rich caramel sauce ever. It was thick, not overly sweet and just plain amazing. The chocolate sauce was a little too much with it, but the icecream worked well. D's chocolate pudding was similarly indulgent. The centre was a puddle of thick, oozing sauce and the edges were slightly crispy.
But dessert isn't enough to save a meal - especially one where the service was so ridiculously bad. Come to think of it, it's quite ironic that they misheard my name as Moan, if you catch my drift.
Subsolo
161 King St, Sydney NSW 2000
Corner Castlereagh St
9223 7000
Saturday, January 16
garden court, sofitel
January means a lot of things to people. In Australia, it might mean music festivals, days spent in cossies and thongs, barbecues and beer. In the Northern Hemisphere, it means pretty much the opposite. And in mine and Caliban's little world, it means the Sydney Festival is here.
This is our third Sydney Festival together, and while we're not seeing as many shows this year, we're definitely putting our money where our mouths are with the Fast Festival Feasts. In short: fancy restaurants offer $30 main meals between 12-1pm and 6-7pm during the festival. Your $30 also scores you a glass of Stoneleigh wine or a Little Creatures beer, and a Ferrero at the end of the meal.
On Monday, we visited the Garden Court at the Sofitel Hotel to try their FFF. We took friends Jake and Jess along - and I have to say that it was amazing.
The meal on offer was pan-fried ocea trout with pommes puree, zucchini flower and asparagus, but before this showed up, we were treated like actual guests of the hotel and served bread, oil and butter. You might think bread is a fairly cheap commodity (along with butter and to a lesser extent, oil) and therefore one that should be served no matter where you are, but a lot of FFF restaurants simply serve you the meal, without affording you the niceties they would to a patron who's paying upwards of $40 for their main. My problem with this is that FFFs attract people who wouldn't normally go to these restaurants. With that in mind, the restaurants should be doing everything they can to make the meal special and memorable - both so the customers love it, and so they come back. Simple, no?
So we ate the bread (we even got a choice - sourdough, multigrain, olive or rye). And then we ate the complimentary amuse bouche of watercress soup, which was amazing and nothing like what I'd imagine supermodels must eat all day (rumour has it Liz Hurley scoffs watercress soup when she needs to squeeze into safety pin dresses). It was creamy, rich and peppered with a little olive oil. Amazing.
Next, of course, came the main meal. The trout was gorgeous. Bright pink flesh that fell apart with the touch of a fork was soft in texture but big on flavour. So yummy. The crispy skin was a great touch, and I loved the pommes puree. We'd ordered chunky fries as a side, and these were almost the highlight. More huge than chunky, more chips than fries, they weren't oily at all, and had a generous smattering of salt and rosemary. Yum.
Garden Court
Sofitel Wentworth
5/61-101 Phillip St
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9228 9157
This is our third Sydney Festival together, and while we're not seeing as many shows this year, we're definitely putting our money where our mouths are with the Fast Festival Feasts. In short: fancy restaurants offer $30 main meals between 12-1pm and 6-7pm during the festival. Your $30 also scores you a glass of Stoneleigh wine or a Little Creatures beer, and a Ferrero at the end of the meal.
On Monday, we visited the Garden Court at the Sofitel Hotel to try their FFF. We took friends Jake and Jess along - and I have to say that it was amazing.
The meal on offer was pan-fried ocea trout with pommes puree, zucchini flower and asparagus, but before this showed up, we were treated like actual guests of the hotel and served bread, oil and butter. You might think bread is a fairly cheap commodity (along with butter and to a lesser extent, oil) and therefore one that should be served no matter where you are, but a lot of FFF restaurants simply serve you the meal, without affording you the niceties they would to a patron who's paying upwards of $40 for their main. My problem with this is that FFFs attract people who wouldn't normally go to these restaurants. With that in mind, the restaurants should be doing everything they can to make the meal special and memorable - both so the customers love it, and so they come back. Simple, no?
So we ate the bread (we even got a choice - sourdough, multigrain, olive or rye). And then we ate the complimentary amuse bouche of watercress soup, which was amazing and nothing like what I'd imagine supermodels must eat all day (rumour has it Liz Hurley scoffs watercress soup when she needs to squeeze into safety pin dresses). It was creamy, rich and peppered with a little olive oil. Amazing.
Next, of course, came the main meal. The trout was gorgeous. Bright pink flesh that fell apart with the touch of a fork was soft in texture but big on flavour. So yummy. The crispy skin was a great touch, and I loved the pommes puree. We'd ordered chunky fries as a side, and these were almost the highlight. More huge than chunky, more chips than fries, they weren't oily at all, and had a generous smattering of salt and rosemary. Yum.
Garden Court
Sofitel Wentworth
5/61-101 Phillip St
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9228 9157
Monday, January 4
we all scream for icecream
Over at Good Living today, it's all about summer - and what says "summer" more than icecream? Matt Preston offers a lesson in "popsicology", explaining the history of icecream. (Who knew George Washington spent $200 on icecream in 1790? Not I.) Stephanie Clifford-Smith reckons she knows where to find the top ten gelato scoops in Sydney (my pick: Gelatomassi in Newtown, or just about anywhere on Norton St, Leichhardt). And Preston pops up again, showing us how to pick our kulfi from our kachang, our semifreddo from our sorbet. I always find it interesting that despite huge cultural divides and geographic differences, many cultures have similar recipes (burritos are to the Mexican what pancakes are to the Chinese; noodles for Japanese and pasta for Italians, etc) and icecream and its various cousins is no exception. Sign me up for some spoom!
One of my favourite food blogs, Stone Soup, is also riding the icecream wave, with a post on five ways to make icecream without an icecream maker. Useful stuff. I also love the look of Julie Goodwin's ricotta icecream in this month's issue of The Australian Women's Weekly. The recipe isn't online, so you'll have to check it out for yourself!
And speaking of icecream, Caliban and I took a trip to lovely lakeside Toronto (not the Canadian city, the quiet NSW town) after Christmas, where we indulged in a LOT of icecream. After a long day in the car (snaps to Caliban, who drove the entire way) we treated ourselves to lunch at Anacapri, an Italian restaurant on Brighton St. Lots of wine, a pizza, some bread and a delicious serving of chilli prawns later, we tottered over to the icecreamery and gorged on Norgen-Vasz icecream. Caliban was delighted with the country-style servings (read: the two scoops icecream were basically as big as his head) and promptly fell asleep after devouring the whole thing. Rather like a baby who only needs a bottle of milk to go under, you know?
Got any hot (or, er, cool) icecream hints from your kitchen or neighbourhood? Share them here.
And happy new year!
Lauren x
One of my favourite food blogs, Stone Soup, is also riding the icecream wave, with a post on five ways to make icecream without an icecream maker. Useful stuff. I also love the look of Julie Goodwin's ricotta icecream in this month's issue of The Australian Women's Weekly. The recipe isn't online, so you'll have to check it out for yourself!
And speaking of icecream, Caliban and I took a trip to lovely lakeside Toronto (not the Canadian city, the quiet NSW town) after Christmas, where we indulged in a LOT of icecream. After a long day in the car (snaps to Caliban, who drove the entire way) we treated ourselves to lunch at Anacapri, an Italian restaurant on Brighton St. Lots of wine, a pizza, some bread and a delicious serving of chilli prawns later, we tottered over to the icecreamery and gorged on Norgen-Vasz icecream. Caliban was delighted with the country-style servings (read: the two scoops icecream were basically as big as his head) and promptly fell asleep after devouring the whole thing. Rather like a baby who only needs a bottle of milk to go under, you know?
Got any hot (or, er, cool) icecream hints from your kitchen or neighbourhood? Share them here.
And happy new year!
Lauren x
Thursday, December 17
plan b by becasse
Last week, I blogged at Cosmo about wanting a wagyu beef burger from Plan B by Becasse for Christmas. Today, I got my wish!
Miss C and I went to Plan B for lunch today. I was nursing a nasty hangover and she was nursing a bottle of champers for me for Christmas – how apt! We both ordered the 800-day grain fed wagyu beef burger, and guess what? It was the best freakin’ burger I’ve ever had. Better than New York’s famed Shake Shack burgers. Better than my stepmum’s veggie burgers (which are pretty awesome). Better than a cheeseburger at midnight.
The meat patty is generous, to say the least, and full of flavour. It’s rich, juicy and incredibly seasoned – amazing. Topped with a slice of cheese (it tastes like gruyere, but I could be wrong) that has melted over the patty deliciously, a bed of lettuce, caramelised onion, beetroot (of course) and a dollop of creamy mayo, it’s perfection in a brioche bun. And at just $10, it’s amazing value (most pub burgers are more expensive, right?) Plus, it doesn’t have fries on the side, so I’m not tempted to eat more than I need. Tick, tick, tick.
Plan B is run by Justin North, the chef behind the city’s best-known French restaurant, Becasse. This year, Justin was named Chef of the Year by the Sydney Morning Herald, and his restaurants (there are four) have won about a gazillion awards. In 2007, Becasse was named in the top 100 restaurants in the world. Pretty impressive stuff. Plan B is like Becasse’s little sister – a little less ambitious, but with the same quality and attention to detail as big sis Becasse. It’s a place to get lunch to take back to the office (like a pork belly sandwich, perhaps?) or a coffee and treat (banana, caramel and salted pecan tart, anyone?). It’s small but elegantly decked out, and might just be my new favourite spot.
Plan B by Becasse
204 Clarence St, Sydney
http://www.becasse.com.au/
9283 3450
Miss C and I went to Plan B for lunch today. I was nursing a nasty hangover and she was nursing a bottle of champers for me for Christmas – how apt! We both ordered the 800-day grain fed wagyu beef burger, and guess what? It was the best freakin’ burger I’ve ever had. Better than New York’s famed Shake Shack burgers. Better than my stepmum’s veggie burgers (which are pretty awesome). Better than a cheeseburger at midnight.
The meat patty is generous, to say the least, and full of flavour. It’s rich, juicy and incredibly seasoned – amazing. Topped with a slice of cheese (it tastes like gruyere, but I could be wrong) that has melted over the patty deliciously, a bed of lettuce, caramelised onion, beetroot (of course) and a dollop of creamy mayo, it’s perfection in a brioche bun. And at just $10, it’s amazing value (most pub burgers are more expensive, right?) Plus, it doesn’t have fries on the side, so I’m not tempted to eat more than I need. Tick, tick, tick.
Plan B is run by Justin North, the chef behind the city’s best-known French restaurant, Becasse. This year, Justin was named Chef of the Year by the Sydney Morning Herald, and his restaurants (there are four) have won about a gazillion awards. In 2007, Becasse was named in the top 100 restaurants in the world. Pretty impressive stuff. Plan B is like Becasse’s little sister – a little less ambitious, but with the same quality and attention to detail as big sis Becasse. It’s a place to get lunch to take back to the office (like a pork belly sandwich, perhaps?) or a coffee and treat (banana, caramel and salted pecan tart, anyone?). It’s small but elegantly decked out, and might just be my new favourite spot.
Plan B by Becasse
204 Clarence St, Sydney
http://www.becasse.com.au/
9283 3450
Wednesday, December 2
crust - the takeaway pizza of (lazy, couch-sitting) kings
Do you live in Sydney? Great. Chances are, you have eaten Crust pizza. And chances are, you LOVE it.
Caliban and I are pretty spoiled for choice when it comes to pizza. With our proximity to Sydney's real Little Italy, Haberfield, we could eat at a different pizza place every night if our waistlines and wallets allowed it. But we do hold a very special place in our hearts for Crust, the gourmet pizza chain that's in just about every Sydney suburb by now. When we first started dating, we'd regularly eat their garlic prawn pizza (washed down with a couple of Becks each) while watching DVDs, cuddling, gazing lovingly into each others' eyes, and so on.
So you can imagine my excitement when I opened the mailbox last week to find a Crust menu - for our new, very local, very own Crust. Yes!
That very night, I treated Caliban to an at-home dinner date and we feasted on Garlic Prawn, White Anchovy and Herb and Garlic pizzas.
I'm pretty particular about pizzas. I don't like meat on them (save for salami) and I recoil when people order stuff like "barbecue chicken pizza". That's not pizza. I like thin-based pizzas with a handful of quality toppings. This is why margherita pizza will always be my favourite - chewy, milky buffalo mozarella on a thick, rich tomato base and a sprinkling of oregano. You can't beat it. But I do like seafood pizzas, even if purists will draw and quarter me for it.
Crust does do meat pizzas, and seafood pizzas, and even (quel horreur!) heart tick-approved pizzas. I've tasted from their menu extensively, and it's all pretty amazing, with quality ingredients and hard-to-beat bases. The menu is laid out really nicely, with a guide to bases (your standard tomato base is there, along with less traditional pumpkin, spinach and ricotta blend and olive tapenade bases) that's handy for first-time customers.
It's fairly expensive takeout (over $50 for our three pizzas and a - very - small tub of mango gelato) but Crust is such a standout standby option. While we didn't love the White Anchovy pizza (it was our first foray into white anchovy-land, and we weren't happy tourists: they're far fishier than their black counterparts), everything else, including delivery time - about 25 minutes - was spot-on. A fab, easy way to spend Saturday night.
Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar
Various locations
www.crust.com.au
Caliban and I are pretty spoiled for choice when it comes to pizza. With our proximity to Sydney's real Little Italy, Haberfield, we could eat at a different pizza place every night if our waistlines and wallets allowed it. But we do hold a very special place in our hearts for Crust, the gourmet pizza chain that's in just about every Sydney suburb by now. When we first started dating, we'd regularly eat their garlic prawn pizza (washed down with a couple of Becks each) while watching DVDs, cuddling, gazing lovingly into each others' eyes, and so on.
So you can imagine my excitement when I opened the mailbox last week to find a Crust menu - for our new, very local, very own Crust. Yes!
That very night, I treated Caliban to an at-home dinner date and we feasted on Garlic Prawn, White Anchovy and Herb and Garlic pizzas.
I'm pretty particular about pizzas. I don't like meat on them (save for salami) and I recoil when people order stuff like "barbecue chicken pizza". That's not pizza. I like thin-based pizzas with a handful of quality toppings. This is why margherita pizza will always be my favourite - chewy, milky buffalo mozarella on a thick, rich tomato base and a sprinkling of oregano. You can't beat it. But I do like seafood pizzas, even if purists will draw and quarter me for it.
Crust does do meat pizzas, and seafood pizzas, and even (quel horreur!) heart tick-approved pizzas. I've tasted from their menu extensively, and it's all pretty amazing, with quality ingredients and hard-to-beat bases. The menu is laid out really nicely, with a guide to bases (your standard tomato base is there, along with less traditional pumpkin, spinach and ricotta blend and olive tapenade bases) that's handy for first-time customers.
It's fairly expensive takeout (over $50 for our three pizzas and a - very - small tub of mango gelato) but Crust is such a standout standby option. While we didn't love the White Anchovy pizza (it was our first foray into white anchovy-land, and we weren't happy tourists: they're far fishier than their black counterparts), everything else, including delivery time - about 25 minutes - was spot-on. A fab, easy way to spend Saturday night.
Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar
Various locations
www.crust.com.au
Saturday, November 28
azuma kushiyaki
When you hear that Tetsuya Wakuda favours a particular restaurant as his after-work hangout, you make it your business, as a fledgling food blogger, to get there. And eat. And eat, and eat.
So, one Friday night after work, I met two of my favourite dining companions, Miss M and Miss B, at Azuma - our very own after-work hangout. Miss M is one of my favourite people to share a meal with because she eats pretty much everything (note: I have an incredibly low tolerance for people who "don't eat seafood" or "stay away from dairy" and so on. Life = too short.) Also, she almost always makes sure we order something vaguely healthy, which means she is a wonderful (and wonderfully entertaining) foil to Miss B, whose diet resembles something from This is why you're fat. Of course, the frustrating thing is that Miss B herself looks like a ballerina, despite eating Krispy Kreme sundaes and banana bread topped with bacon, maple syrup, icecream and blueberries. (Case in point: last night I got a call from Miss B. "I'm in Manly," she said. "Guess what I want to know?" "Uh...where to find Ben and Jerry's?" "Bingo!" she replied.) But, it's a great thing to eat with Miss B, because: a) it's quite hilarious to see the reactions of waitstaff when she orders an entire meal of side dishes, for instance; and b) sometimes she actually hits the mark and comes up with flavour combinations enjoyed by all.
So, to Azuma we went. Sandwiched between the George St Greater Union cinemas and Kentucky Fried Chicken, we weren't sure what to expect. Miss M and I ordered a glass of Stella Bella semillon sav blanc each, and as we waited for Miss B, snacked on edamame beans - warm, without salt. This is my favourite way to eat edamame - I find they're flavoursome enough, without the huge chunks of rock salt some bars and restaurants load on.
When Miss B arrived, it was time for more wine and ordering. After a lengthy discussion of the menu, we settled on a selection of skewers (the dish that Azuma is famed for), Nasu Miso (eggplant in miso with minced chicken) and a Spider Roll.
The Nasu Miso was perfect - eggplant and miso are such a match made in heaven, it's hard to go wrong. The thick, gelatinous miso sauce covered the eggplant entirely, and the mild chicken flavour was a bit of a relief from the heaviness of the miso. Thumbs up from all - even Miss B.
I love a good Spider Roll, mainly because I LURVE soft-shell crab. Azuma's was no exception. The sticky rice enveloping the crispy crab and its creamy Japanese mayonnaise (which is so much better than any Western attempt at mayo, in my opinion), topped with roe, was such a perfect accompaniment to our wine. The wine, light and crisp and citrus-y, was such a wonderful counter to the rich, creamy, texture-bending spider roll. Yum, yum, double yum.
And then, the skewers. We've ordered the Wagyu beef tongue skewers with curry salt, Duck breast with Japanese sansho salt, Paradise prawn and crispy head and wild scallop with soy and homemade garlic oil. The skewers are $3 each, which is decidedly within Miss B's med student budget, so we order three of each and settle down to a feast. The waitress brings out the salts and explains what each of the flavours are - but doesn't tell us which goes with which. She also lets us know that it's perfectly acceptable to eat the prawn's head - something I'm keen to try, just for the hell of it.
The Wagyu beef tongue is gorgeous - cooked to rare perfection, it marries well with the spicy, sweet curry salt. I try it with the green tea salt we're given, too, and it's so good. The green tea salt, by the way, is an out-and-out favourite of the whole table. It's perfect with the wild scallops.
The duck skewers are basically everything you'd imagine - soft to the bite, rich and moist and juicy. We dutifully dip them in the black pepper salt and suddenly, they're even better. Yum. And while each of us has a go at eating the whole prawn - shell, head and all - only DDS (that's me) finishes us. A win for the food blogger!
Miss B and I decide we need more to eat, so we order a Tamago Yaki (Japanese rolled omelette). I love the way the Japanese make their omelettes - instead of serving them flat, they roll them tightly until the omelette is a thick roll of egg, filled with vegetables or meat or tofu. This omelette is simply egg, and it's also simply delicious. A light way to finish the meal, it would also be a great starter. As predicted, Miss M orders the mixed green salad with ponzu vinaigrette, so we're able to get our fill of greens before the night is through.
After we paid (less than $50 each - fantastic value in my opinion), we set off for dessert (unsurprisingly, Miss B's favourite meal) at the adjacent Azuma Cafe. Sadly, it's past 10pm, so it's already closed (in Sydney?? On a Friday night? In the middle of the city?). We resolve to find gelato somewhere nearby, and return to the Cafe another time.
Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 George St, Sydney
www.azuma.com.au
+61 2 9267 7775
So, one Friday night after work, I met two of my favourite dining companions, Miss M and Miss B, at Azuma - our very own after-work hangout. Miss M is one of my favourite people to share a meal with because she eats pretty much everything (note: I have an incredibly low tolerance for people who "don't eat seafood" or "stay away from dairy" and so on. Life = too short.) Also, she almost always makes sure we order something vaguely healthy, which means she is a wonderful (and wonderfully entertaining) foil to Miss B, whose diet resembles something from This is why you're fat. Of course, the frustrating thing is that Miss B herself looks like a ballerina, despite eating Krispy Kreme sundaes and banana bread topped with bacon, maple syrup, icecream and blueberries. (Case in point: last night I got a call from Miss B. "I'm in Manly," she said. "Guess what I want to know?" "Uh...where to find Ben and Jerry's?" "Bingo!" she replied.) But, it's a great thing to eat with Miss B, because: a) it's quite hilarious to see the reactions of waitstaff when she orders an entire meal of side dishes, for instance; and b) sometimes she actually hits the mark and comes up with flavour combinations enjoyed by all.
So, to Azuma we went. Sandwiched between the George St Greater Union cinemas and Kentucky Fried Chicken, we weren't sure what to expect. Miss M and I ordered a glass of Stella Bella semillon sav blanc each, and as we waited for Miss B, snacked on edamame beans - warm, without salt. This is my favourite way to eat edamame - I find they're flavoursome enough, without the huge chunks of rock salt some bars and restaurants load on.
When Miss B arrived, it was time for more wine and ordering. After a lengthy discussion of the menu, we settled on a selection of skewers (the dish that Azuma is famed for), Nasu Miso (eggplant in miso with minced chicken) and a Spider Roll.
The Nasu Miso was perfect - eggplant and miso are such a match made in heaven, it's hard to go wrong. The thick, gelatinous miso sauce covered the eggplant entirely, and the mild chicken flavour was a bit of a relief from the heaviness of the miso. Thumbs up from all - even Miss B.
I love a good Spider Roll, mainly because I LURVE soft-shell crab. Azuma's was no exception. The sticky rice enveloping the crispy crab and its creamy Japanese mayonnaise (which is so much better than any Western attempt at mayo, in my opinion), topped with roe, was such a perfect accompaniment to our wine. The wine, light and crisp and citrus-y, was such a wonderful counter to the rich, creamy, texture-bending spider roll. Yum, yum, double yum.
And then, the skewers. We've ordered the Wagyu beef tongue skewers with curry salt, Duck breast with Japanese sansho salt, Paradise prawn and crispy head and wild scallop with soy and homemade garlic oil. The skewers are $3 each, which is decidedly within Miss B's med student budget, so we order three of each and settle down to a feast. The waitress brings out the salts and explains what each of the flavours are - but doesn't tell us which goes with which. She also lets us know that it's perfectly acceptable to eat the prawn's head - something I'm keen to try, just for the hell of it.
The Wagyu beef tongue is gorgeous - cooked to rare perfection, it marries well with the spicy, sweet curry salt. I try it with the green tea salt we're given, too, and it's so good. The green tea salt, by the way, is an out-and-out favourite of the whole table. It's perfect with the wild scallops.
The duck skewers are basically everything you'd imagine - soft to the bite, rich and moist and juicy. We dutifully dip them in the black pepper salt and suddenly, they're even better. Yum. And while each of us has a go at eating the whole prawn - shell, head and all - only DDS (that's me) finishes us. A win for the food blogger!
Miss B and I decide we need more to eat, so we order a Tamago Yaki (Japanese rolled omelette). I love the way the Japanese make their omelettes - instead of serving them flat, they roll them tightly until the omelette is a thick roll of egg, filled with vegetables or meat or tofu. This omelette is simply egg, and it's also simply delicious. A light way to finish the meal, it would also be a great starter. As predicted, Miss M orders the mixed green salad with ponzu vinaigrette, so we're able to get our fill of greens before the night is through.
After we paid (less than $50 each - fantastic value in my opinion), we set off for dessert (unsurprisingly, Miss B's favourite meal) at the adjacent Azuma Cafe. Sadly, it's past 10pm, so it's already closed (in Sydney?? On a Friday night? In the middle of the city?). We resolve to find gelato somewhere nearby, and return to the Cafe another time.
Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 George St, Sydney
www.azuma.com.au
+61 2 9267 7775
Saturday, September 26
tapas at the arthouse hotel
I love tapas. This is probably because: I love sharing food, I love Spanish food, and I love sharing food. Oh, and I love Spanish food.
My friend Chenea* and I have been dying to try the tapas at The Arthouse Hotel for some time now. We used to have a standing date at tourist trap Jets in the QVB, but when we realised what a rip-off it was, we decided to change our location to Arthouse. We usually have pizzas and wine downstairs, but we loved the idea of tapas in The Dome restaurant (upstairs) on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
So, on a Wednesday night not too long ago, we met for little plates of delicious Spanish food. And wine. Armed with sav blanc, we ordered from the very comprehensive tapas menu. There are three price points: $12, $14 and $16. From the $12 menu, we ordered Turkish bread and dips (baba ghanoush, taramasalata and hommus), spinach and ricotta empadillas, and grilled chorizo and haloumi. From the $14 menu, we ordered the chilli, salt and pepper squid. On the waiters' advice, we only ordered four dishes, which turned out to be plenty.
The trio of dips was good. The bread was brushed with oil and panfried (a nice, if unhealthy, touch) and the dips themselves were yummy. The empadillas weren't quite what I was expecting. I assumed we'd be eating small parcels of shortcrust pastry filled with spinach and ricotta, but we were served large square pillows of puff pastry (filled with spinach and ricotta). Their size (about as big as my palm) made them quite unwiedly, but they were good nonetheless. I'll never turn down salt and pepper squid, especially with chilli. Arthouse's version lived up to my expectations, and I ate way more than my fair share. The standout dish was the grilled chorizo and haloumi. The sausage was spicy, a little fatty (in a good way) and grilled perfectly, and the cheese was milky, unctuous and appropriately squeaky. Yum, yum, yum.
The verdict? We liked. Go there with a girlfriend and don't be afraid to order a $12 cocktail or two.
The Arthouse Hotel
www.thearthousehotel.com.au
275 Pitt St, Sydney
(02) 9284 1200
* Name has been changed...
My friend Chenea* and I have been dying to try the tapas at The Arthouse Hotel for some time now. We used to have a standing date at tourist trap Jets in the QVB, but when we realised what a rip-off it was, we decided to change our location to Arthouse. We usually have pizzas and wine downstairs, but we loved the idea of tapas in The Dome restaurant (upstairs) on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
So, on a Wednesday night not too long ago, we met for little plates of delicious Spanish food. And wine. Armed with sav blanc, we ordered from the very comprehensive tapas menu. There are three price points: $12, $14 and $16. From the $12 menu, we ordered Turkish bread and dips (baba ghanoush, taramasalata and hommus), spinach and ricotta empadillas, and grilled chorizo and haloumi. From the $14 menu, we ordered the chilli, salt and pepper squid. On the waiters' advice, we only ordered four dishes, which turned out to be plenty.
The trio of dips was good. The bread was brushed with oil and panfried (a nice, if unhealthy, touch) and the dips themselves were yummy. The empadillas weren't quite what I was expecting. I assumed we'd be eating small parcels of shortcrust pastry filled with spinach and ricotta, but we were served large square pillows of puff pastry (filled with spinach and ricotta). Their size (about as big as my palm) made them quite unwiedly, but they were good nonetheless. I'll never turn down salt and pepper squid, especially with chilli. Arthouse's version lived up to my expectations, and I ate way more than my fair share. The standout dish was the grilled chorizo and haloumi. The sausage was spicy, a little fatty (in a good way) and grilled perfectly, and the cheese was milky, unctuous and appropriately squeaky. Yum, yum, yum.
The verdict? We liked. Go there with a girlfriend and don't be afraid to order a $12 cocktail or two.
The Arthouse Hotel
www.thearthousehotel.com.au
275 Pitt St, Sydney
(02) 9284 1200
* Name has been changed...
gusto, paddington
Let's get one thing straight, DDS readers. The eastern suburbs and I are not natural bedfellows. I'm an Inner West girl (by way of Ye Olde Windsor Town) and I just cannot handle the eastern suburbs. This makes me something of an outsider in the publishing industry (I'm constantly asked things like, "How many hours should I allow to get to Glebe?" and "Parramatta Rd is in Parramatta, right?") and now that I am a fledgling food blogger, I realise that I'll probably have to get over the phobia. As my friend Bec says, you've got to hold the spiders to get over your fear of them. Last week, I held the spiders. The fear remains.
I met my friends Miss B and Megan at Gusto, at the Five Ways in Paddington for brunch last Sunday. I decided (unwisely, as it turns out) to drive...and it took an hour and a half to get from Ashfield to Paddington. Truly! Unfortunately, there was some sort of marathon on, which caused all manner of traffic mayhem. Luckily, I had my recently downloaded Beyonce/Destiny's Child playlist to play over and over and over again for the ride...but now, I never, ever want to hear "Jumpin', Jumpin'" again.
But I digress. Gusto is a cute corner cafe filled with well-dressed locals. It's a great place to hang out for hours - which we ended up doing. The breakfast menu isn't extensive - it's full of standard favourites like eggs benedict, bircher muesli, fruit salad and yoghurt, and the ubiquitous big breakfast. Miss B, who eats more than anyone I've ever met (that's a compliment, by the way) ordered the big breakfast (eggs, toast, tomatoes, hash browns and sausages) with an assortment of sides - avocado, spinach and mushrooms. Miss B is all about sides - I've even seen her order an entire meal of sides before. She's mad for sides. Megan, who is very healthy, went for bircher muesli topped with grated apple. I ordered a large soy latte and one of the mixed berry and ricotta muffins, with some ricotta and honey on the side. Later, I had a pineapple, lime and apple juice. Miss B declared the big breakfast "satisfying" (with that much food, satisfying is the least of the adjectives one could use, surely?) and Megan loved the fresh, filling bircher muesli. I wasn't impressed with the muffin - it was advertised as fresh, but had a hard, dry crust and the cake wasn't much of an improvement. Pass.
The juice and coffee were great, and I love a cafe that lets you sit and people-watch for as long as you like. Miss B even devoured half of her birthday present from Megan (a box of cupcakes from nearby Cupcake Bakery) without so much as a raised eyebrow from the waiter. But coffee and juice do not maketh the brunch...I won't be heading back to Gusto.
Gusto
corner Broughton and Heeley Sts, Five Ways at Paddington
(02) 9361 5640
Cupcake Bakery
www.thecupcakebakery.com.au
438 Oxford St, Paddington
(02) 9332 3700
I met my friends Miss B and Megan at Gusto, at the Five Ways in Paddington for brunch last Sunday. I decided (unwisely, as it turns out) to drive...and it took an hour and a half to get from Ashfield to Paddington. Truly! Unfortunately, there was some sort of marathon on, which caused all manner of traffic mayhem. Luckily, I had my recently downloaded Beyonce/Destiny's Child playlist to play over and over and over again for the ride...but now, I never, ever want to hear "Jumpin', Jumpin'" again.
But I digress. Gusto is a cute corner cafe filled with well-dressed locals. It's a great place to hang out for hours - which we ended up doing. The breakfast menu isn't extensive - it's full of standard favourites like eggs benedict, bircher muesli, fruit salad and yoghurt, and the ubiquitous big breakfast. Miss B, who eats more than anyone I've ever met (that's a compliment, by the way) ordered the big breakfast (eggs, toast, tomatoes, hash browns and sausages) with an assortment of sides - avocado, spinach and mushrooms. Miss B is all about sides - I've even seen her order an entire meal of sides before. She's mad for sides. Megan, who is very healthy, went for bircher muesli topped with grated apple. I ordered a large soy latte and one of the mixed berry and ricotta muffins, with some ricotta and honey on the side. Later, I had a pineapple, lime and apple juice. Miss B declared the big breakfast "satisfying" (with that much food, satisfying is the least of the adjectives one could use, surely?) and Megan loved the fresh, filling bircher muesli. I wasn't impressed with the muffin - it was advertised as fresh, but had a hard, dry crust and the cake wasn't much of an improvement. Pass.
The juice and coffee were great, and I love a cafe that lets you sit and people-watch for as long as you like. Miss B even devoured half of her birthday present from Megan (a box of cupcakes from nearby Cupcake Bakery) without so much as a raised eyebrow from the waiter. But coffee and juice do not maketh the brunch...I won't be heading back to Gusto.
Gusto
corner Broughton and Heeley Sts, Five Ways at Paddington
(02) 9361 5640
Cupcake Bakery
www.thecupcakebakery.com.au
438 Oxford St, Paddington
(02) 9332 3700
naniwa tei: a love story
Morning, DDS-readers! As promised, let me tell you a little about a charming Japanese hole-in-the-wall, Naniwa Tei.
There are lots of reasons I love living in Sydney. Weather, definitely. Campos coffee, without a doubt. The Bay walk, Centennial Park, the Harbour Bridge. And of course, the restaurants. As you can no doubt tell from reading this blog, I am pretty big on restaurants. But as much as I love the five star, silver spoon, "can I get you any more of anything?" service at places like Tetsuya's and Quay, there is a certain inimitable charm about the less exciting restaurants about town, too. To wit: Naniwa Tei.
My friend D introduced me to this restaurant about two years ago. The floorboards are unpolished. The tables are bare. The walls are covered in posters advertising Engrish-sounding entrees. A radio constantly plays Mix 106.5 FM. It is hardly ever full, and when it is, the customers are a mix of finance suits and budget-conscious students. The one thing they all have in common is their Japanese heritage. It's a sign that bodes well for our tummies.
A little while after D introuced me, I, in turn, introduced my then-new boyfriend, Caliban, to the delights of soft shell crab, tuna sashimi and cuttlefish kimchi. In the two years since, I think we've eaten there at least 25 times. At least.
Being the creatures of habit we are, we hardly ever stray from our own little menu. Soft shell crab for two, large tuna sashimi, cuttlefish kimchi, mixed tempura, and plenty of Asahi. The soft shell crab is served in small bowls, with a bed of lettuce and a sweet dipping sauce. The crab itself melts on your tongue, and as you bite into it, the moist, flavoursome meat bursts. It's pretty amazing - especially for $12. The tuna sashimi is similarly impressive - ruby red, without a trace of visible fat. It's served just below room temperature, which is perfect: not so cold that you might mistake it for watermelon (the texture definitely changes as it gets colder) and obviously, not too warm. It's Caliban's favourite dish, and I think he's told everyone he's ever met all about it. If you've met him, he's probably told you more than I ever could about the delights of this dish. Listen to his version.
The cuttlefish kimchi is a very cool discovery. I'm not much for regular kimchi. Cabbage has never been high on my list of must-eat foods, and while the spicy sauce is a winner, I've never really seen the point of smothering it on the vastly inferior cabbage. But cuttlefish kimchi - well, that works. I can definitely see the point of that. Thin ribbons of cuttlefish (molluscs similar to squid - and according to Wikipedia, among the most intelligent invertebrates) are soaked in spicy, thick kimchi sauce, for our eating pleasure. I'm absolutely addicted to these little threads of joy.
The mixed tempura is fairly standard Japanese fare, to be honest. It's not remarkable, but it definitely wins a place in our regular menu. And let's be honest: the Asahis wouldn't really be doing their job without some grease to absorb.
We've shared our love of Naniwa Tei with friends and family, and on such occasions, we do experiment with the menu. Takoyaki smothered in Japanese mayonnaise, kingfish and salmon sashimi, light-as-a-feather gyoza, beef tataki topped with egg yolk (yum!), udon noodle soups, and some of the most lethal hot sake I've ever tasted.
The thing I love most about Naniwa Tei is that it provided such a perfect backdrop for our romance. We genuinely think of it as our place - and that's how I'll always refer to it.
I'm curious to know - do you and your partner have a regular restaurant? Tell me!
Naniwa Tei
Bulletin Place, Circular Quay
There are lots of reasons I love living in Sydney. Weather, definitely. Campos coffee, without a doubt. The Bay walk, Centennial Park, the Harbour Bridge. And of course, the restaurants. As you can no doubt tell from reading this blog, I am pretty big on restaurants. But as much as I love the five star, silver spoon, "can I get you any more of anything?" service at places like Tetsuya's and Quay, there is a certain inimitable charm about the less exciting restaurants about town, too. To wit: Naniwa Tei.
My friend D introduced me to this restaurant about two years ago. The floorboards are unpolished. The tables are bare. The walls are covered in posters advertising Engrish-sounding entrees. A radio constantly plays Mix 106.5 FM. It is hardly ever full, and when it is, the customers are a mix of finance suits and budget-conscious students. The one thing they all have in common is their Japanese heritage. It's a sign that bodes well for our tummies.
A little while after D introuced me, I, in turn, introduced my then-new boyfriend, Caliban, to the delights of soft shell crab, tuna sashimi and cuttlefish kimchi. In the two years since, I think we've eaten there at least 25 times. At least.
Being the creatures of habit we are, we hardly ever stray from our own little menu. Soft shell crab for two, large tuna sashimi, cuttlefish kimchi, mixed tempura, and plenty of Asahi. The soft shell crab is served in small bowls, with a bed of lettuce and a sweet dipping sauce. The crab itself melts on your tongue, and as you bite into it, the moist, flavoursome meat bursts. It's pretty amazing - especially for $12. The tuna sashimi is similarly impressive - ruby red, without a trace of visible fat. It's served just below room temperature, which is perfect: not so cold that you might mistake it for watermelon (the texture definitely changes as it gets colder) and obviously, not too warm. It's Caliban's favourite dish, and I think he's told everyone he's ever met all about it. If you've met him, he's probably told you more than I ever could about the delights of this dish. Listen to his version.
The cuttlefish kimchi is a very cool discovery. I'm not much for regular kimchi. Cabbage has never been high on my list of must-eat foods, and while the spicy sauce is a winner, I've never really seen the point of smothering it on the vastly inferior cabbage. But cuttlefish kimchi - well, that works. I can definitely see the point of that. Thin ribbons of cuttlefish (molluscs similar to squid - and according to Wikipedia, among the most intelligent invertebrates) are soaked in spicy, thick kimchi sauce, for our eating pleasure. I'm absolutely addicted to these little threads of joy.
The mixed tempura is fairly standard Japanese fare, to be honest. It's not remarkable, but it definitely wins a place in our regular menu. And let's be honest: the Asahis wouldn't really be doing their job without some grease to absorb.
We've shared our love of Naniwa Tei with friends and family, and on such occasions, we do experiment with the menu. Takoyaki smothered in Japanese mayonnaise, kingfish and salmon sashimi, light-as-a-feather gyoza, beef tataki topped with egg yolk (yum!), udon noodle soups, and some of the most lethal hot sake I've ever tasted.
The thing I love most about Naniwa Tei is that it provided such a perfect backdrop for our romance. We genuinely think of it as our place - and that's how I'll always refer to it.
I'm curious to know - do you and your partner have a regular restaurant? Tell me!
Naniwa Tei
Bulletin Place, Circular Quay
Wednesday, September 23
bad, bad food blogger
Confession: I am a bad, bad food blogger. How will I ever score a book deal and film option (a la Julie Powell) if I continue in this very haphazard, ad hoc, "I'll write when I have something to say" fashion? The answer, friends, is never. So, I apologise for my bad, bad food blogging ways, and promise to be a better food blogger in the future. Do you think we can be friends again?
If you do (and I hope you do) and if you also harbour dreams of being a bit of a Ramsay yourself, why not contribute to food52.com's cookbook contest? The website is running a competition to find the best home cooks from all over the world, so each week, you're invited to submit recipes to fit a theme. This week, it's apple cake and potato gratin.
Meanwhile, things are getting very gastronomic in Sydney right now. The Sydney International Food Festival launches in October (if you can't afford the pricey chef meet-and-greets, the night noodle markets are always a sure bet) and Celebrity Masterchef begins next week. I'm interested to see just how proficient these "celebs" are in the kitchen...but I don't think it will have the same appeal as the regular show.
That's all for now, folks - but stay tuned for reviews of The Arthouse Hotel, Gusto's in Paddington and Japanese hole-in-the-wall Naniwa Tei. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick that needle in my eye.
If you do (and I hope you do) and if you also harbour dreams of being a bit of a Ramsay yourself, why not contribute to food52.com's cookbook contest? The website is running a competition to find the best home cooks from all over the world, so each week, you're invited to submit recipes to fit a theme. This week, it's apple cake and potato gratin.
Meanwhile, things are getting very gastronomic in Sydney right now. The Sydney International Food Festival launches in October (if you can't afford the pricey chef meet-and-greets, the night noodle markets are always a sure bet) and Celebrity Masterchef begins next week. I'm interested to see just how proficient these "celebs" are in the kitchen...but I don't think it will have the same appeal as the regular show.
That's all for now, folks - but stay tuned for reviews of The Arthouse Hotel, Gusto's in Paddington and Japanese hole-in-the-wall Naniwa Tei. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick that needle in my eye.
Wednesday, September 2
daily wrap
Over at The Punch, Nola James (a Tassie-based PR rep and sometime journo) writes about MasterChef backlash. To wit: her headline is “MasterChef created a nation of know-nothing food tossers.” Hey Nola, be honest: what did you really think? James is upset with the winner (Julie, who James rightfully labels a “cook” rather than the titular “chef”) and with what she calls the dictation of social values by reality TV. “Reality television is dictating to our society rather than being a reflection of it,” she remarks. Mmm – I don’t agree. We’re a nation of incredibly varied food tastes, with tons of foodie mags, farmer’s markets and delis to prove it (not to mention cooking classes, dining guides, and um, some of the best restaurants and dining districts in the world). I’d say the producers of MasterChef very cleverly picked up on our love of cooking and of food in general, and, coupled with recession-era hankering for DIY, made the show the runaway hit that it was.
Speaking of which, are you auditioning for the next season? Click here if you think you have the culinary nous to wow the likes of Matt, George and Gary.
Grub Street has picked up on New York Times’ outgoing food critic Frank Bruni’s contributing podcast for GQ, in which he explains how to order from any restaurant menu. The formula? Delete anything you’ve seen before, then anything that seems too crazy and experimental. Choose from whatever’s left. Might make visits to your local bistro a little difficult, methinks.
Finally, head to Good Living for a glimpse inside the dough-filled world of Paul Allum and David McGuinness, owners and bakers at Sydney’s Bourke St Bakery. The Bakery is the home of the most amazing sausage rolls you’ll ever eat (pork and fennel, or lamb and rosemary?), perfectly flaky croissants and deliciously delicate lemon tarts. If you want to recreate the cult Bakery’s treats at home, grab their new cookbook, Bourke St Bakery, for $69.95. Perfect for carb-loading Dads.
Speaking of which, are you auditioning for the next season? Click here if you think you have the culinary nous to wow the likes of Matt, George and Gary.
Grub Street has picked up on New York Times’ outgoing food critic Frank Bruni’s contributing podcast for GQ, in which he explains how to order from any restaurant menu. The formula? Delete anything you’ve seen before, then anything that seems too crazy and experimental. Choose from whatever’s left. Might make visits to your local bistro a little difficult, methinks.
Finally, head to Good Living for a glimpse inside the dough-filled world of Paul Allum and David McGuinness, owners and bakers at Sydney’s Bourke St Bakery. The Bakery is the home of the most amazing sausage rolls you’ll ever eat (pork and fennel, or lamb and rosemary?), perfectly flaky croissants and deliciously delicate lemon tarts. If you want to recreate the cult Bakery’s treats at home, grab their new cookbook, Bourke St Bakery, for $69.95. Perfect for carb-loading Dads.
Tuesday, September 1
Kobe Jones
All you can eat. Four words. One very big promise.
Like a lot of GFC-affected restaurants, Kobe Jones is offering a recession special. Head there on any weekday for lunch and score yourself all the sushi your tummy can handle for the tidy sum of $25. Not bad, especially when you consider the regular tasting menu starts at $95 per person.
So, being the intrepid bargain-hunter, Not Quite Nigella-reader and sushi lover that I am, I gathered the girls together for a lazy Friday lunch. Marky and I arrived late (we severely underestimated the time it took to trek from Park St to Cockle Bay Wharf in teetering heels) to find that the waiter had seated Karlie, Bee and Kristen at the far corner table, in direct sunlight. Possibly not the best place to eat raw fish, we observed. It was particularly annoying as we were one of just a handful of tables at the restaurant.
But never mind. Our energies were focussed on food, and food we would have. So. Much. Food. We ordered one large and two medium-sized platters, with (sadly) no wine. Unlike the many banker-types who would soon infiltrate the ranks of KJ, we had to go back to work. (Plus, we were all a bit over-hung, if you catch my drift). The large platter arrived first, laden with nigiri (salmon, tuna, kingfish), sushi (California rolls, prawn, roe, tuna) and the signature dish, Volcano Rolls.
Then, the medium platters arrive. There is suddenly way too much food on the table, and far too few girls to eat it. But we attack it with as much midday, sun-soaked gusto as we can. There is more nigiri, more rolls and thankfully, more Volcano action. This time, there are tempura prawn and soft-shell crab rolls, too. Yum.
The tempura prawn is tricky to eat (the tail of the prawn is embedded in a roll of rice, its tail curled toward the roof) and a little dry. The soft shell crab, I am pleased to report, lived up to its reputation as being: a) one of the best tasting foods on the planet, although it is: b) one of the cruellest foods on the planet. As for the nigiri, I loved the kingfish. It did have the mild, delicate flavour it’s meant to have, and when you add the requisite soy, wasabi and ginger, it truly becomes delicious. The tuna was a little dry – it puckered at the edges of the rice pillow, showing perhaps that it was a little aged. The salmon was lovely, but a little too fatty. And the California rolls, although ubiquitous, were pretty good.
Would we go again? Maybe – but for better seats. And more Volcano Rolls.
Kobe Jones
29 Lime St, King St Wharf
9299 5290
http://www.kobejones.com.au/
Like a lot of GFC-affected restaurants, Kobe Jones is offering a recession special. Head there on any weekday for lunch and score yourself all the sushi your tummy can handle for the tidy sum of $25. Not bad, especially when you consider the regular tasting menu starts at $95 per person.
So, being the intrepid bargain-hunter, Not Quite Nigella-reader and sushi lover that I am, I gathered the girls together for a lazy Friday lunch. Marky and I arrived late (we severely underestimated the time it took to trek from Park St to Cockle Bay Wharf in teetering heels) to find that the waiter had seated Karlie, Bee and Kristen at the far corner table, in direct sunlight. Possibly not the best place to eat raw fish, we observed. It was particularly annoying as we were one of just a handful of tables at the restaurant.
But never mind. Our energies were focussed on food, and food we would have. So. Much. Food. We ordered one large and two medium-sized platters, with (sadly) no wine. Unlike the many banker-types who would soon infiltrate the ranks of KJ, we had to go back to work. (Plus, we were all a bit over-hung, if you catch my drift). The large platter arrived first, laden with nigiri (salmon, tuna, kingfish), sushi (California rolls, prawn, roe, tuna) and the signature dish, Volcano Rolls.
Volcano Rolls sound intimidating, and well, as though they're likely to explode all over your maxi dress, but trust me – they will not. They are sublime. I am not someone who enjoys sushi for its delicate flavours. I want punch. I want flavour to write home about. I want Volcano Rolls. OK, so – Volcano Rolls are oven baked scallops served in avocado rolls and crab salad. This is all topped with a creamy, ever-so-salty sauce that has the consistency of ranch dressing. We all agree that it is easily the best dish in front of us, and basically go nuts over it. Marky and I soon concede defeat, but Karlie steps in to grab the last bite. In hindsight, my response to this is: lucky bitch.
Then, the medium platters arrive. There is suddenly way too much food on the table, and far too few girls to eat it. But we attack it with as much midday, sun-soaked gusto as we can. There is more nigiri, more rolls and thankfully, more Volcano action. This time, there are tempura prawn and soft-shell crab rolls, too. Yum.The tempura prawn is tricky to eat (the tail of the prawn is embedded in a roll of rice, its tail curled toward the roof) and a little dry. The soft shell crab, I am pleased to report, lived up to its reputation as being: a) one of the best tasting foods on the planet, although it is: b) one of the cruellest foods on the planet. As for the nigiri, I loved the kingfish. It did have the mild, delicate flavour it’s meant to have, and when you add the requisite soy, wasabi and ginger, it truly becomes delicious. The tuna was a little dry – it puckered at the edges of the rice pillow, showing perhaps that it was a little aged. The salmon was lovely, but a little too fatty. And the California rolls, although ubiquitous, were pretty good.
Would we go again? Maybe – but for better seats. And more Volcano Rolls.
Kobe Jones
29 Lime St, King St Wharf
9299 5290
http://www.kobejones.com.au/
Monday, August 24
Restaurant of the Year Awards
If you're interested in foodie awards, check out the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year Awards. Unsurprisingly, Quay was named Restaurant of the Year - just another major award it's picked up in the past couple of years. Caliban and I actually looked at having our wedding there...perhaps we'll have to take a closer look now!
Let me know what you think - do you agree with the Gourmet team?
Let me know what you think - do you agree with the Gourmet team?
Sparkle Cupcakery
Have I mentioned that I loved cupcakes? Because I love cupcakes. I really, really love them.
Caliban and I held our engagement party on Saturday night (big thanks to Sam and Mauricio at Bar 202) and as well as yummy canapes and some much-needed alcohol-absorbent wedges later in the night, we served cupcakes from Sparkle Cupcakery, in Surry Hills.
As I said on Saturday, there's really no shortage of cupcakes in Sydney. Someone should open a coffee-cupcake hybrid store called Starcups - because that's how ubiquitous they're becoming. But - as always - there's a difference between grown-up cupcakes that remind you of childhood, and cupcakes that look like they've been made by a three-year-old. With sight problems.
Sparkle Cupcakery's offerings fit into the former category. The cake is densely moist and most taste like they have cream cheese mixed into the batter (cream cheese is fab in cakes - like sour cream and even beetroot, it offers more moisture). There are a bazillion fab flavours to try, too. I'm a sucker for traditionalism and I pretty much always choose vanilla-on-vanilla, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that this was Sparkle's signature flavour, Pure Sparkle. Ka-ching! We also ordered Lemon Squeeze, Oriental Flower (a gorgeous lychee and rose cake with rose petal topping), White Chocolate and Strawberry (with real strawberries in the cake!) and Milk Chocolate. I did hear some reports that the Milk Chocolate was a little dry, but I didn't taste it myself, unfortunately.
One of the best things about Sparkle is the shop itself. When I went to pick up my cupcakes, there were two groups of women scoffing cupcakes and champagne like it was the world's ultimate girly hen's party/baby shower. And funnily enough, it was. Highly recommended, cheesy veils and all.
Sparkle Cupcakery
132 Foveaux St, Surry Hills
www.sparklecupcakery.com.au
9361 0690
Caliban and I held our engagement party on Saturday night (big thanks to Sam and Mauricio at Bar 202) and as well as yummy canapes and some much-needed alcohol-absorbent wedges later in the night, we served cupcakes from Sparkle Cupcakery, in Surry Hills.
As I said on Saturday, there's really no shortage of cupcakes in Sydney. Someone should open a coffee-cupcake hybrid store called Starcups - because that's how ubiquitous they're becoming. But - as always - there's a difference between grown-up cupcakes that remind you of childhood, and cupcakes that look like they've been made by a three-year-old. With sight problems.
Sparkle Cupcakery's offerings fit into the former category. The cake is densely moist and most taste like they have cream cheese mixed into the batter (cream cheese is fab in cakes - like sour cream and even beetroot, it offers more moisture). There are a bazillion fab flavours to try, too. I'm a sucker for traditionalism and I pretty much always choose vanilla-on-vanilla, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that this was Sparkle's signature flavour, Pure Sparkle. Ka-ching! We also ordered Lemon Squeeze, Oriental Flower (a gorgeous lychee and rose cake with rose petal topping), White Chocolate and Strawberry (with real strawberries in the cake!) and Milk Chocolate. I did hear some reports that the Milk Chocolate was a little dry, but I didn't taste it myself, unfortunately.
One of the best things about Sparkle is the shop itself. When I went to pick up my cupcakes, there were two groups of women scoffing cupcakes and champagne like it was the world's ultimate girly hen's party/baby shower. And funnily enough, it was. Highly recommended, cheesy veils and all.Sparkle Cupcakery
132 Foveaux St, Surry Hills
www.sparklecupcakery.com.au
9361 0690
Friday, August 21
Shake Shack
Have you ever had a really good burger? I'm not talking about fast food processed-meat-and-yellow-cheese sandwiches here. I mean real beef, gooey cheese (I like Gruyere, but just about anything without the word 'tasty' as a prefix will do), salad (ruby red tomatoes, crisp spinach leaves or lettuce, roasted capsicum and eggplant, fried onion) on a freshly baked bun...it's one of the most perfect meals you could ever hope to have.I'm a huge fan of Sydney burger joints like Burger Bun (the Aria burger is just about the best vege burger ever) and Burger Fuel (both the Newtown and Kings Cross locations). So I knew I had to try a burger from Shake Shack while in New York. I'd heard about it via Grub Street (no surprises there). Situated in Madison Square Park, in Chelsea, it was launched by celebrity chef Danny Meyer. It's known for its burgers and the eponymous shakes. We headed there one sunny Monday afternoon following a morning at MoMA.
Despite the warnings that we'd have to wait in line for up to an hour for our burgers, we were pleasantly surprised when it only took around ten minutes. Being a purist, I ordered the Shake Burger - beef, lettuce, tomato and "Shack Sauce". Being a vegequarian, Caliban ordered the only non-meat burger on the menu - the 'Shroom burger: a deep-fried, cheese-stuffed portobello mushroom with lettuce, tomato and Shack Sauce. We shared fries and drank homemade lemonade.The burgers were delicious - the bun was soft, the meat was tender and not overcooked, the sauce lived up to the hype. Unfortunately, within around 20 minutes of consuming them, we both needed to visit the bathroom. Sorry, Danny Meyer. I have a feeling our gentrified little tummies were too immature for this fat explosion. It was fun while it lasted, though.
For more on Sydney burgers, see Good Living's Simon Thomsen rate the best here.
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