Music Munchies Review

Deus Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:59:00 +0000

Deus Cafe in Camperdown is adjacent to the better-known motorcycle affecionado haven 'Deus Ex Machina'. It has been offering accomplished cafe fare for some time giving the partners of motorcycle fans something to do whilst their other half is salivating over some designer leather jacket, you too can salivate over the many gorgeous treats at the cafe including French brioche toast with strawberries and ricotta.

We dined here on a busy Saturday afternoon and plonked down at one of the smaller but still large tables designed for sharing between 4 - 6 people. The menu featured all-day breakfast and lunch and was written up on huge chalkboards above eye-level. It was a tough decision between their amazing selection of salads including a smoked trout, potato and caper salad, their mains including steak frites and their breakfast specials. We queued up, ordered and paid at the counter and were presented with a table number.

The coffee came out promptly despite the large number of people. It was good too, with a nice crema and robust flavour. The tables each have trays of salt and pepper, brown sugar, cutlery and napkins for self-service which isn't as nasty as it sounds. There was a generous buzz to the room with some music in the background, although I couldn't quite tell what it was so it did its' job if it just meant to embelish the vibe of the place.

I ordered Prosciutto, asparagus, poached egg and roasted tomato with truffle oil ($16) as one of the most indulgent breakfasts on offer. Man, was I glad I did. I was greeted with a breakfast that took my palate to heady heights! On my plate, which was really like a platter for one lay four spears of smoky char-grilled asparagus, a flower bud of the most juicy and soft prosciutto, a perfect orb of a poached egg, tender watercress dressed with a light vinegarette, a slow-roasted tomato with most of the moisture taken out and a sliced of toasted white bread. A drizzle of truffle oil was poured over the proscuitto to top it all off.

Every ingredient on the plate was of the highest quality. I wonder who they get their prosciutto from as it tasted freshly-sliced and was so incredible with the other elements on the dish. The poached egg must have been done in a spherical cradle as the egg had no trail of egg white at all and of course, was nice and runny inside. A stunning start to Saturday!

M ordered the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on brioche. As you can see, it was a joy to behold with a flower bud of smoked salmon - someone loves to twirl their salmon and prosciutto! The smoked salmon was dill-cured which made it even more attractive and fragrant. The scrambled eggs were soft and juicy and the brioche (I'm told) was just right and not overly-sweet to set it all off.

A couple of other things to note are that there is a filtered water tap near the counter where you can help yourself to water in plastic cups which was great since we needed it after over 2 hours of gossip! They also have a surcharge on weekends with a separate menu that is more expensive than the prices displayed on the chalkboard.

Overall, this was a great experience - great food, coffee, setting and service for motorbike fans or not.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Opera Bar and 41 Strings

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:05:00 +0000

Which bar in Sydney epitomises Summer? WIthout doubt, it's the Opera Bar. There's stunning views, it's free to get in, there's no queue, good cocktails and those perfect crispy wedges or a full lunch menu if you're in the mood. I discovered that they had Dirty Grannys cider on tap ($8.50) which was so refreshing on a hot day. So of course I decided that it would be the venue for a pre-drink before the Sydney Festival show, '41 Strings by Nick Zinner'.

In case you don't already know, Nick Zinner is the guitarist in the NYC rock outfit, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and if you don't know who the Yeahx3 are then, well, you should check them out pronto. He's also a photographer and musical powerhouse in his own right having collaborated with such musos including Bright Eyes, Jenny Lewis and most recently, Australia's very own Grinderman by remixing a song. So it was with this backdrop that I was curious to see what his very own composition would be like.

The inside of the Sydney Opera House never fails to amaze me. It draws 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' every time. The ridiculously high ceiling, hot pink seat coverings over retro wood shaped seats add to its' uniqueness. The evening started with a performance entitled 'IIII' which was a composition written for drums and two synthesisers by Bharoocha, Vida and Lowe where the musicians performed four rhythms influenced by the seasons. There were a few drumkits as well as individual drums which surrounded two synthesizers. The result was nothing short of incredible. I have no idea how they could have composed such a complex and intricate piece of music with different groupings of drummers coming in at co-ordinated intervals. The slow start to some pieces then built into ethereal and menacing, tribal-like anthems. It was emotional and compelling. Of course, it finished with a bang and then it was all over.

A short interval followed then the drums were packed up and the stands for the string section were set up. Nick Zinner even came out and set his own gear up (see below)! He looked a bit nervous, excited and happy at the same time with a few smiles at the start.

'41 Strings' was written for acoustic and electric strings and percussion to celebrate the 41st anniversary of Earth Day in NYC. The strings section was composed of the Australian Youth Orchestra. The members were positioned in the round with Nick in the middle, the Orchestra on the right hand side (facing stage), the guitars behind him and the percussion on the left hand side.

As soon as the lights dimmed, there was an aura of anticipation as the audience muted and without words (or even a microphone), Nick began strumming his guitar. The outcome was a truly inspired and uplifting piece of work which was a joy to behold.

Similar to 'IIII', the four seasons were also the inspiration. Whilst it wasn't clear which season each of the four pieces was inspired by, it hardly mattered since each piece was so well-crafted and sonically-orgasmic. Hearing this live through that amazing sound system and from the 5th row could never be replicated on CD or DVD. There were a few stand out moments for me including one piece where the guitars played a simple melody over and over before the strings then echoed that melody before the two sections joined forces - stunning in its simplicity. Another amazing moment was when one piece started with a kickin' drum beat that had a real rock feel before the strings accompanied them to transform it so naturally into a piece with depth and warmth.

In short, it was an awesome performance by all the musicians. Nick duly gave applause and credit to each section and in turn the audience

Petty Cash

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Petty Cash has everything that you would want and expect in a neighbourhood cafe in the Inner West. It's got the mis-matched retro furniture, outdoor tables, tatooed waitstaff and an extensive all day breakfast and lunch menu with options at reasonable prices. We arrived at around 12.45pm on a Sunday and the place was full except for a few seats at the big, communal table where we perched ourselves. We faced these gorgeous, pink friands ($3.50, see below) which were placed on the table alongside brownies which cunningly allow them to enter your sub-conscious, as if to say 'leave room for me'!

Whilst they bring you menus, you have to actually go up to the counter to order and pay upfront which isn't my preferred option but understandable in a busy cafe where people come and go frequently.I ordered a Tandoori Chicken salad ($15.90) from the lunch menu and Mirelle ordered poached eggs, bacon, tomato, home made beans and toast with a side of haloumi ($18.90 with the side) from the breakfast menu.

The Tandoori Chicken salad was full of flavour from the chicken that had been smothered in a rich, tangy and yogurty sauce which mixed well with the diced tomato, sliced cucumbers, grated tomatoes and cabbage and lettuce. All of this splendour was topped with a big dollop of yogurt and parsley rather unnecessarily. The extra yogurt resulted in all too much dairy and the once crispy lettuce leaves drowned in all that liquid. A slice of fresh lemon on the side or perhaps toasted bread or naan would have been a better accompaniment. I did enjoy it though and there was a good amount of chicken (mostly, thigh meat) that was proportionate to the other ingredients.

Mirelle seemed to enjoy her breakfast as evidenced by much plate shuffling between the big, main one and the smaller, side plate on which the haloumi arrived, with nice char-grilled marks, on a bed of baby spinach leaves and wedges of lemon. I loved the cute presentation of the beans so that they don't make the toast soggy and you can eat them at your will. The eggs looked nicely poached too rather than rubbery or overdone. The tabasco and real salt and pepper on tables was also welcomed!

The cafe is a great escape from the hustle of King Street in Newtown and Illawarra Road in Marrickville. It's also not too far from the Marrickville Metro which is handy so that you can venture off the beaten path but still be close enough to ATMs and parking. It has a funky and grungy allure and most importantly, they make a seriously good coffee. As we left, they'd progressed from an indie rock soundtrack to some vintage heavier, Pixies tunes, whose loud blare was the equivalent of signalling 'last drinks' at a bar given the emptying tables. Good food, coffee and music to be found here.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The Dip at GoodGod

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:43:00 +0000

Good God for a place like GoodGod! It encapsulates everything that is so hot right now in Sydney. It's a bar serving jugs of unique cocktails, a restaurant serving cheap and cheerful, American-style snacks and a nightclub, all in the one space but three different parts.

Let's start with the Front Bar. We arrived at around 5.30pm on a Friday evening and it wasn't too busy so we scored a massive booth in the cavernous space. Sam quickly informed us that there was no reception when she tried to 'check in' on her iPhone, worth noting when lost or late people attempt to call you. Of course within an hour, the place was humming and we had to raise our voices a little to be heard, but that could also be due to the many jugs of cocktails we had.

The cocktails had funny retro-names like the Chevy Chase (pictured) which had organic vodka in it and the classic Pat Cash which contained coolah cordial and glace cherries so it could have glowed in the dark. Of course we had to order the Patty Cash in honour of Seven's Summer of Tennis and we renamed it the A-Tomic to move with the times. The cocktails are not expertly mixed and made but they were great for sharing and pretty tasty, if leaning towards the sweet and weak side. A special cocktail not on the menu was advertised at the bar being a watermelon fizz which was especially refreshing given the humid weather.

After a few (too many?) jugs of cocktails, we started to get a little hungry and what could you want more than some high-fat and high-salt snacks for around $10? We ordered the pulled pork nachos and fries with salsa and cheese to share or rather someone ordered them and everyone else ate 'em. The nachos were served on an oval plate and covered in corn chips topped with melted cheese, a good quantity of tender pulled pork and some fresh diced tomato salsa. Some jalapenos or Tabasco would have improved it for me but it was yummy. The chips with salsa were good at first even if it was hard to pick up diced tomato on a fried chip (perhaps wedges would be easier), however the bottom of the dish contained soggy chips drowned in tomato salsa juice which wasn't too appetising.

There was quite a variety of mains consisting of unusual hotdogs, burgers and interesting sides. $8 for a cob of grilled corn was probably pushing it a bit but everything else was very reasonable for a downtown eatery. The blackboard special of the night was a 'watermelon and bacon burger'. There must have been a special on watermelon at the Sydney Markets or something given that it featured in the special cocktail and main! We decided that someone would have to take one for the team and try out this fruit-on-a-burger concept. Rather than having to twist someone's arm, Sam volunteered for the task and the result can be seen in the photo above.

A big bun came out with char-grilled watermelon drizzled with an aioli-like sauce (and I say 'like' because it was not mayo and not garlicky enough to be aioli), a sweet relish and bacon. Sam was not a fan summed up by her concluding remark, 'I would not order this again'. I, on the other hand rather enjoyed the char-grilled watermelon on its' own since the sweetness of the watermelon was set off with a smoky and savoury, salty taste which was pretty tasty. I don't think this dish will set the culinary world on fire but it's certainly worth a try for $12.

Overall, it's a great place to come along for a casual atmosphere, jugs of cocktails, cheap eats and even a boogie should you feel inclined later in the evening.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 for food but 4 out of 5 for overall fun!

Christmas food and music

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:57:00 +0000

It's that time of the year again - Christmas which has a different meaning for foodie and music fans. For foodies it means indulging in all your whims and desires due to the multiple offerings at restaurants, friends' houses and hampers on sale everywhere. For music fans, it means deciding which music festival you'll go to and co-ordinating your music festival schedule with friends. It's also the time when food and music crimes are most often committed. For example, think dry, over-cooked turkey with tasteless muddy gravy and some of those mass-produced supermarket fruit cakes and mince pies served with Paul's custard - fine as a kid but now, really? Music-wise think of those Christmas songs that even the best of bands succumb to such as Coldplay or at the other end of the spectrum, Justin Bieber. Noooo!

I walked through The Star in December and I must be the last (food) blogger to do so, having read copious reviews already. It looked like a completely different space. The so-called 'Cafe Court', aka Food Court was still empty on a weekday lunch time and I'm told that it generally doesn't get too busy, despite new stores from Australia's own Iron Chefs, Adriano Zumbo and Peter Kuravita, mixing it with the regulars including Pulse, Dergah Grill and Din Tai Fung.

Zumbo's Lab really does look like a mini Willy Wonky factory. Everything is enclosed in glass cabinets - some just for display (the cakes) and others not (the pastries and macaroons). Adults and kids alike were ogling these fascinating museum cabinet morsels including a coconut, lavendar and chilli 'Zumberon' for $2.50. It sounds like some sort of Zumba pill or something!

Some of the cakes looked familiar from Masterchef or a cookbook or other like the citron tart and passionfruit tart with that sheer graduated glaze on it, making it resemble a Ray Bans' lens instead of a tart.

If they didn't get you with one of those, they are also selling seasonal gifts like marzipan snowmen (2 for $8 worth of saccharine overload), cherry coconut bars (4 for $18, better be the best Cherry Ripes ever!) and some nut clusters with something clever, weird and may not even work, like truffle oil (around $20).

I walked out with nothing despite all the temptations. Whilst they look impressive and sound even better, I don't have a huge sweet tooth and all the Haighs' gifts I received this year have filled that void in my life. Maybe next time, although that depends on whether I go for the new Gelato Messina there instead! It's the battle of the Masterchefs at The Star. Perhaps they planned this all along.

Happy Christmas all - may yours be filled with gourmet food and great tunes!

Bentley Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 04:43:00 +0000

After checking out the Beresford's new music venue upstairs complete with a slightly tragic new wave/emo/electronic/indie rock band (free on Saturday night), we were ready for a change in scenery and perhaps a night cap. A friend recommended the Bentley for their desserts. I wouldn't have thought of this myself given that it's a one-hatted restaurant and all.

We turned up after 10pm and the restaurant/bar which has become more restaurant than bar these days was about one third full with only a handful of diners either on dessert or just having finished their mains. Between the three of us, we just ordered the one dessert to share with our drinks being the 'Cashew Custard with white chocolate sorbet and pear sorbet' ($18). This was a compromise dessert through conciliation given that the 'Liquid Mandarin', 'Date Custard' and 'Frozen Goats Cheese Mousse' were the other options and we all leaned towards something different.

It was what you would expect at an awarded restaurant - a modest portion rich in skill and creativity. The cashew custard tasted of a creamed cashew with some none-too-sweet custard mixed in for a wonderfully silky texture. The white chocolate came disguised in the form of jubes (the white blobs in the photo!) so the taste and texture contrasted each other in a strange and not entirely pleasant way. Some crushed pistachios and cashews (naturally) added further textural variation as did some semi-dehydrated pears on top. Finally, what dish isn't complete without a handful of edible flower petals (a la Peter Gilmore style)?

Interesting? Yes. Creative? Yes. Tasty? Quite. Enjoyable? Not really. Order it again? No.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Jazz City Diner

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 06:24:00 +0000

You can't have visited the US without passing by or eating at an old-fashioned diner. Whether it's for nostalgia or just to see whether they are like the Fonz's hangout in Happy Days. It's a rite of passage. Now Sydney has its very own version in Jazz City Diner, the most recent interpretation. The stronger allegiance between the US and Australia spoken about by our respective heads of state must have been forged here!

The outside has that orangey-red flourescent tubular lighting that made it instantly recognisable. Inside, the place is rather small with only several tables for 2 and 3 booths that could seat not much more than 4 people. I made a booking online but there was no need at 12.15pm as we were the second table there, but half an hour later, the place was full. There was one waitress in a pink, yes pink one piece waitress outfit complete with an authentic American accent. It's the details that count after all. It just wouldn't be right to have an Aussie asking 'what you's want?' now would it?

We were given the lunch menu and had to ask about the 'Saturday brunch' menu that's displayed online upon which we received the breakfast menu and informed that we could order selected things from it. I asked for the Shrimp Foo Yong Omelet but they didn't have that, so I got the Denver 3 egg omelet ($14) and Geoff had the Eggs Louis Armstrong ($16) and a coffee flavoured milk shake ($10!).

After about half an hour, when only the milk shake had arrived which was after all just a milk shake but with that sweet sugary syrup taste about it, the waitress apologised and said that our meals were on their way but they had to make everything from scratch. This was pretty disappointing because not only did they not have Saturday brunch menu out which was online but we then waited an hour by the time the food came. Fortunately there was much to catch up on, i.e. 2 Harvest Presents music festivals in Sydney and Brisbane (how amazing was Portishead?) so time went quickly but if I was hungry then I might not have been so patient.

We were given 2 complimentary 'biscuits' served warm with jam and cream at the same time as our food came out!?! We would call these scones but on the lunch menu here, these biscuits come with gravy and as I recalled, in the US, they were a bigger, harder and served with eggs as brekky. They were light and would rival one of the best scone-makers at Sydney's Easter Show.

The Louis Armstrong (it still remains unclear to me why it was called this) consisted of 2 poached eggs on 2 rice cakes served with sausage gravy and kidney beans. The sauce had a wondrous smoky flavour perhaps from some paprika or chilli and the eggs were just done so that they were soft with a runny centre. Clearly the chef has a way with eggs.

The Denver was a long, thin and fluffy omelet filled with cubed ham, sliced onions, green capsicum and a generous amount of cheese. The texture was perfect - light and airy despite the substantial ingredients. It was not at all dry or overcooked. I still couldn't finish it though.

I didn't order the coffee as they didn't have any skim milk so I didn't even bother asking about soy milk and I expected that it would be Americana drip coffee that the Fonz would favour.

All up, it was a novel place to try. I'm told that the banana cream pie is a 'must' and that the burgers are a specialty so I may be back but not some time soon I imagine.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Robocog Surry Hills

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:10:00 +0000

It's Robocog's first birthday today! Unbeknownst to me, I turned up for the first time to try this place that's known for serving up cheap and tasty cafe eats as well as for having a shelf full of robots and quite possibly the cutest name for a cafe in Surry Hills.

We got a table outside on the verandah of the free-standing house where this cafe resides. It was like sitting on a porch with the outdoor furniture and watching passers-by or more like, hungry wannabe cafe goers gathered outside. The breakfast menu is extensive and there is a separate lunch menu that has such titles as the 'Bacon Lovers Menu'!

I ordered the roasted vege salad with pesto and parmesan. It was huge. When it came out, it looked like a platter and was piled high. Mixed leaves were scattered throughout it which gave it extra height and less body although I still couldn't finish it. The pesto was a bit stronger and more generous than I expected or wanted. The parmesan added some texture and taste that worked with the pesto. The veges included zucchini, red capsicum, pumpkin and eggplant, the latter was underdone and spongy. A bit more variety would have been nice and thicker cut pumpkin that's all gooey inside with slightly browned...yum!

Pete ordered the 'French Pancakes' which were actually crepes and should probably have been called that but these small things added to the quirkiness of this place. They were served with ricotta, honey, banana and finely-sliced apple and looked like an awesome dessert. Not a bad way to start the day at all. I was reliably informed that they were delicious.

The coffee was not much to write home about. It lacked aroma and flavour. They also had a long list of juices and frappes but I didn't try any of these. They're meant to be good according to reports of other bloggers so perhaps another time.

The service was super quick. So quick in fact that our plates were promptly cleared when we were finished and we were asked if we could leave because there were people waiting. I was shocked about this as it's the first time it's happened in a cafe. Pete then told the waiter that he wanted to order a juice and so the waiter took the order and the juice came. It was a bit awkward and rude to me. So I would not recommend this place as somewhere to go if you want to linger with friends during their busiest times (probably Saturday and Sunday lunch).

The food was pretty tasty and the prices amazingly reasonable especially for Surry Hills with the salad being around $11 and the French pancakes around $13. When I did ask for the bill, the same waiter apologised for being 'rude' earlier and offered me a robo-chocolate that he had made to celebrate their first birthday. Check out the little dude - (almost) too cute to eat!

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Spiedo Westfield Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:53:00 +0000

Every restaurant has a signature dish. It's the dish that the house specialises in (e.g. the freshly-made roti at Mamak) or one that is so loved that it ends up defining them (e.g. the poached chicken sandwich at Danks Street Depot) or both (e.g. the snow egg at Quay). At Spiedo, this dish has become somewhat of an instant legend and is an example of the latter category, being a dish that they specialise in and that everyone loves, say hello to Sydney's latest IT dish 'Spiedo Bresciano'! Who cares about the latest IT girl or IT handbag? It's all about the IT dish now.

Take a look. It's described on the menu as 'Brescian slow spit roast - pork ribs, pork scotch fillet, quail and duck - served with Storo polenta'. According to their website this is a Brescian method of cooking meat on a skewer where it is basted with sage and butter over 5 hours. Oh god! I need to go to the gym tonight for sure.

The result was rather spectacular. The four types of meat were sort of stuck together as they must have been on the skewer so that it looked like a giant upright sausage when served. My favourite was the quail which was utterly smoky and juicy. It had me licking the bones which I don't often do but I couldn't waste any of that bird that died for a higher purpose. The pork scotch fillet was also amazingly tasty with sage leaves and cured ham inbetween it. The duck was tasty but overwhelmed by the other 2 meats so that its' usually distinctive flavour was not announced to the world as much as it should be. That's my only criticism of the dish. The ribs were well, delicious (c'mon, aren't all ribs?) but I could hardly eat them after getting through most of the rest.

I even have to write at length about the polenta. There must have been a block of butter and a lot of high quality olive oil in that sole serving (not to mention calories!). It had the most wonderful silky and smooth consistency. If all polenta was that good then the peasants did well to figure out this dish so commonly described as food fit for them. Deep-fried sage leaves and cracked pepper cap off the perfect polenta and enunciate those flavours already embedded in the meat. A wonderful dish for for a king, queen or peasant!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Oishii at Tempus Two

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:58:00 +0000

There used to be a homewares shop on King Street in Newtown called Oishii. It was pretty funky and sold modern, slightly pricey furnishings. I have no idea in hindsight why it was called Oishii for indeed there was nothing oishii in there. Oishii means tasty or delicious in Japanese. This place was neither tasty, delicious nor Japanese! Perhaps they just called it that because it is a memorable word and one of the few that I knew and frequently used when I was in eating my way through Tokyo earlier this year. One word will have the sushi chef grinning as he places that freshly-shaped nilgiri on your wooden sushi plate, 'oishii'.

But far away from Japan and over in Polkolbin in NSW's Hunter Valley, there is a restaurant called Oishii nestled under a wing of the rather impressive looking Tempus Two winery. This restaurant is not just Japanese though and also serves up a Thai menu strangely. It's the first and only time that I've seen both cuisines on the one menu and served from the same kitchen in the same restaurant. It's more common to find Thai and Chinese or Vietnamese and Chinese mixed together since spring rolls appear to have transcended any categorisation of cuisine. After all, Japanese food is about tradition, culture, purity, refinement and beauty whilst Thai food is about chilli, spices, chilli and lots of it!

I dined here 2 years ago and rather enjoyed Oishii for a few reasons. It's one of the only modern Asian restaurants around town that's casual and quick, rather than the proliferation of fine-dining places attached to wineries or resorts that requires diners to order a minimum of 2 or 3 set courses like Restaurant Sanctuary in the Peppers Guest House. So even though I wasn't blown away by the food last time, I like that it offers something different and a nice break from all the modern cafe or European food in the Hunter.

It was with these things in mind and after a day of wine-tasting and indeed fine-lunching that we arrived at Oishii for dinner. Even though I had made our reservation a few weeks in advance and it was a half empty restaurant, the waitress who greeted us could not seem to locate our booking without some assistance. Little did we know, that her actions were indicative of the level of service that we would expect for the rest of the evening. Once we were seated, it took some time to wave down another waitress (there appeared to only be about 3 for that increasingly full and huge room) to order and when we did so, the food came so quickly that it beat the drinks! We decided to try one main each from their half Japanese and half Thai menu, the latter of which seemed to offer more variety. The impressive sashimi counter in the centre and back of the restaurant showed that they took their sashimi seriously and I wanted to heed that call but we decided on 2 mains instead rather than ordering a few smaller plates to share.

The Panang curry arrived first in a deep bowl with a long, white brim like that of an upside down hat. I loved that the menu had a line on it that said that the kitchen would make dishes to suit any dietary requirements. So often, this is frowned upon in Sydney restaurants where they state the opposite like 'No changes to the menu allowed'. It was the same at Margan Restaurant over in Broke who similarly welcome such requests and thereby make vegetarians, pescatarians or those with allergies not feel uneasy about asking. We requested the vege and tofu version of this dish that was on the menu as a duck Panang curry and it was well, oishii! The sauce was a rich and full of spices blended smoothly with a variety of vegetables that had been just cooked so as to remain a little firm.

The teriyaki salmon came out on a Japanese stoneware plate and looked as stunning as one might expect with simplicity being key. It was rather large, unskinned and overcooked being a little dry in parts. The teriyaki sauce was very watery both in taste and consistency. The miso, salad and rice that accompanied it were a nice touch though for a $25 dish. It was not as good as the curry but still a clean and fresh dish. Service remained slow throughout the evening so it was one glass of wine each and one attempt to order another glass that never came. At least we had a bottle of Margan 2010 semillon waiting for us back at the accomm and that was enough to entice us to leave without even browsing the dessert menu. We were at the Hunter Valley after all.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Margan Winery and Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:06:00 +0000

It had been two very long years since my last visit to Margan Winery and Restaurant and I said 'long' because I shouldn't have left such a period of time lapse without this wondrous experience. Us Sydney-siders must make a concerted effort to escape the rat race of the city and the clan-like mentality that we sometimes partake in where we just hang out in one or two neighbouring suburbs close to our hoods. Long weekends at least remind us with some regularity that we live in proximity to stunning rocky views in the Blue Mountains, gorgeous and long beaches on the North Coast and to boutique and quality wineries in the Hunter Valley.

So what happened in that two year period? Well, Margan Restaurant was awarded a coveted one chefs' hat by the SMH Good Food Guide. It was no surprise to me given how much I loved it last time. Our meal at Margan surpassed our meal at the then one-hatted, Rock Restaurant but it wasn't a completely fair comparison since we had lunch at Margan where we
ordered simpler dishes than the richer and more complex dishes we had at Rock. Overall, the environment, service, produce and atmosphere swayed me to Margan and funnily enough, the SMH Good Food Guide followed suit by dethroning Rock and hoisting up Margan!

I sent an email to Margan Restaurant about 4 weeks in advance to ensure that I could secure a booking during what I expected to be a busy long weekend. To my surprise, it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be but then I hadn't factored in that there was a lot of sport on that weekend (NRL and AFL action) which could have kept some die-hards at home. The restaurant was nearly fully booked and certainly busier than last time with couples and families as expected over a long weekend.

The menu told a great story about the Margans and their team as passionate farmers and winemakers. They love their chickens and their sole rooster so much that they are not eaten but supply their eggs, not to mention compost! They're so environmentally conscious and aware that instead of being offered tap water, we are offered filtered rainwater which was delightful and you're not made to feel second rate for having this instead of bottled, sparkling water.

We ordered two entrees, one main and one dessert to share to maximise our sampling potential. We ordered the hand knotted buffalo mozzarella with broad beans, piquillo peppers and salsa salmoriglio ($22), Carpaccio of kingfish with piccalilli, capers and white balsamic vinaigrette ($26) and the fish of the day which was roasted barramundi on a bed of baby lentils mixed with chorizo, asparagus and a vanilla and cinnamon sauce ($38). Time to relive the glory as I recount this to you...

The French-accented waitress was quick, polished, professional and friendly. She asked us if we were ok with the dishes coming out one by one, starting with the kingfish, followed by the mozzarella and finishing with the barramundi. We promptly agreed and ordered the 2010 Margan semillon which was recommended on the menu to accompany the kingfish and informed by our waitress that it would also work well with the barramundi.

The kingfish looked like it had had a Masterchef makeover compared to the cured salmon dish which we ordered two years ago. All dishes now seem to be fanned out across the plate with micro herbs and flavoured oils making an appearance. The flavour of the fish was able to shine through and indeed enhanced by its' plate partners. There were about eight very thin pieces though so the dish was a little pricey but it made up for it in taste and freshness.

The mozzarella came out in a deep dish and shocked me. Yes, shocked me! It was served with a warm sauce that was rather watery in consistency so that it had slightly melted and become even more juicy and delicious in gooey glory. Two whole balls of mozzarella came in one serving which made up for the smaller serving of kingfish. You could even tell that it had been 'hand-knotted' since the texture tore apart as a soft and fresh mozzarella ball should unlike those cheap and nasty ones you can buy packaged at Coles that masquerade mozzarella. The broad beans were served whole and the salsa and roasted pepper sauce had a nice sweetness that worked with the mozzarella. I can never eat cheap mozzarella again!

After that unexpected triumph in a bowl, the barramundi arrived, standing upright to attention. This was one meaty and juicy piece of fish, although we requested that no chorizo was mixed in with the lentils and they agreed. The vanilla and cinnamon infused oil was subtle but worked well with the natural saltiness of the fish. The baby lentils and fresh blanched asparagus spears were a marriage in earthy flavours.

We also ordered a side of roast potatoes which we picked over chips because our waitress informed us that the potatoes were grown there unlike the chips. A deep bowl of new potatoes quartered or halved depending on size came out. Our waitress informed us that they were steamed and then tossed in oil at the end to give them a golden-brown colour and flavour before the addition of fresh herbs. They tasted very clean and I could imagine their relatives actually being grown just outside the window. However, we both got a piece or two that had not been steamed long enough so that it was undercooked and a bit bitter, which was off putting. I just stayed away from the bigger pieces after that but still.

I was full after all that but we had to check the dessert menu after seeing dishes full of panna cotta, lemon tart and affogato float past us during the latter half of the meal. They also offered home made gelatos so we ordered the affogato so that we got our coffee, liqueur and sugar hits all in one go. How's that for efficiency? Just as it came out, my phone camera ran out of batteries so I can't share the joy of this but picture a medium sized square white plate with a glass bowl on it filled with 3 large and soft vanilla bean gelato scoops. Got that? Good. Then picture 2 shot glasses alongside it, 1 with hot espresso and 1 with Amaretto. Finally, picture a thick and big shard of caramel with nuts, seeds and dried fruit encrusted in it. The combination was deadly and I mean in a good way. I loved that you could pour combinations of the 2 shot glasses in yourself to customise your affogato and keep topping it up as the gelato melted. Heavenly! Wars could be resolved over a Margan affogato!

I also had a soy cappuccino that was strong, yet creamy and smooth. Happy happy joy joy! I was done except that we hadn't done our wine tasting. Somehow we managed to haul our (now heavier) asses into the tasting room next door and tried a few drops. The damage? We walked away with 4 bottles of wine - the Frizzante and Botrytis Semillon blew me away and J went for the shiraz and the cabernet sauvignon. We'll continue to dream about our next visit whilst quaffing these 4 souvenirs no doubt.

Both the winery itself and the restaurant are a 'must see' if you're in the Hunter for a boutique winery that's not as big, polished and commercial as the others but matches them with exceptional wine and food. It was so beautiful, despite the heavy rain that we experienced. The staff were also friendly and expert in their knowledge of the wines and the produce in the restaurant. You're made to feel genuinely welcome and what a warm welcome it was! Thanks again Margan. I hope to see you soon.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Rice Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:36:00 +0000

Vietnamese food has become increasingly popular yet it has never managed to dismantle Thai food as the take out of choice or the near monopoly Thai food has on pub bistros. I think that's good thing though otherwise we'd be suffering the same effects of a decade of Thai food, in that it gets boring and has morphed into a cuisine defined by several poor replicas of real Thai food being pad thai and green curry. Fortunately, a handful of Thai restaurants have sprung up in the inner-city more recently as a counterpoint to this onslaught. 'Spice I Am' and 'House' have introduced us to Thai food from different parts of Thailand and reminded us that the mild and meek dishes to which we were accustomed had been tamed for the Aussie palate and reminded us that chilli is a central ingredient to Thai cuisine and lots of it in the case of Issan food! My mouth still waters when I think of that hot meal we had at House. It was so full on that I've only been back there once and ordered some relatively tamer dishes.

I've been to a handful of Vietnamese restaurants in Marrickville and in Chinatown but not really found 'The One' yet. I figured that if I already enjoy the offerings here then it can only get better if I head out to more traditional places and eventually make a pilgrimage to VIetnam itself so I've yet to seek further afield.

The gentrification of cuisines is rather inevitable. 'Red Lantern' is the most successful modern VIetnamese restaurant I can think of. Luke Nguyen has become a superstar with his own television series, walking tours of Cabramatta and like every chef of an awarded restaurant, his own cookboos. Indeed Luke has been anointed with the Celebrity Chef status, alongside his Crown Street neighbours at Bills, Billy Kwong, Bentley and Marque.

In Newtown, there was a void of Vietnamese restaurants with a more fanciful and comfortable set out than the plain Thanh Binh or the garishly functional decor at Pho 236. Enter 'Rice Paper'. Rice Paper looks sparkling new, literally. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling and the lighting was blindingly bright in parts. Ask if you can be seated in the back section alongside the kitchen for a dimmer and more romantic dining experience!

We started with the papaya salad ($12). Thin shreds of green papaya that had been done on a mandolin came out mixed with thinly-sliced bits of roast pork, prawns cut in half lengthwise together with those carrot and turnip pickles you see that have been cut with the zig-zag blade of the mandolin. Huge prawn crackers were served on the side which were great for having with the papaya salad to provide a further textural contrast. The salad had a pleasant flavour but lacked the heat and strength that I've come to expect in a papaya salad. That's not a criticism though, it's just a note that you should expect something milder than serious Thai ones (from House for example!).

The salt and pepper tofu ($13) came out on a huge plate that was disproportionate to the price of the dish. This was true Vietnamese style! Triangular pieces of tofu had a heavy batter that was a bit oily for my liking but the sprinkling of salt and Szechuan pepper differentiated this dish from the numerous others before it. Despite this, the dish was annihilated and there were no (tofu) survivors!

The other main we ordered came out still sizzling and bubbling like a witches' caudron. The fish cooked in a claypot ($21) was exactly that. After being placed on our table, the waitress then poured a salad of raw bean sprouts, spring onion and more of that carrot and turnip pickle into the claypot that cooked in its' heat. Large chunks of fish (Dory or Bream) had been cut vertically so that the fishbone still sat in the middle along with some bones, that made it rather difficult to eat. There was a strong garlicky taste to the caramelised sauce which wasn't reduced as much as it should have been to coat the fish nicely and earn the title of being truly 'caramelised'.

Served with rice, these 2 dishes and 1 entree were more than enough to fill our bellies on a colder than usual Spring evening. It's a great spot to go in Newtown for families or friends although not a romantic evening as it's bustling with noise, light and others munching happily with their fingers on wrap-your-own rice paper rolls, etc. In the meantime, my search continues for 'The One'...

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Changing Lanes Festival Surry Hills

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Sydney has a newfound love for its' laneways akin to the Melbournians. Even before Clover Moore's change to licensing laws that enabled small bars to pop, we had the Laneway Festival brought to us by St Jerome's (cute laneway bar in inner city Melbourne in case you didn't know). The Laneway festival subsequently changed and morphed into something much bigger that overtook a few laneways in Circular Quay and engulfed The Basement. To avoid a claim for misleading and deceptive conduct, they should really change the name of it now to 'Laneways and Basement' but that doesn't have the same ring to it I suppose.

This year was my first 'Changing Lanes' festival, an inaugural event that was held in Newtown last time but like all things new and trendy, it has now moved to our new hipster enclave, Surry Hills. I wasn't even planning on going, but my music guru/fried, Geoff surprised me with a ticket. Upon walking out of Central station, my ears were filled with music and a vibrant, graffiti mural marked the entrance of a very packed Devonshire Street, with an ascending gradient so that I could see the stage rather clearly from outside. Indeed, there were even a handful of people seated across the street watching the festival for free and enjoying the sounds of The Vasco Era when I arrived in the late afternoon.

The Vasco Era played a solid set with a few familiar songs, but I'm not a huge fan so I wouldn't know any of their newer stuff. They were pretty tight and delivered a polished performance which the high density crowd got right into. The laneway was the most packed that I saw it for the rest of the night. After their set finished, it looked like a lot of people left and the laneway remained at about 2/3 capacity for the rest of the evening which was great for us. The previously long queue to get into the Gaelic and to go to the port a loos down another laneway shrank remarkably.

We walked past an Indonesian place called Padi on Devonshire Street and saw that they were selling drinks so we ducked in for $6 Heinekens without having to stand in the huge lines at the outdoor bars. Of course we had to buy some food otherwise they wouldn't just sell us drinks so we popped a mochi ball filled with a sugary peanut filling into our mouths and off we went with our drinks! I might go back and check out Padi since the food looked rather good with chicken skewers, noodles and beef curry on offer.

Following a rather brief line, up, we then went inside the Gaelic Club for a band called Michaelango and the Tin Star who graced the stage and I mean 'graced'. They had real presence. At first, I found the lead singer who was some kind of Elvis fan and 50s hill billy a bit strange but after one song, I found his stage presence and charisma rather enticing. It was a fun performance and he engaged the crowd in some witty banter when he attempted to auction off the tin star badge that we wore with bids starting at $15K and there were many takers in the crowd going right up to $40K. He remarked that it was a great way to make money! A fun Burlesque-clad dancer came on stage for the last 2 songs and she had some seriously fun 50s moves not dissimilar to Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction's moves.

The Gaelic was much changed from the last time I visited, some years ago. I discovered why good indie bands don't play there any more. They've sectioned off a part downstairs and installed pokie machines so there is a smaller space downstairs near the bar now. Upstairs, it's still rather roomy with booths for seating and the same good view over the stage. Ah, what a shame that it no longer gets the same calibre of bands that it used to.

With some time to kill before the next band, we took that opportunity to get some food. Most of the food outlets in Devonshire were open for the occasion so we had a choice of sushi, Indonesian, Pasta and the Gallery Cafe as well as some stalls set up down a (you guessed it!) laneway of gozleme (of course!), yum cha ($10 for a plate of 5 items) and a bratwurst stand. We opted for the sushi which must've been the freshest thing on offer and they also had some seating there to rest our tired soles. I can't remember the name of the place but it was surprisingly good. I just had 2 handrolls, a chicken one and a beef teriyaki roll, both of which were packed with juicy meat and well seasoned sushi rice. They were massive too for only $3 each. I'm used to the ones you get in the city which are about the size of 2 fingers wide, that's how small they are. It's no wonder they'll give you 3 rolls for $5 in town cause it's about the equivalent of 2 bigger ones.

Next up, it was back out to the main stage to check out Papa vs Pretty. I can't believe that these guys are virtually veterans, having been on the scene for so long but they're still only in their early or mid-20s. They played a good set that was mostly rock with a liking for guitar solos. They had a big sound for a 3 piece. I can see why they've lasted so long but not really my thing.

Soon enough, it was the moment that I'd been waiting for and the sole drawcard for me, PVT. Their set exploded with the 3 guys all playing their hearts out. They played a mix of new and old stuff with the highlight being 'O Soundtrack My Heart' which was better live than I could have imagined. What a classic! Timeless even if it is influenced by 80s. One guy's Beaker from the Muppets-style hair was the envy of those vertically-challenged hair enthusiasts (see photo above) and the lead singer dazzled the crowd with his ability to sing, play guitar and keyboard (see photo below). However it all seemed to end too soon, much like everything in Surry Hills. All those local residents mean that bars and incidentally, music festivals must come to an end early and at 9.45pm on a Saturday, it finished up.

Thanks to Geoff for getting me a ticket as a belated birthday present (yes, I'm still celebrating!). It was an awesome night. Drinks were cheap and there were real food outlets from shops and not just festival stalls. Great street party vibe and mostly chilled atmosphere with no shirtless festival yobs. There was a crazy dreadlocked man right next to us at PVT who disregarded any inconvenience he caused fellow watches by whipping them with his dreadlocks and I did get few beers spilt on my feet but other than that, it was a great day/night.

Orto Trading Co

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:19:00 +0000

Where did 52 Waterloo Street come from? I had no idea that this new development had sprung up seemingly from nowhere in the backwaters of Surry Hills until I read about the opening of three funky new restaurants, Fujiyama Izakaya, El Capo and Orto Trading Co. Will there be no street unturned in Surry where we will find a sneaky wine bar like Vini, a gourmet bottle shop/wine bar like 121BC or a boutique restaurant like Berta or Cotton Duck. So many types of cuisines have already landed and the trio at 52 Waterloo St are an example of such diversity - Japanese, South American and British, all of them 'inspired' rather than traditional cuisine.

My dear friend, Kate told me about this place that was buzzing most nights and we decided we had to check it out so off we went on a weeknight. 'Orto' is the Italian word for vegetables as they state on their website and they boast a tiered rack of herbs outside and cute, baby buckets of thyme and parsley also act as table decorations. Having the corner location means that there is plenty of light and fresh air. There seems to be as much al fresco seating as there is indoor seating which was rather dandy on the night of our visit, being one of the warmest nights in early Spring so far.

I was the first to arrive in my group of 3. They only take bookings for either 6pm or 8pm so we opted for the latter by which time I was pretty hungry. Luckily, the friendly waitress brought out a small pail of popcorn flavoured with fresh butter, truffle oil and salt. It wasn't fresh and warm but who cares when truffle is present?

We perused the one page menu printed on firm, recycled paper which added to the overall theme of the decor being natural such as the empty coloured glass bottles that were hung up with string over the bar. This could be seen as ridiculous and pretentious but in context with the furniture, herbs and outdoor setting surrounded by green it was simple and effective. In furtherance of that theme, one thing that you should know is that everything is served on wooden boards. This is a bit gimmicky but again, I think it worked in context and lent a rustic effect. At least, we didn't have to eat off wooden boards but were given white plates to eat off.

The first dish to arrive was the scotch egg (about $8). I simply had to order this after heading those Masterchef judges bang on about how difficult they were to make since you had to keep the egg yolk soft (otherwise your 'dream is over' and you're going home!) whilst encasing the egg in minced meat and deep-frying the little sucker. The version served to us would have passed even George's criticism (perfectly cooked) but perhaps not, Gary's since it lacked seasoning in the meat. The sweet, curried cauliflower chutney was delicious and added a whole new dimension to the dish so overall, it was awesome!

Speaking of cauliflower, they must either have a thing for it and/or it's the season for it, since the spiced cauliflower fritters (about $8) were rather wondrous. The dish came served on (you guessed it...) a wooden board on which a paper cone rested and the cauliflower spilt out of it. Use of the word 'fritters' was misleading since they were not fritters like 'corn fritters' mixed into a patty and batter, but rather florets of cauliflower that had been spiced, probably dusted with some flour and deep-fried. They weren't oily at all and had been seasoned well. The pear sauce was thick and had a subtle flavour which was sweet but rather lost pitted against the spiced cauliflower. Totally delicious but no match for the fried cauliflower with chickpeas and silverbeet I had at Bodega a week ago, not that I'm comparing cauliflowers with cauliflowers but rather pears with cauliflowers!

A big point of difference here was that they had the standard sections on the menu - appetisers, entrees and mains but in addition to that there was another heading 'Mains for 2'! I read about this online before I arrived and also noticed that they still had their 'winter 2011' menu online and had not updated it with their 'spring 201' menu hence I've only guessed at the prices (in brackets below). I was excited about this concept though. It defies the trend of the shrinking plate phenomenon that's swept Sydney whereby you pay more for less. Here it generally makes more sense or cents to order a main for 2 because they are huge and could sufficiently serve 3.

We ordered 1 main for 1 (choice of about 4) and 1 main for 2 (choice of 3) between 3. Ha! We were drawn to the Kingfish Wellington ($28) which also happened to be the only seafood main out of 7 options. I can only surmise that there's a reason that Beef Wellington is a known and popular dish that is not copied with other meats or seafood. The dish looked like an apple turnover with latticed pastry encasing a fillet of overcooked and slightly dry kingfish as well as some wonderful spices and red rice. The saviour of the dish was again the sauce. A white porcelain jar of creamy, herb sauce. Doused in the sauce, the dish ended up quite triumphant although I just couldn't get over the moisture-less fishy.

Finally, the dish that I was anticipating most arrived - a whole roasted, glazed duck with spiced mandarin and radicchio ($80). A huge wooden board came out bearing about 7 pieces of duck with skin that glistened. The duck was cooked just right so that the meat was tender and juicy and the skin was tasty and sweet. The mandarin bits looked like they had soaked a whole, unpeeled mandarin in some sugary syrup with cloves, mustard seeds and spices and then cut it up in segments with the skin still on. A little chuck of the mandarin with some duck and a sliver of bitter radicchio was rather amazing. One whole duck is a lotta duck for 2 people so I was glad that we shared it between 3. Bear in mind that there was 1 guy and 2 girls so it may be enough for 2 if you're both guys. We somehow devoured this - thanks Damien!

We also ordered a green salad ($8) to go with all that meaty goodness which was a decision I was grateful for. All those dishes were wonderful but cumulatively heavy. The green salad consisted of mixed leaves including rocket and spinach and some green peas (!) dressed in light vinegar and olive oil. By the end we were happily full without being painfully full so we quit whilst we were ahead and refrained from ordering the dessert with 'chocolate soil' or the one with cake lollipops. I was assured by the fact that I would most definitely be back to visit this place in the not too distant future!

Overall the food really was British inspired. It was heavy on meat with the other 2 'Mains for 2' being roasted pork hock ($65) and beef rib eye (about $90). I was told by the waitress that they were out of one entree, the salmon ballotine. I stopped myself from asking her how this had happened since we arrived on time for the 8pm seating so perhaps they were fully booked at 6pm and all those people ordered the salmon, or perhaps not...

This was a unique and fun communal dining experience. The place was full on a Wednesday night for the 8pm sitting which was testament to its ability to create a niche for a casual place to eat food that is homely (although definitely better than what one might make at home), warming and comforting without exorbitant prices. Dining at one end of the large, communal table inside off wooden chopping boards felt like we were in the living room of an old friend's house. Nice.

The service was friendly but not proficient. Our water glasses were only refilled once after trying to flag someone down for a while. Then at the end, our bill also included 3 cocktails for $45 which we never ordered or drank. This was promptly corrected but without much of an apology for their stuff up or any explanation of how it happened. It always 'pays' to double check your bills! Despite that, I'll still be back for this creative cuisine that has a strong nod to tradition.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/1583700/restaurant/New-South-Wales/Orto-Trading-Co-Surry-Hills"><img alt="Orto Trading Co on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1583700/biglink.gif" style="border:none;width:200px;height:146px" /></a>

Bodega may have lost a hat but not a fan!

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 23:25:00 +0000

The Sydney Morning Herald celebrated the results of its' Good Food Guide awards this month and the boys, Elvis and Ben who formerly rocked the pans at Bodega, were awarded Best New Restaurant for their new venture, Porteno! It's a well deserved reward for their inspired cooking, creativity and flair which has reinvigorated the Sydney eating and bar scene since Bodega first became a success. I've been to Porteno once and found it every bit as exciting on the palate, eye and senses as I expected. It's one of a kind and no one else cooked roasted pork or lamb better! Also, who else does deep-fried brussels sprouts that were so good that they had our table fighting for the last few pieces. A revelation!

I've always loved Bodega though, having dined there about 4 or 5 times since it opened. It used to be quite hard to get into, involve a wait in the street and then in the bar when that got constructed but it was always worth it for their unique blend of food that was always full of flavour akin to a wake up call for your tastebuds to say that there is only before Bodega and after Bodega and all other food pales into comparison. Back in 2009, I wrote about my experience there and I still love it: http://musicmunchiesreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/bodega.html . I was interested to see whether things had changed now that Elvis Has Left the Building, so to speak.

On first appearances, nothing had changed. The big mural of a cartoon bull was still there and the decor looked the same. On closer inspection, I noticed that things were a bit different. Firstly, I went there on a Tuesday night to avoid the crowds and either it worked or the crowds have finally started to dissipate or follow the 2 mains chefs to Porteno. Either way, I was not complaining. Secondly, there was red lipstick smile from the gorgeous former maitre d, Sarah, who has also gone to Porteno. Again, either way, I was not complaining since the service was still friendly and prompt. Then there's the food...

Some items must be such crowd pleasers on the menu that there would be a staged riot and possible coup if they were taken off. I'm thinking the 'Fish Fingers' were one such item as well as the 'Piquillo Peppers stuffed with Bachalau'. Of course, we ordered both of these as an ode to old times. The Fish Fingers were as incredible as ever. The old trick of rubbing raw garlic across grilled bread with olive oil, never gets old. The Spanish have been doing it for centuries no doubt. Loved the garlic and still loved it about 2 days later when I finally got rid of the taste from my mouth.

The Peppers were also still awesome. That soft, sweet flesh of the pepper gives way to a subtle and salty fish blast, tempered with a tangy green and herby sauce. The only difference was that where you used to order a dish of 3 of these for about $15, you can now order them individually for $5 each.

I also couldn't resist ordering the corn tamale since J had never tried this and I knew that he'd love it. Tamale is something that I wouldn't even know how to start making and so dense and full of flavour. It was served on the corn husk that it was probably steamed in and topped with finely diced tomato salsa. Its' plate partners were a very creamy, smooth and subtle guacomole, spicy black beans in a tomato and chilli sauce and deep-fried corn tortilla chips. Trying to get a bit of everything on your chip in one mouthful was a rewarding challenge and messy sight! Highly recommended!

One of the newer items or at least ones that I'd never ordered before were the fried spiced calamari with aioli. It was such a nice change to have calamari that was not salt and pepper, which I'm so over since every Asian restaurant, pub and cafe is serving S&P anything and it's hardly ever done well. This calamari was lightly battered, small and tender. It was heavily doused in smoky paprika which gave it more depth. The aioli looked like a massive wedge of clotted cream. It was thick, garlicky and all kinds of bad-for-you good!

They were the 3 dishes and 1 tapas (the peppers) I'd decided to order and upon informing the waiter, he suggested that we may want to order 1 more dish being a vegetable one since we didn't have any greens. He spoke my language. I have a soft spot for greens. As J so rightly put it, I don't feel like I've had a complete meal without greens having insisted on making at least a green leaf salad with just about anything whether it's Japanese, Italian or Mexican food that we're eating. I went against my instincts, reviewed the menu and ordered the fried cauliflower with silverbeet and chickpeas.

It may not look like much but trust me those 3 little ingredients carried the flavour weight of about 10! The cauliflower had been cut into small florets and deep-fried so that they were golden brown in parts and crispy (hence my dark photo). The silverbeet had been cut into long strips, fried and dressed in olive oil and loads of lemon juice. Finally, the chickpeas were doused in cumin. Together, this menage a trois convinced me that food threesomes were something to behold!

We somehow managed to finish everything but we were really full. I should have listened to my gut who later punished me for ignoring it as it protruded for the rest of the evening. I could have silenced the gut by ordering dessert but I resisted even though I'm in love with their take on 'banana split'.

Bodega may have lost some of its' gloss with the 3 main personalities having moved on. This year the Good Food Guide de-hatted the restaurant from 1 hat to no hat. I completely disagree with this. The food is still consistently amazing and even incredible. They don't know the meaning of the word 'subtle' here. Everything was packed with flavour be it chilli, paprika, cumin or lemon juice. It's all there and will not leave you wanting more or hungry unlike lesser places. Just don't over-order and save room for dessert.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/750333/restaurant/New-South-Wales/Bodega-Surry-Hills"><img alt="Bodega on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/750333/biglink.gif" style="border:none;width:200px;height:146px" /></a>

Ms G

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:29:00 +0000

'Ms G' or 'MSG'? Either way, it's a playful pun on the commonly-used abbreviation for the evil monosodium glutenate that was demonised in the 80s or so. It was this cute and clever name of the place as well as the dessert they offered called 'Stoner's Delight' that informed me that they had a sense of humour that enticed me to dine here, even if it could also suffer from a sprinkle of Sydney restauranteur/socialite/eligible bachelor, Justin Hemmes.

I planned to go there for a Sunday lunch to (a) avoid queues; and (b) be able to park nearby. It must be old age or something but standing in a queue to be served food does not come naturally to me when there are so many great places in Sydney that you can go to without having to do so.

Success! I not only got a park right outside the restaurant but I scored The Prime Table which is on the top floor right in the alcove of the curved glass area with an uninterrupted view of the Harbour Bridge. The photo above is the long, communal table right beside us and facing the inside of the restaurant and Victoria Street, not the fancy view which we had which I simply could not hope to capture or do any justice even if I attempted to do so.

The space itself is long and thin with 4 split semi levels like the house from hell if you had a toddler wandering about. It was perfect for a restaurant though, as they had a casual bar and waiting area on the street level, a few steps up where we were, there was a selection of small tables for 2 and 4 and the communal table in the middle and then there were 2 levels below, featuring bigger tables and capitalising on the sun and natural light.

Above us, the ceiling featured some coffee bean bags mounted on canvas and pinned to it. That is just one example of some innovative, green friendly and quirky decorations that surrounded us. It's a matter of taste but I found it matched with the fun vibe of the joint.

We started off by ordering one of the very interesting and unique sounding cocktails described in the menu categorised into 'packaged' and 'unpackaged'. I'm assuming that this refers to how they're served, being either in those plastic pearl bubble containers or not. We had the 'packaged' Green Iced Tea ($13) which was a mix of vodka, 'cloud & mist tea', grapefruit bitters, green apple and soda. Does that description not sound lush and tangy? I thought so, but it was not. Instead it tasted like a watery cordial and the presentation in that plastic cup, whilst cute for a pearl bubble drink did not work with a cocktail.

The word cocktail itself implies that your drink should be served in a suitably fancy glassware. Isn't that mandatory? How else can you justify charging such prices for what is effectively something that you could make for less than $5? Strike 1.

Between the 2 of us, we decided to order 3 dishes including 2 smaller ones and 1 larger one. First cab off the rank were the sea scallops ($16) with jicama, guacamole and finger lime. Not all of the ingredients were listed which can be annoying if you're not a fan of some of them, though this was definitely not the case here. The rather wonderful mess served us included a jumble of tender, raw scallops mixed with a light and zesty dressing, mixed herbs including coriander and mint with the crunchy jicama and some toasted rice on top. The guac was creamy and flavoursome and the roe added a complimentary fish taste. Oh, Ms G certainly set the bar high with this number. I had all but forgiven them for the cordial cocktail by this time.

Next up was the grilled calamari ($14) with bacon chilli jam, potato and lettuce hearts. The calamari had been evenly scored (points for that effort) but was overcooked so that it was more chewy than tender and lacked that black, charred effect. There was no discernable sign of lettuce heart either but there were celery heart leaves instead and some other herbs. The potato had been fried to within an inch of its' life, producing a burst of crunch to the salad that worked with the smoky bacon bits. Overall, it was tasty and I even ended up dousing some of that dressing on my rice.

Then the main of sambal cod arrived ($28) naked on a white plate bar, bar half a lime. The waitress advised us of this so we ordered a side of rice for one ($4) which was kinda lucky as it was a smallish serve. That sambal had a serious kick and complexity that excelled it above its' lesser counterparts. The sticky, sweet and salty mix of chilli, sugar and spices was utterly addictive.

The one serve of rice came out in a pretty large oval shaped bowl that effectively amounted to 2 large, heaped normal rice bowls. Interestingly, it was koshikari rice being Japanese rather than the usual longrain or jasmine. I loved it but left plenty of it behind after all the other goodness on offer. We had no room for the infamous 'Stoners' Delight' this time but I'll be back!

The service was very casual or relaxed, which is another way of saying that it was slack. Our food arrived pretty quickly and was well spaced out but our cocktail only came after the first course had arrived, even though we ordered it as soon as we sat down and ordered food later. We asked twice for our water glasses to be refilled before that happened just once and then they were never refilled again. There were plenty of staff on hand though on each level and they were not even full. I know it was a Sunday but perhaps they need an extra shot of coffee or something!

They do play great 80s tunes and by that I don't mean the commercial pop of the Stock Aitken Waterman variety but rather The Cure (even 'Lovesong'!) and other great bands.

Overall, it was a fun place to visit so it fulfilled the brief by filling a void where you can order drinks, have a high quality and tasty snack of the mod Asian variety that is not too expensive and chill out with a group of friends. I'm sure that Thursday - Saturday nights are a very different scene but I'd definitely recommend this for a sleepy Sunday.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Ampersand

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:17:00 +0000

There's lots of talk about the changing face of Surry Hills. In more recent times it has morphed from a run down garment district where the rag trade made their offices into an inner-city cauldron of so-hip-it- hurts wine bars and some of Sydney's best restaurants such as Marque, Billy Kwong and the infamous Bills, home of the most over-rated corn fritters in the world.

Now that may sound like a covert complaint which it is in some ways, that is on Friday and Saturday nights where attempting to get a car park any time after 6pm is next to impossible and when you're living or staying nearby and attempting to get a table at Four Ate Five but you're forced to join the queue as if it's a nightclub with a strict 'one in, one out' policy. However, it is fantastic that you can still choose to indulge in haute cuisine or have an affordable, down to earth pub meal at the Trinity or find some dark and dirty alley entrance to a cute small bar that serves tasty snacks like Sticky.

It's great that little elements of boho still pervade the bubbling Crown Street though. The opening of the second Ampersand Cafe Bookstore was much rejoiced by me. I already love the original in lower Paddo. I love the concept and the execution. They stock a great selection of used books in usually good condition and offer a range of different categories and rarities. Not only have they excelled at that, but they also show the same careful consideration to their menu and the food that they serve and prepare.

The weekend morning when I went, we perused the rather extensive menu including a breakfast menu that was offered until 3pm (thank goodness for that!) as well as the lunch menu available from 11.30 until 3pm, both of which were set inside a hardcover book (but of course!). There were gluten free options clearly marked and a detailed list of ingredients beside each item which I appreciated so that there were not going to be any surprises before I'd had my morning coffee.

J had the Eggs Benedict with 'Fresh Smoked Salmon' ($16) which featured juicy and smoky salmon with bread that you could cut without sawing or chipping a tooth, which is always a good thing.

I ordered the name-sake breakfast, 'The Ampersandian' which came with a crispy hash brown with thyme, 2 poached eggs, 2 grilled field mushrooms, semi-dried tomatoes and a dash of Bernaise sauce on the side. It was awesome! Each element had been cooked rather well and according to the description except for the tomato which was delicious but would be hard pressed to be called 'semi-dried', more like 'gently roasted' or 'oven nestled'! The hash brown blew us both away though. This looked like a solid, rock of a patty and had a beautifully crisped coating without any excessive oiliness and the insides were of finely grated potato that had been pressed together.

My coffee gave me a satisfactory hit for the afternoon but wasn't as amazing as the food. On my next visit, I've already decided that I'll be trying the 'Breakfast Bowl' which is listed as featuring 3 of my favourite breakfast items miraculously served in the same dish - bircher muesli, warm rice pudding and apple and berry crumble. In case those 3 things weren't enough, the whole thing is also served with fresh fruit and yogurt! I can't wait!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Russell Wine Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:40:00 +0000

I want to say that the RWB is a find but there is no such thing as a 'find' if it's directly on a main street (George Street) and in a highly-touristy area (The Rocks). So it's not a 'find' as such but I'll call it a 'pleasant surprise' given its' location. One can generally assume that most restaurants and/or bars on the main drag in almost any given city are not going to be very good. Why? Well, because they don't have to try too hard to get your attention or your money. There's a captive audience of passers-by and they can just rely on that trade to get by.

However some places do make a play for more than this passing stream of traffic. RWB is an example of this. For one, it's a wine bar in a part of the city better known for having some of the oldest and most liked pubs such as The Australian, Mercantile and Orient. It also happens to have a good wine list and as I've saved the best for last, it has delicious food. Ok, so it's not the first pub/bar to boast of this, the Lord Nelson jumped on this many years ago but they didn't serve up a tapas style menu.

I must confess here that my first visit was based on a deal I'd bought off a group buying website whereby for $39 you receive 2 glasses of wine, a share platter of meat or cheese and your choice of 2 tapas. Now, I love a bargain, more than the average person I suspect and after a quick squizz at the menu on the website the value here would be pretty easy to get since a meat platter was $25 alone and the tapas plates begin at $15 each.

We were offered a cabernet savignon or a sauvignon blanc/semillon blend. I went for the white and Mirelle the red. Prepped and ready! The food didn't take long to arrive even though they were pretty busy with a mix of after work suits and diners scattered in the front area.

The meat platter was huge - see above. It came out on a wooden board bigger than my chopping board and there were more slices of meat on it than probably any other I've ordered in Sydney. The slices were extremely thin though but this worked well for such strong flavours. There were 4 different types whose names I've forgotten, but I believe there was a breasola, prosciutto, salami and a hot salami. A bunch of fresh and peppery baby watercress added some greenery beside the mountain of toast described as 'organic bread' that had a light drizzle of oil and sprinkle of sea salt. Two little dishes were also on the board, one filled with a caramelised onion relish and the other with cornichons, both of which added a tartness to cut through the salty and rich flavour of the meat. I don't normally eat salami but both varieties served were delicious. The prosciutto was a little dry but the breasola seemed freshly sliced.

We then chose 1 tapas plate each to see how we'd fare and decide later if we wanted another one. I ordered the beetroot cured salmon with a celeriac remoulade and Mirelle ordered the grilled haloumi with confit capsicum and rocket pesto. The salmon was sliced so thinly and had that pinkish tinge on the edges like Chinese roast pork or cha siew. There was no discernable beetroot flavour in case you're wondering but it gave it a nice colour. The remoulade was a nice and creamy consistency and made the shreds of celeriac marry perfectly with the tender salmon. A few micro herbs adorned the plate too in such a way as to have made those judges on Masterchef proud.

The haloumi was delicious, not that I've ever had bad haloumi since it's always extremely salty and full of flavour. These were thickly-cut slices that had been pan-fried nicely. To describe the capsicum as 'confit' was rather misleading though as the red and yellow caps didn't taste like they had been sitting in any fat or other substance. The only thing they were possibly sitting in was a jar! The pesto tasted great and added another dimension of flavour to the haloumi. Altogether, it was an awesome dish.

We did pretty well finishing the tapas but didn't quite get through that mountain of meat. That didn't stop us ordering dessert though. We simply had to try the chocolate brownie and the spiced apple crumble. I didn't manage photos of these with all of the catching up going on but I liked that the chocolate brownie was served slightly warm and gooey and was rather sweet since it was either made from milk chocolate (rather than the dark stuff) or with a low cocoa percentage choc. It also featured large macadamia chunks that I loved, not to mention a big scoop of vanilla ice cream which wasn't gourmet but just everyday good stuff like Blue Ribbon or Peters from the taste. Reminded me of my childhood somewhat!

Mirelle remarked that her apple crumble dessert looked healthy! Indeed it did with an oaty looking topping that didn't look like buttery crumble. Fortunately, the baked apples were soft with a subtle spice and there was a generous bowl because I at least half of hers too. Again, there was some vanilla ice cream on the side. So it was 2 out of 2 for us.

The service was friendly and warm although it looked like only 1 waitress was in charge of the front area and it was hard to get her attention at times. The seating was comfortable and well-spaced out. The only strange thing was the soundtrack. At times, they cranked the rock and other times, it was some country!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Love Supreme

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:11:00 +0000

There wasn't much to love about Love Supreme. I waited so long to try this place that the hype and the curved pizza box sculpture had simply disappeared. Was this restaurant named after one of the most celebrated jazz albums of all time? I didn't think so because it was not until after an hour or so that they started to play some actual jazz. Nor was there anything supreme or seemingly any love in the food presented.

We sauntered in on a relatively chilly Sydney night after the warm blast of Summer blew into town and then blew right back out again. They don't take bookings according to the waiter, even though the website states otherwise. I note too that the 'Autumn 2011' menu is still online so clearly they do not update the site very regularly. In any case, it was not busy around 7pm so we were able to nab one of the bigger marble tables in the middle that seated up to 8, although there were only 6 of us.

We ordered 3 starters to share being a large antipasto platter ($25) and 2 servings of the zucchini flowers and fritto misto ($16). The antipasto platter was pretty spectacular and the best dish of the night in my opinion. I only tried a few things on it but loved what I had. The prosciutto was shaved, salty and oh so luscious. The cold (sauteed?) zucchini flowers were fresh and served with blanched green beans in a mild mayo and the olives were juicy and plump. A hunky wedge of solid but crumbly once carved parmesan crowned the plate and some roasted beetroot with goats' cheese and walnuts watched by the sidelines. In addition, there were these things which I didn't get to try (too slow off the mark!): 2 arancini balls, 2 mini bruschetta and a battered and stuffed zucchini flower.

Then there were the 2 plates of zucchini flowers and fritto misto that came with a garlicky harissa mayo, the latter of which was much more bland than you'd expect. I'm told that the batter was crunchy and light and vegetables tender inside. There was an assortment including eggplant and zucchini as well. However, I'm also told that the oil tasted old. You know that 'all day old' taste that oil gets after a hard day's work crusting and coating a range of different things whilst simmering and bubbling away? The taste of soggy chips that have an 'otherworldly' flavour and not in a good way. You can kinda tell by the dark brown crispiness of the veges, although that is due in part to the very dim lighting of the restaurant.

We ordered a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio to go with the entrees which served us well since not everyone was drinking. For the mains, a bottle of chianti had to be selected. After all, we were having Italian! The main waiter was definitely Italian as were a few others but despite this, there was no Peroni on the menu... I tried a nice Red Oak cider that was listed on the menu as 'preservative free'. Do you think anyone who is going to a pizza restaurant is concerned about things being preservative free or organic? A lot of the wines listed were also organic or biodynamic, etc. I suppose that we were in Paddington after all!

There are a few factors to consider and weigh up when judging a pizza - crust, sauce, cheese and other toppings. This place got a big, massive tick for the crust. It was near perfect I'd say - delightfully thin, crispy on the bottom and edges without being burnt and nice al dente chewinness in the middle. However, it didn't score so well with the other components...

In no particular order, we had these pizzas:
- Mama - olives, capers and anchovies - see above - this was no mean Mother but rather the mildest pizza I've had considering the punchy ingredients which did not hold their own;

- Love Supreme - artichokes, anchovies, buffalo mozzarella and gremolata - had to order the 'signature' pizza which 2 of us wanted so we got a 'maxi size of this but if this is the best they can do, then this said it all. It was entirely underwhelming. The artichokes were only halved and hence big chunks sat in the middle and there was no discernable taste of anchovies or gremolata at all.

Yes We Can? OR T.N.T - salami, capsicum and other tasteless things - see above - I can't remember the name of this one but the juicy looking salami enticed me to try it. Mistake.

??? - caramelised onions, goats' cheese, fennel and chilli - I can't remember the name of this either but it tasted better than it looked as someone else on the table said. I mean, picture a big plate of soggy brown stuff with white chunks on it. Appetizing? No. The chilli hit was subtle and pleasantly surprising in contrast to the sweet onions and tangy cheese. However this was one instance when a bit of green garnish wouldn't have gone astray. Hail you parsley sprig!

Onto presentation - Did you know that pizzas must taste better when they're gravitating above your table? It's a theory that Pizza e Birra and Love Supreme subscribe to since all the pizzas were perched on metal stands some 30 centimetres off the table. Is this the Italian equivalent of the Chinese restaurant's rotating 'lazy susan'? Does it really make it easier to share pizzas? I think not!

The larger room of the restaurant was a nice hive of activity. The funky decor of warm wood, dark ceilings and retro prints with the kitchen taking up most of one side of the long and narrow space was well designed. The turned up music was a good volume and when it progressed from some type of world music to jazz, it added further warmth to the atmosphere that had been created with the dim and low hanging lamps. The service was equally warm and friendly.

The bottom line was this: between 6 people, we shared 3 entrees, 4 pizzas (3 medium and 1 maxi) and 2 bottles of mid-priced wine and it came to $330. Is it worth $55 a head for 2 slices of pizza and 2 glasses of wine? Perhaps but for this level of quality, I'd say no. I really do hope they improve their toppings because the crust is supreme. They just need to add the 'Love'.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Shortgrain

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:30:00 +0000

Shortgrain will always be in the shadow of its' more well-known and arguably better predecessor, Longrain. It's the unfair curse that also plagues the Foo Fighters and New Order. However, unlike those bands which morphed into very different musical spaces to distinguish themselves, Shortgrain does not endeavour to do this entirely.

The concept is straight-forward. It is meant to have a 'streetstyle vibe' according to its' manifesto on their website http://www.longrain.com.au/sydney_shortgrain.htm . It's the fast and cheaper version of Longrain and located in its' (brightly lit) basement. The uber friendly waiter explained to us that it's meant to be a fast lunch and sure enough the food appeared as if by magic about five minutes after we placed our order at the counter.

I had another edible birthday present, my favourite kind and this was keenly embraced by our over-ordering! We couldn't resist the young coconut juice served the way nature intended. What did you have for lunch? I drank from a whole coconut!

We also ordered 2 sides being the pickled vegetables and the cucumber relish, the latter of which was to help us cope with the expected chilli heat from the mains. The pickled vegetables still had a crunch but a nice sweet, sour and salty balance. I loved that there was daikon radish and cauliflower featured instead of the usual carrot and turnip combination that you so often get.

Dish 1: Pumpkin and prawn salad with tomatoes, cucumber, onion, chilli, coriander, deep-fried shallots and sesame seeds ($15) - unexpectedly the prawns had been pre-cooked and hence were cold. The sweet soy dressing was light and plentiful.

Dish 2: Beef mussaman curry ($15) - This was rich beyond words. The curry was thick, peanuty and a good balance between sweet and spicy. Whilst it was served in what looked like a smallish bowl, there were at least over 5 big chunks of juicy, fall apart beef cubes and heaps of rice and curry sauce. It was very filling and I'm glad we shared this.

Dish 3: Larb of pork and prawn with roasted rice ($16) - This dish wanted some attention. It had that sort of creeping chilli effect. One minute you're eating big mouthfuls of it and the next, you're riding on the tsunami effect of chillies taking all of your tastebuds with it on a wild ride. It was irresistibly good.

Three dishes between two was plenty and in fact two dishes between two could be more wise, with a few sides to boot. It's great value for the quality of the ingredients, flavours, great service, fast delivery and nice setting. I enjoyed it so much that I walked away with one of their take-home sauces and their salt and pepper mix to take home. Who wouldn't want to take a piece of Longrain, oops, I mean Shortgrain home? New Order and Joy Division were entirely different but both were/are awesome - same goes with Shortgrain and Longrain - it just depends on what mood you're in!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Fat Noodle

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:06:00 +0000

Fat Noodle is pretty PHAT! I'm pretty adverse to the monstrosity that is Sydney's Star City casino. It's like Vegas was in the 80's, all garish carpet, lighting, indoor plants and so on. The only reasons to visit are to eat there and even that has been an unsteady path with restaurants and chefs who have come and gone such as Lanzafame and Sean's Kitchen. In recent times, they've managed to lure celebrity chef of the moment, Luke Nguyen of Flying Fish fame and author of the pretty awesome cookbook, Songs of Sapa, into the plastic fantastic monolith.

Luke is a 'consultant chef' at Fat Noodle and I have no idea what that really means. Did he just look over the menu and say 'yeah, that looks like a bit of alright' or did he meticulously design, taste and plan the menu? Who knows? It's become trendy for modern chefs to diversify their talents and share the love in cookbooks, other restaurants, foodie events, etc etc. Welcome to the Master Celebrity Chef ('MCC'). Gone are the days when chefs used to actually cook in their kitchens daily. You now have to pay $2000 for Justin North of Becasse to actually cook you a meal personally at Becasse's Chef's table! We're living in crazy times.

Thank goodness a lot of MCCs are recognising that people don't want to eat pretentious, fancy food that is pretty in a staid and boring environment but doesn't taste good (I'm generalising as there are some exceptions!). Fat Noodle is smack bang in the middle of the level 1 gaming floor which is weird and unnerving. Will I be able to consume a gourmet meal with the chink of coins all around me and in the knowledge that people are giving away their life savings? That was my dilemma which was unfounded for the food took me to another place!

I must firstly mention the incredible light projections of bamboo around the upper walled ceiling of Fat Noodle. I've never seen anything like it at a restaurant and it played a major factor in helping one escape from the reality of where they were. It also helped that we were seated on high chairs on the main communal table facing the kitchen rather than the gamblers. There were also individual tables in booth-like settings for those who prefer sitting a bit closer to the ground.

Service was friendly and efficient, as you'd expect in an Asian restaurant. I ordered the Fat Noodle Signature Pho served with a side of hoisin sauce and the usual pho accompaniments of raw bean sprouts, Thai basil, a lemon wedge and 2 thick slices of red chilli. The bowl itself was tall, deep and one of those imperfect ceramic ones that look so good that they're akin to the nude make up trend whereby you actually wear even more make up for that 'no make up' look.

The two main components of this dish were out of this world. The 'masterstock' was sensational. It must be years old for that flavour to be so strong and complex but delightfully smooth. Then there's the ridiculously tender beef - Angus sirloin (served pink and rare) and brisket. That cow(s) had a good life!

It was $17 well spent and whilst it was well above what you might expect to pay at a more traditional, local Vietnamese restaurant, the level of care and quality of ingredients was certainly superior. A generous serving of rice-noodles supported the heavenly beef which meant I was not going to leave hungry.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Flying Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:00:00 +0000

It's been cold and wet in Sydney for 7 consecutive days and on the night we visited Flying Fish it was no different. The taxi dropped us off at the rather deserted looking pier 19 on Pirrama Road in Pyrmont and the long walk down the plank to the end of the wharf was long and treacherous in ridiculously high shoes and one umbrella between two.

There's always a light at the end of the pier though and the entrance to Flying Fish emerges and bathes us in its' soft glow! The restaurant has kept the exposed beams and industrial feel of the original wharf yet modernised it with a rustic canvas and graffiti artwork adorning the main side wall. Just audible gentle beats also warm up the room which together with the 'floating' lights set the scene (as well as my expectations!).

Head honcho, Peter Kuruvita has virtually become a household name following his appearance on Masterchef which seems to be the launchpad for celebrity chefs these days. I had previously visited Flying Fish on 2 occasions and really enjoyed both of those meals but I had an insatiable hankering to revisit for some time.

It all started with some warm house-made bread rolls. Even they were good - they were warm and fluffy on the inside and had a nice really crispy base. Fittingly, they were served with two different types of room-temperature butter, one was standard but a very high standard mind you and the other was a 'smoked' butter with black pepper. The second one had a delicate flavour that was tasty. We ordered and polished off a great bottle of sauvignon blanc from Marlborough, NZ (I can't remember the name of it) which went with all our dishes.

This time we shared the small sashimi platter from the specials menu as a starter. It was so pretty that it looked like edible art. I can't even remember the 5 different types of fish, there was definitely the usual suspects - salmon, tuna and kingfish and I think the other 2 were mackeral and bonito but I was distracted by the appearance of the dish and the waiter lost me at 'fish'!

For the main event, I had the signature prawn curry. Four, fat and juicy de-shelled and de-veined prawns curled up in a little mound with their heads and tails intact, naked without curry sauce. A 'snapper croquette' was perched on the side as were dollops of the date and tamarind chutney. On a separate plate, a square bowl of rice garnished with tasty fried coconut, a carrot and parsley pickle and a jug of velvety and smooth curry sauce came out.

I must've forgotten that it came out this way - did it always? I was pleasantly surprised though as it invites me as the diner to partake in the dish and to customise it. I immediately covered the prawns in most of the runny and luscious curry. It was delicious. The pickle was hot and tangy as they should be and the coconut sprinkling on the rice added a new dimension to the dish. The snapper croquette was as meaty as fish can be with chunks of fleshy snapper pressed together, battered and deep-fried. Yum, yum and yum! Bye bye prawnies! They never stood a chance!

J ordered the roasted blue eye trevalla with 'different textures of potato' and a white anchovy and herb vinegarette, which incidentally was my second choice. The fish was nearly as luscious as my prawns - moist and firm and that vinegarette was nothing short of extraordinary. Flavour overload! Given that punchiness, the smooth and creamy potato turrets and salted potato crisp were good accompaniments.

All mains are served with a green salad which is kindly noted on the menu. What other restaurant in Sydney actually gives you a complimentary side? None that I can think of, especially not in this league of fine dining. It was no ordinary salad either. These leaves were so crispy and firm that I swore they must've been from Darling Downs or some organic farm in some green patch of Sydney where the air is sweet and butterflies area everywhere. They were lightly dressed in a slightly sweet vinegar and olive oil with micro herbs scattered about. Elegant and classy.

One can't come to FF and not order their other signature dish though can they? Hello hand cut chips with chilli salt! They were long, fat and a tad oily instead of super crisp, however that was quickly overlooked given the generous amount of the best chilli salt to touch a chip. J ended up having even more textures of potato than he counted on and together we smashed it, quite simply!

We were pretty full by then because the serving sizes for all the dishes had been good and those chips filled up any spare millimetre in my belly so we didn't order dessert. I did order a 'very rare white tea' from the 'very rare tea' menu. It wasn't as earth-shattering as I expected for tea that was grown 10,000m above the sea or something. The petit fours were great though.

The Sri Lankan Love Cake was all that and more - like a beautiful friand but more subtle and fragrant. There was also an intense blackberry jube that made you feel healthy eating it, it had that much fruit in it as well as a light house-made marshmallow and a baby lemon tart. If I wasn't full before, I was now in the most blissful way!

This restaurant is a stalwart of the Sydney dining scene for good reason. It's 'out of the way' location means that you have to make a special trip out here to witness the views, the friendly service, the freshest ingredients and the skillful creations of an expert chef. It's not just my third time lucky here. Every time has been lucky.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Sushi Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu2) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:53:00 +0000

Ok, so I completed my 7 day sushi challenge where I ate sushi every single day and even twice in one day on one occasion. Such a challenge might turn a normal person from a sushi lover into a sushi hater. You know when you overdose on something and then you can never eat it again? Well, that didn't happen to me. In fact the opposite happened. I now get withdrawal symptoms if I haven't had that sweet rice, succulent freshly cut fish and juicy soy flavour on my tastebuds.

This lunch time, I went to 'Sushi Roll', a sushi train chain (that could be a good name for exactly that!) with an outlet in World Square. It's perched on a corner near the middle of this inner-city monolith and caters to residents of the apartments in World Square, tourists and office workers in the EY building no doubt. Lucky locals!

This isn't your average sushi train. It's more like the sort of sushi train that Lady Gaga would endorse. In fact, she could've dined here before she performed her one-off show at the Sydney Town Hall last week. Better yet, she could have worn the sushi itself for a new take on her raw meat dress - the raw fish outfit! I say this because, most of the offerings here are pretty wacky and out there. Consequently, there are a large number of dishes in the higher end of the spectrum at $4.80, $5.60 and $6.80 even. For example, check out this offering - there's a filling of smoked eel (unagi), avocado and shredded cucumber topped with a blow torched/seared scallop that is sprinked with bonito flakes (gold dish worth $6.80):

I didn't try that rather artsy bite but I did have a few similarly artistically inclined dishes including the one pictured below which is an inside out roll filled with sweet crab meat in a light mayo with julienned cucumber and topped with a cooked prawn sliced and flattened through the middle, topped again with a grilled cheesy sauce that had been seared and topped even further with some sweet chilli sauce:

I must say that this one had too much happening even for me. It's the kind of stunt that Lady Gaga might pull when you think one can only go so far but then she goes even further by having horn implants in her face. They should name this plate after her I reckon! The roll itself was perfect but the prawn and it's 2 toppings complicated and alleviated the otherwise light and fresh parts of the roll. For $5.60 this certainly had sufficiently complexity and quantity but was all too much.

The next dish I selected was a pink one for $4.80. Again, you can see that it had quite a few components. I chose it largely for the seared salmon strip on top and because the inside out roll also contained nicely flaked cooked tuna and ripe avocado. The sweet chilli sauce (again!) added a sweet kick that was unnecessary but fine for my sweet tooth. It was a bit mushy though with the moisture in the tuna, the salmon and the sauce which made it stick together but became squishy in the eating process.

The atmosphere in this place is buzzing as it's always busy and has a mix of some side tables and the large sushi train encircling 4 knife-wielding sashimi and sushi makers. There's high drama with flames engulfing blow torched morsels, the sound of laughter and chopsticks clacking from the patrons. Each dish is beautifully presented with pride. I had 3 of the fancier dishes and a miso soup which cost about $18 or so.

I previously reviewed this place on Urbanspoon and was not a fan of it due to the lack of authentic and simple dishes. I was overly full since those dishes had so many elements which actually made me feel a bit sickly. I'd only eat here again if I wanted some more creative sushi but next time, I'd balance out those dishes with some of the simpler ones. I mean, Makoto is only round the corner and I haven't found fresher fish in all of Sydney than there!

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sparrow Gelato and Espresso

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:33:00 +0000

I found myself on the North side of the bridge on a Saturday night for a change. After a delicious dinner at Mumu Grill, Karin recommended 'Sparrow' for their gelato. I hadn't been to Crows Nest for some time and in between it has certainly blossomed as a foodie town. I only remembered the old Italian restaurant, Bravo next to the Woolworths which had boasted over 100 pasta dishes and was one of the first to serve up home made gelato all those years ago. Now, there are several gelaterias, fast food and gourmet grocers all around.

Sparrow has a nice, retro fit out with funky domed silver lamp shades. It's menu enticed with a range of cakes, desserts, coffees, smoothies and that eye-catching gelato display. Flavours such as bon bon rocher, cookies and cream and apple pie all boast chunky, mashed up bits of the said ingredient whilst fruity sorbets come in blood orange, mango, passionfruit, lemon and lime.

I had one scoop of the refreshing blood orange sorbet. It was juicy and sweet with a hint of tanginess like you would expect from a real blood orange. There is no doubt that they use great ingredients in their prime when making this stuff. It was a generous one scoop too at $4.20.

J had two scoops, one of chocolate and one of hazelnut at $6. The hazelnut was wonderfully creamy, nutty in taste and smooth in texture. The chocolate tasted dark and intense, as it should do. They were all served at just the right temperature too so that they were velvety and nearly melting without any icy or hard bits.

We had three out of three in our flavour choices. This is a good and mellow way to end the night when the dessert options in a nearby restaurant don't draw you in and you're not quite ready to bring the night to an end. It's also a good way to feel a bit smug that you're living in Sydney and can indulge in gelato along with other local foodies! Oh and the conoisseurism extends to their playlist too which ranged from Morcheeba to Beck - a perfect way to complete the evening!

Kazbah - Darling Harbour

noreply@blogger.com (Madam Wu) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 09:43:00 +0000

Maybe it's because it's Winter or maybe it's because I had a Middle Eastern style breakfast last weekend at The Organic Pomegranate, or perhaps it's just fate that Tiff's birthday brunch had been arranged at Kazbah, that I found myself having another Middle Eastern style breakfast this weekend. Whatever the reason, this breakfast was unlike any other that I've ever had...ever. Why? Well, simply put it was in no-man's land of Darling Harbour where only tourists and carnivores flock (to Hurricanes) and it was a set menu of 10 courses for only $25!

Bargain hunters and foodies alike have sung the praises of the Kazbah's famous brunch menu which requires a minimum of 8 people to be booked in advance. I'd read a few reviews on various blogs prior to my visit so that I knew I was going to have to pace myself.

We started off with drinks (excluded from the brunch deal). I had a mixed berry frappe ($6.50) which was wonderfully fruity and tangy and did not dissolve into a watery slush at the end. It was delicious and a perfect wake up call to the stomach acids to prep them for the ensuing feast.

In order, we were served the following in 4 rounds:

ROUND 1 - The sweet carbs (as I've called them)

1. 'Warm rice pudding, poached saffron pear, hazelnuts' - This must be what the Gods eat for breakfast! It was utterly divine. Smooth and silky. It was love at first sight! It was not too heavy or creamy and of a good consistency if a little watery. There was no discernible colour or flavor of saffron but the pear was still poached well and its gentle flavour complemented the rice pudding. No trace of hazelnuts either in my (rather generous) portion.

2. 'Banana porridge with date compote and stewed rhubarb' - This was as bland as it looked. I expected it to be as punchy as Bills' banana porridge but sadly not. Where was the brown sugar or honey people? All that naughty stuff usually makes it tasty. Instead this mix could've been used to putty the cracks on my wall.

3. 'Sweet cous cous, mixed nuts, dried fruits, stewed rhubarb and cardamon milk' - This looks a lot better than it tasted. The cous cous had a slight crunch to it, the mixed nuts had not been roasted and the dried fruits were very ordinary. There was no moisture at all to this dish which I guessed was what the cold cardamon milk and rhubarb was meant to provide. All mixed together it was a plausible breakfast dish but more hard work than pleasure.

ROUND 2 - The Highlight (and their specialty)

4. 'Breakfast tagine - roasted pumpkin, fetta, eggs, olives, roasted tomatoes, spinach and roasted capsicum' - This is one house specialty that actually lives up to that title. It was served in the tagine and de-hatted at the table filling the room with heavenly aromas. The pumpkin had melted and blended nicely with the other ingredients, all of which worked well together. The egg was perfectly poached on top and remained runny still - great timing.

5. 'Breakfast tagine - lamb mince, sucuk, fetta, eggs, olives, roasted tomatoes, spinach and roasted capsicum' - I actually didn't try this one as I'm a bit off meat lately. It looked good and I'm told it was better than the vege one with more spice. I noticed that it also had a layer of oil on it though.

5.5. Platter of buttered Turkish bread and Lebanese bread - carb overload following round 1 but still one can't have eggs without a base right?

ROUND 3 - One for the boys (not that there were any there but if there were, they'd be digging this since we were all full by now!)

6. Platter of eggs on Turkish and Lebanese bread served three ways - poached, fried or scrambled - I didn't try this either since I got to have one of the eggs on the tagine and I couldn't fit any more in anyway since I'd been trying to save room for the pancakes...

7. Platter of breakfast sides - bacon, lamb sausages, pan fried haloumi, roasted tomatoes and hash browns - The haloumi was nicely browned to form a crisp casing for the gooey goodness contained inside and the roasted tomatoes had a lot of flavour for a Sydney tomato surprisingly. I tried a little bacon too which was nice but enough.

7.5 More sides - Bowls of sauteed spinach, mushrooms and home made baked beans - Restauranteurs take note that a 'side dish' should not mean a 'side thought'. These were all carelessly prepared. The spinach was half cooked with raw leaves scattered amongst the cooked ones, the mushrooms were dry somehow (pretty hard to dry out a mushroom!) and the baked beans had less flavour than Heinz canned ones.

ROUND 4 - Knockout! Ding ding ding! (I was bursting at the seams by now but there's always room for dessert, right? In this case, 3 desserts!)

8. Banana pancake with maple syrup and double cream - These were not so much pancakes but rather cakes in their texture and appearance. There was nothing flat about them. They were also rather dry and tasteless unless you were lucky enough to get a slice with a piece of fruit that was on the top of them. There was not enough maple syrup either, or maybe there was but because the thing was so think, it was entirely soaked up. A side of extra sauce wouldn't go astray me thinks.

9. Strawberry pancake with maple syrup and double cream - The strawberry one was the same as the banana one except there were thin slices of strawberry on the top.

10. Chocolate and raspberry pancake, butterscotch sauce and chocolate fudge ice cream - This one was by far the best as it had stronger flavours which could have been intensified even further with some dark chocolate bits and a serious ice cream but as it was, I was not going to be eating much of it anyway. One more scoop of ice cream would've been nice too, I mean one scoop between over 15 people was never going to cut it was it especially when all 15 were women!

So, was it worth the wait and live up to the hype?

No - if you want quality over quantity.
Yes - for value, quantity, ease, novelty, or for a celebration (Happy Birthday Tiff!).

I would go back there for another event or perhaps for that gorgeous breakfast rice porridge or breakfast tagine but I have to work this meal off first. A fun and unique experience overall!