The Winery Quirks

I was struck at just how quirky (and also trendy) it was. I adore the weird decor (I had a bit of a giggle over the Elvis menu, much to my friends’ amusement) and mismatch furniture – it really does set the atmosphere!

Sadly, it was also extremely dark and my friend had to use the flash on his mobile phone as a light aide; apologies for the photos – they didn’t turn out as well as I hoped.

Steak Frites ($29.50)

L had the incredibly juicy and tender steak, which was served with Cafe de Paris and perfectly seasoned, crunchy hand cut fries (just the way I love them hehe).

Champagne, Grape and Chicken Pie with Buttered Spinach ($25)

I had the chicken pie, which was loaded with shredded chicken and surprisingly, red grapes. I thought the grapes component would be juice mixed in with the champagne, but there were several whole grapes within! Very interesting – I don’t think I’ve ever had warm grapes before that weren’t in the form of raisins (or sultanas).

I found that the grapes added a lovely light sweetness to the succulent chicken, setting the pie off just so, and I adored the super flaky pastry.

Barra in a Bag ($28) and Stuffed Roasted Mushrooms with Ricotta, Pine Nuts and Pesto ($18.50)

P was a bit weirded out, I think, when her Barra in a Bag came out – it was quite literally in a bag made from waxy paper and tied closed. The barramundi was served with white anchovies, kipfler potato and a salsa verde sauce on the side.

I think she quite liked the fish – I thought it was wonderfully flaky, cooked just right, and well-seasoned.

We all couldn’t resist from ordering a side of Roasted Mushrooms stuffed with ricotta, pine nuts and pesto to share, which was deliciously simple with lots of flavour.

Double Chocolate Brownie and Date & Banana Pudding ($14)

We were all kind of full after our mains, so there was some hesitation when it came to having dessert. Unlucky for our stomachs, my enthusiasm for dessert bulldozed them into sharing two plates of dessert with me (sorry guys haha).

I guess it was made easier that they’ve been before and adore the Double Chocolate Brownie, which came with fairy floss and vanilla bean ice cream… and that P wanted to try the Date & Banana Pudding that comes with a bucket load of butterscotch sauce and caramel ice cream.

The desserts were amazing. The brownie was scrumptiously rich, but not too decadent, moist and dense; balanced perfectly with the scoop of ice cream, but I kind of wanted more fairy floss (there’s never enough of that spun sugary goodness!). Meanwhile the pudding… oh man, the combination of the luscious cake, smooth ice cream and sweet sauce, topped off with a caramel crisp, was simply fabulous – I think the sauce really made this dish pop and I couldn’t decide which I liked more.

I’ll most definitely order both when I drag F here next time, along with that chicken pie. Yumsters.

The Winery is a great, quirky place to chill out with your friends over some wonderfully delicious food; service is quite quick and attentive.

I can’t wait to go back!

The Winery
285A Crown Street,
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
(through the old sandstone gates, next to Thomas Dux)
Ph: (02) 9331 0833
Web: http://thewinerysurryhills.com.au/

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Post tags: beef, Dessert, poultry, Seafood

I’ve never been before, but most of the party had and I think it’s telling when even they couldn’t decide which dishes to order.

To help us decided, we nibbled on some olives and pickled vegetables.

Olives, Pickled Vegetables, Arnabeet ($7), Falafel ($7)

Minh was sure we would love the Arnabeet – lightly fried cauliflower with tahini sauce – and she wasn’t wrong. Perhaps it was combination of fried goodness and the slightly tangy tahini sauce that made it so delicious – whatever it was, I definitely wanted another plate.

I have to be honest – I never really warmed up to falafel, as I usually find them too dry. However, these falafels were not at all dry and were really flavoursome – they didn’t even need the sauce to be tasty, but the sauce did round it off nicely. I wished I could have fitted more into my stomach!

Chicken and Lamb Shawarma ($12, $15)

The chicken and lamb shawarma were tender and packed a punch in flavour. I couldn’t decide which I liked better – though either way, it was way tasty with a dollop of garlic sauce and all rolled up in a piece of Lebanese bread. Nom.

Al Aseel Mixed Plate ($20)

The Al Aseel mixed plate consisted of skewer servings of marinated bbq chicken breast, lamb and kafta served with tabouli, baba ganouj, hommos, garlic dip and falafel; all the good stuff on one plate!

I was glad that we had guys at the table, the dish was quite filling on its own but with all the other dishes us girls would have barely made a dint.

Al-Aseel serves great Lebanese food for really good value and is a family-friendly restaurant. They do get really busy and we had to wait for a while. Well, probably it was because we kinda just turned up… on a Saturday night (so kind of expected, right? haha).

Lebanese Sweets!

What’s also really great about Al-Aseel is that there’s a late-closing patisserie right next door: Sabbagh.

Although I was incredibly full, I figured I could fit in a couple pieces of some rather excellent desserts in hehe; they kept well in the fridge too.

Al-Aseel
4/173 Waterloo Road
Greenacre, NSW, 2190
Ph: (02) 9758 6744
Web: http://www.alaseel.com.au/lebanese/

Sabbagh Patissery
5/173 Waterloo Road
Greenacre, NSW, 2190
Ph: (02) 9758 5020

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Post tags: Dessert, lamb, poultry

Sugaroom was recommended by a friend and it was languishing on my To Eat spreadsheet for the longest time until F surprised me by booking a table there.

Beetroot Cured Ocean Trout, Cucumber and Mint Salad, Chilli Oil

I think I have to wean myself from ordering ocean trout whenever I see it on the menu. Though it would be a lot easier to not order it if it wasn’t so delicious!!

This ocean trout was no different – I loved how fresh it was. The cucumber and mint salad was super refreshing and I was relieved that the chilli oil provided the lightest of kicks to the tastebuds.

Shortcrust Tarte a L'Onion, Whitlof, Blue Cheese Crème Fraiche

Meanwhile, F adored this onion tart. The shortcrust was wonderfully buttery and went so well with the lightly sweet onion; the blue cheese crème fraiche had just the right amount of sharpness to it that didn’t overwhelm the delicate onion-y sweetness, but still had enough unmistakenable blue cheese zing.

I had to admit that the tart was more tastier than the ocean trout! Perhaps this is the start of not having an ocean trout dish as a dinner course? Hmmm.

Olive and Sage Gnocchi, Persian Feta, Chard, Lemon Juice

The gnocchi were such flavourful fluffy pillows and the dish overall had such great bold flavours – from the creamy, sharpness of the feta, slight bitterness of the chard and the dash of zest from the lemon juice.

I would have to say: the gnocchi was fabulous… so much so, F still raves about it now.

Char-Grilled Beef Fillet, Potato Gratin, Prawn-Stuffed Zucchini Flower, Red Wine Jus

The beef fillet was utterly tender and succulent, perfectly seasoned, as well as being paired with a very delicious zucchini flower and creamy potato gratin.

While the dish great, it was unfortunately kind of overshadowed by the fantastic gnocchi.

Sparkling Water and Garlic and Rosemary Chat Potatoes

The chat potatoes were well-seasoned and made for a pretty good side – then again, you really can’t go wrong with potatoes! Hehe.

I’m not sure why, but the Antipodes sparkling water really caught our interest. Besides being in a funky shaped bottle, we’ve never seen the brand before. Not being sparkling water connoisseurs, we couldn’t really discern the difference from other brands, but we pretended anyway and joked around that perhaps it tasted a little bit sweeter than the other brands hehe.

Chocolate Crème Brulee and Passionfruit Pavlova

The chocolate creme brulee was scrumptious with a very satisfyingly thick layer of caramelised top; the marshmallows and strawberries were a delightful touch.

I’ve got a soft spot for pavlova (and meringue at that), so it wasn’t surprise that I really enjoyed the passionfruit pavlova and the fairy floss on top.

Sugaroom is located right next the water, which would have been lovely during a warm sunny day (we had dinner on a cold, rainy night). Service was great with friendly, attentive wait staff and the food was top notch at pretty good value; when we had dinner back in March, they had a 3-course dinner for $60 (or $70, sorry I can’t seem to remember).

The friend who had recommended this restaurant had loved it originally, but he thought it went downhill after a change of chef or management. We thought the food was pretty wonderful, so it must have been really something back then – or perhaps it had regained its former glory? I wish we had dined here back then to make a comparison!

Nikon D700 - Fun Cakes by Lynda

F had a final surprise for me: he had commissioned Fun Cakes by Lynda, a friend who bakes fantastic cakes, to make us an anniversary cake.

We were totally blown away – the amount of detail she had put into the cake was amazing. And the best part of it? The red velvet cake with white chocolate ganache tasted awesome.

Sugaroom
2/1 Harris Street
Pyrmont, NSW, 2009
Ph: (02) 9571 5055
Web: http://www.sugaroom.com.au/

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Post tags: beef, Dessert, Seafood

Coco Classic High Tea ($40pp)

We were quite impressed when the 3-tiered stand came out; it looked so cute and delicious!

Finger Sandwiches, Crab Cakes and Zucchini and Bacon Quiches

The crustless Cucumber and Salmon & Dill Sandwiches were fresh and while the Crab Cakes were quite delicious we weren’t too sure if we could actually taste any crab. It was a toss-up though between which I liked better: the sandwiches or the scrumptious Zucchini, Cheese & Bacon Mini Muffins.

Dark Chocolate Covered Figs and Chocolate Cakes with Edible Butterflies

M thought the fresh figs could have been juicier and sweeter than the ones we had, but I thought they were pretty nice and the not-so-sweet dark chocolate complimented them well (a lot different to a honey-drizzled fig I’ve had, that’s for sure!).

The chocolate cakes were moist and super chocolatey; we thought the edible butterflies were a fun touch.

Orange Flourless Cake, Coffee Dark Chocolate Pieces and Lemon Cupcakes

I love the smell of coffee, but I actually don’t really like the taste of it (I think it’s too bitter and burnt). Imagine my surprise when on biting into the Coffee Dark Chocolate piece I actually liked it. The rich taste of the coffee wasn’t at all burnt and only a little bitter with the slightly sweet dark chocolate smoothing out the flavour.

The lemon cupcakes were zesty and wonderfully moist (also, you can never go wrong with strawberry and cream), but I think it was the orange flourless cake that we all swooned over. It was scrumptiously light and bright, and not at all dry.

Strawberry Truffle and Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

I don’t think anyone can resist strawberry truffles and dark chocolate dipped strawberries – safe to say, these were awesome and we wished there were more than just one each.

Dark Chocolate Shot and Soy Latte with Honey

We chose to have hot chocolate shots with our cakes – the hard part was deciding which one from such an interesting range. M ended up choosing Chilli, Rose and Black Pepper, R had the Aztec (which consisted of Chilli, Cinnamon and Orchid Vanilla) and I chose Lavender (a much less spicy option than the girls haha).

The girls found that they had to stir quite a bit to get all of the flavours up to the top, but once they did, it was a delicious, spicy mouthful. The lavender flavour was more consistent throughout and had just enough to be unmistakeably lavender, but not overpowering.

The only down side to the shot was that it was rather small, so we ordered another round of hot beverages.

Awesome Alice in Wonderland Teapot

The girls and I adored the awesome Alice in Wonderland teapot that my Earl Grey came in – it was such a fun design and I totally wanted to steal it.

Gorgeous Views and Cute Toys

I would say we’re pretty seasoned high tea goers – we’ve been going for years and to be honest, this is the first time I felt really enchanted and utterly at peace at one.

We loved that the outdoor furniture were mismatched, that some settings weren’t tables but picnic blankets spread on the grass, that there were toys for kids to play with and that we had such gorgeous, serene views. There’s an option to play croquet, which we had every intention of playing – only we got a bit too relaxed and were quite content watching the boats sail by on the harbour.

With all the rain we’ve had I was a bit worried that high tea would be a wash out, but the day was glorious sunny – made perfect with great company and delicious food.

Inside Coco

Although we were full, there seemed to be something missing and then it hit us: we didn’t have any scones! Surprised we missed something so integral to high tea, we checked the menu again and sure enough the Coco Chocolate Classic High Tea does not come with scones – they are extra at $15pp. We contemplated whether we had enough room and decided that we really didn’t. Pity, I’m sure they would have been pretty good too.

Getting to Coco Chocolate at Middle Head can get a bit confusing (we got lost a bit), but it became clear once we worked out what “Burnt Orange” was (the first area you go past as you head down a skinny asphalt road) and kept going down the road until we saw a car park on our right. There is limited parking after 11am, so it might be best to have an earlier high tea.

Coco Chocolate at Middle Head
Building 21, 1110 Middle Head Road
Mosman, NSW, 2088
Ph: (02) 9960 5848
(past Burnt Orange at Chowder Bay Rd turn off car park)
Web: http://www.cocochocolate.com.au/

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Post tags: Dessert

Onward to Kiama

F, D and I ended up being the first ones to arrive in Kiama, despite getting stuck in a few traffic jams, so we decided to bum at a nearby beach.

Bombo Beach Reserve

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a dog beach. It was so cute seeing all the dogs joyfully gallumphing around and making friends; one even decided to make friends with F!

Outside Hunky Dory's at The Wharf

Getting quite hungry and needing to use the bathroom quite urgently, we Latitude-stalked W and C and found that they were only 700m away! Moments later, we were parked and met up with them at Hunky Dory’s on the Wharf.

Mmm Fish and Chips ($9.90 to $15.90)

F and I shared a perch, while D had a flathead; the battered fish were crispy, soft, juicy… and really salty. Be wary of their salt shakers – a lot comes out with just one shake!

If pigeons are rats with wings, what are seagulls? We know we’re not suppose to feed the birds, but when we discovered one expertly hovering a mere metre over F’s head, we wondered: would it actually be daring enough to grab a chip from F’s hand?

There was only one way to find out.

Mine! Mine!

I’m not sure why we were so surprised – seagulls are so aggressive in getting food, so it would stand to reason if it’s hovering so close to our heads, it would definitely eat out of an out-stretched hand.

Experiment done and a little while after checking into the Wilton House, we found ourselves quite hungry.

Linda, our resident chef, wasn’t coming down until the next day and fretted a bit about leaving us to fend for ourselves for dinner. We reassured her that we had everything under control.

Gourmet Instant Noodles with Chinese BBQ Meat

Okay, I have to admit, it’s not the fancy dinner Linda would have provided for us, but instant noodles with Char Sui (or BBQ pork), Peking Duck, Crispy Pork and Soy Chicken, topped off with some boiled Bok Choy really did hit the spot and was quite filling.

We joked that adding anything to instant noodles made it gourmet, thus our gourmet instant noodle dinner!

We had totally forgotten that noodles expands in water, so it felt like we had a pot of never-ending noodles… with no soup. There was so much noodles left that we ended up having it for breakfast.

I felt like we were back in our uni days, as some of us polished off the remaining noodles with what we had planned for breakfast: crispy bacon, sauteed mushrooms and runny scrambled eggs.

Birds I Stalked that Morning and BokBok Cake Pops

I was a bit embarrassed at our rather unglamorous breakfast that I had “forgotten” to take a photo of it, so here’s a couple photos of birds instead (thanks goes to D for making those delicious BokBok cake pops! I ate waaaay too many of them)… maybe Linda was right to be worried about us! Haha.

However, I felt like we redeemed ourselves with lunch.

Summer Rolls Ingredients

While Vietnamese summer rolls aren’t as epic as the Korean ones, it is still so satisfying in its simplicity. I just adore the freshness of the salad combined with fattiness of the beef and prawns that’s been fried in butter.

We were finishing up lunch when the rest of our group arrived bearing a whole lotta food!

The rest of the weekend was a bit of a blur from then on – I think I was in a food coma for most of the time.

BBQ Bonanza

But I remember dinner was an epic barbeque with marinaded lamb, chicken wing, nem nuong, wagyu fillet steak and pork sausages (most of which were sourced from Vic’s Meats).

Dinner is Served

Our epic meaty feast was accompanied with sauteed mushrooms, potato salad and Howie’s delicious horseradish mayonnaise.

I Heart You, Wagyu!

There was so much meat leftover that we had it for the rest of the weekend, including our hot pot night. We ended up dipping chunks of wagyu fillet steaks into the broth – an experiment that worked out really well with the wagyu still mouth-meltingly soft and juicy.

Hotpot Ingredients

We had the usual suspects for hotpot: beef balls, fish paste, fried tofu, fish roe balls, chinese cabbage, bok choy, thinly sliced beef, and a whole array of mushrooms such as shiitake, enoki and oyster.

Wagyu, Fish Paste and Beef Slices

Have I mentioned how much I love our hotpots?

Egg Bake with Sourdough Bread

For breakfast, Linda, D and Howie made an egg bake that consisted of diced tomatoes, chorizo, green cheese Linda found in Berry, parsley and in some dishes, a whole lot of chilli (unfortunately, a separate dish has to be made for me, as I’m still not up to their chilli standards).

I’ve never had an egg bake before – I actually had to ask Linda a couple of times what we were having because I thought I misheard her. I found out that it simply is dropping a few eggs into the diced tomatoes and popping the whole dish into the oven. Then when the eggs are done, it is taken out and sprinkled with the toppings.

It tasted amazing with the sourdough bread they got from their jaunt into Berry.

Poached Eggs, Bacon, Spicy Baked Beans and Sauteed Mushrooms

Our last breakfast was very similar to our first breakfast with the addition of spicy (and non-spicy) baked beans with chopped bacon and poached eggs. And instead of instant noodles, we had some good old toast.

If all that wasn’t enough, we also had snack food galore, as well as desserts.

Cinnamon Doughnuts, Strawberry Tart and Black Forest Log

D made us her awesome no-bake Black Forest log and there were doughnuts from the Famous Berry Donut Van, which Linda topped with caramel and vanilla ice cream – I can attest that dark chocolate ice cream also worked extremely well.

D also bought gorgeous looking strawberry tart (from Berry, of course), which we all looked on with envy and half-joked that it would be eaten if she didn’t protect it.

"Nice to meet you, Max"

Sometimes life feels so packed with too many things that needs to be done now, now, now that it’s an immense relief to be able to take a break from all the hecticness – to relax with great company (and it doesn’t hurt if it’s at a most gorgeous holiday house either hehe).

Poor Max

Well… almost relaxing. Something dramatic always happen when we go away and this time it was Max who had a bit of an accident with a pair of nail clippers. Poor Max, but no fear – his injury didn’t deter him at all from getting up to some doggy mischief.

We hope that everyone had an awesome (and non-dramatic) Easter – we would love to hear what you got up to!

Hunky Dory’s
Shop 10/106 Terralong Street
Kiama, NSW, 2533
Ph: (02) 4233 1006

Famous Berry Donut Van
Queen St
Berry, NSW, 2535
Ph: (02) 4464 3030

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Post tags: beef, Dessert, pork, poultry

When they asked if I’ve ever had Korean summer wraps before, I emphatically told them no and that we must go there (after my eyes had stopped goggling from such an insanely wonderful concept). Must!!

Happily they took my bullying rather well and after some deliberation, managed to order what we thought was a good amount for four people. I don’t know about you, but Team DET and I have the notorious eyes-bigger-than-our-stomach syndrome: we always over order and basically want to eat everything that sounds tasty.

Wal Nam Ssam ($20 pp)

I grew up with Vietnamese summer rolls and their varied fillings, so I thought I knew what was “right” to go into them. Eating a Korean summer roll has taught me differently, you can add: apple, pineapple, avocado, tofu, bean sprouts, cucumber, prawns, mushroom, snow peas, broccoli, carrot, capsicum and seafood stick – all topped off with some fresh herbs and rice noodles. I don’t think I’ve left out anything…

Beef Side from Wal Nam Ssam and Bulgogi ($13)

Oh yes, I did – you also get a side of thinly sliced beef that you broil in the pot the dish comes with. It was a half-half hotpot pot so we used one half to cook the beef and the other half to soften the rice paper. I managed to forget which was which and cooked my beef on the wrong side.. oops sorry Team DET.

We decided to get some bulgogi too to go with our rolls (yum!), which came with a bowl of rice.

It quickly became clear to me that Korean summer rolls are EPIC and that I’ve been totally missing out. You’d think that such a weird variety wouldn’t go well together and yet somehow they do!

I found myself only adding maybe half of the ingredients into my roll before it just got too scrumptiously unmanageable (it’s a bit of a fail when your rice paper gets all holey and becomes structurally unsound).

Wrapper Level: Expert

But E has perfected the art of systematically adding everything in (I think she mentioned that she places all the hard stuff at the bottom to give it a bit of structure) and deceptively makes it look easy to roll up the monster she has just created.

Sides

Dinner at a Korean restaurant would not be the same without their delicious sides. Despite having so much food already, I think we asked for our side dishes to be refilled three times! But goodness they were really good; our favourite would have to be their potato salad.

Where else but Max Brenner?

Food Friends doesn’t really cater for dessert and we were all craving for something quite sweet, so we ended up at the nearby Max Brenner. Thankfully they weren’t super busy and managed to snag a table.

I have to be honest, we struggled to finish our desserts and hot beverages, but it really did hit the spot.

Food Friends is quite popular during lunch, I’m told by D and E, as their range is quick to make, simple and relatively healthy at a pretty decent price. They can get quite busy with large groups during dinner service, so it might be best to call up just in case (we actually just rocked up and hoped for the best!).

Food Friends
81 George St
Parramatta NSW 2150
Ph: (02) 9633 3670

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So it became a bit of a running joke whenever we drove past it (which was a lot), with him earnestly wanting to eat there and me sarcastically agreeing.

And then somehow we actually did end up eating at Torque!

Torque!

I had a bit of a chuckle to see the menu cheekily replace the usual course names to equivalent vehicle jargon, such as calling entrees “1st Gear” and sides “spare parts”.

Grilled Haloumi ($12.90)

I think we may have a haloumi addiction – we can’t help but order some if it’s on the menu!

The haloumi was quite fresh and well-grilled; that combination of zest and saltiness just can’t be beat [insert obligatory squeak-squeak sound effect here].

BBQ Pork Ribs (250g Rack, $16.90)

F ordered the 250g pork ribs, which were wonderfully slathered in barbeque sauce. While the meat wasn’t quite fall-off-the-bone, it was still quite tender and well-seasoned.

We were both intrigued to find that the mushroom sauce ($2.90) was quite loose, but it hit the right salty spot with F and he literally drank the sauce while eating the ribs.

Sirloin 250g with Mash and Veggies ($24.90)

I quite liked my sirloin – it was a very nicely done medium-rare and well-seasoned steak – and the creamy mash had just the right amount of buttery goodness and, I know this is going to sound weird, density (I prefer my mash to not slobber all over the plate and spoon, but not so dense that it sticks to my spoon like cement hehe).

I was a bit surprised that I hardly needed to use the mushroom sauce (F ended up drinking my one too), as the steak was flavoursome enough on its own.

Baked Ricotta Cheesecake

Our stomachs must be getting smaller or something equally as strange, as we found ourselves to be quite full – so much so we actually had to consider whether or not to have dessert (gasp).

In the end, we compromised to share just one dessert and we weren’t disappointed with our choice; the ricotta cheesecake was so very delicious in its almost-savoury creaminess and was a lovely finish to our lunch.

Inside Torque

When I mentioned to a friend that I had dined at Torque, her eyes widened and asked in a hushed voice, “But isn’t it… full of bikies?!” The tough, mean ones that is and to be honest, I thought so too, but it’s quite family-friendly; the staff are attentive and very affable, while the atmosphere is pretty relaxed.

Bikes and Desserts

I have to admit, I’ve always thought Torque would be one of those places I’d say I’d go to (even if it was sarcastically), but would actually never end up going.

Now whenever we go past it, I grin and think of the lovely lunch we had there… that steak and mash!! Yum.

Torque Bar & Grill
153-165 Parramatta Road
Concord, NSW, 2137
Ph: 1300 688 600
Web: http://www.torquebarandgrill.com.au/

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Hi all, I’m back! I cannot believe it has been about 4 months since my last post. Where the hell have I been, but more importantly kudos to Minh and Squishies for their tireless efforts with posts. Since I have been MIA for a couple of months, I think it’s only fair that I fill you in on what’s been happening on my neck of the woods.

Throughout last year, a friend D and I were asked by a couple of friends and family to help bake for their special events. Each of the event would require weeks of organising and planning, days of baking, and finally setting up. This combined with catering for my own engagement party and involvement in SIFF made me resent cooking. I resented the fact that I wasted my only day off cooking and cleaning, and so didn’t really get to rest, despite my hectic work schedule. To ensure that I had more time to myself, I made a New Years resolution of no more catering for any events.

Little did I know that this no cooking/baking business would be mandatory for the next couple of months. Fast forward 2 weeks, I was diagnosed with Sciatica, the pain was so excrutiating that I found it extremely difficult to walk, sit or do anything, the only thing that alleviated the pain was lying down. I was advised by the Doctor that it may take up to 3 months for the pain to dissipate, provided I have plenty of rest. To rub salt in to the would I was also in the middle of relocating my shop, resting was impossible.

Non-alcoholic peach bellini

The only time that I defied doctors orders and ignored the pain shooting down my leg was my sister’s baby shower. As this will be my first niece/nephew, I couldn’t let my sister down, with the aid of pain tablets, I soldiered on. Due to circumstantial changes, I had to be less ambitious so simplified the menu. Savouries consisted of rare beef sandwich with caramelised onion, grilled chicken and toasted almond and mayo sandwiches, Bourke street bakery’s sausage roll, three cheese ravioli pasta, asparagus and toasted hazelnut salad, and roast pumpkin, spinach, pine nut and cous cous salad.

Roast pumpkin, pine nuts, feta cheese and spinach moroccan cous cous

Three cheese ravioli, asparagus, fresh peas, toasted hazelnut salad

Rare beef, rocket and caramelised onion sandwich

Bourke Street Bakery's sausage roll

Brunch is served

Of course a party wouldn’t be a party without some sweets to finish off the afternoon. Items on the dessert menu included Berries tart, Red velvet cupcakes, Banana cake with chocolate ganache and walnut brownies. Peaches were in season, so I decided to serve non-alcoholic peach bellini as refreshments.

Red Velvet cupcake

Banana cake with chocolate ganache

Strawberry, Raspberry and Blueberry tarts

I can’t take total credit for the feast, Howard my sous chef did most of the work, I just gave orders. Overall, it was a lovely afternoon, just seeing my sister and her friends catching up and laughing about baby stories made the pain all the more worthwhile. FYI on the 20th of February, we welcomed a baby girl in to the family, my niece Katherine.

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I wasn’t sure where King Island was (geography has never been my strong suit), but Google told me that it’s a tiny island that sits between Victoria and Tasmania.

Actually, all I knew about King Island was some vague branding on some cheese, so I was keenly interested to see what the island has to offer.

The Crown

As part of the experience, there was a Jeep press conference held at the Crown, detailing its history, where it’s now and the direction it’s taking. We learnt some pretty interesting stuff like roughly 15% of all 4WD owners would take it off-road compared to a whopping 80% of Jeep Rubicon owners would take their 4WDs off-roading. That’s some intense outdoorsy owners right there hehe.

Afterwards, we were treated to a fabulous dinner at Rockpool. I think we were suppose to hobnob, though I got a little overwhelmed by everyone there – including Jeep’s new ambassador Hayden Quinn, last season’s Masterchef contestant (if I was an animated character, there’d be lots of exclamation marks over my head when I realised just who was sitting across from me haha).

Hiramasa Kingfish Crudo and Rangers Valley Beef Fillet

I had the Crudo of Hiramasa Kingfish, Ocean Trout and Yellow Fin Tuna with Horseradish, Coriander, Lime and Lemon Flavoured Oil, which was sublimely light and super fresh. For my main, I had the Rangers Valley Dry Aged 300 Day Grain Fed Fillet 250g. The fillet was cooked perfectly – it was so incredibly juicy and flavoursome that it didn’t need any sauce at all (but I did have a small dollop of seeded mustard).

Sides - Salad, Boiled Greens, Potato Gratin

While the Radicchio, Cos and Endive Salad with Palm Sugar Vinaigrette and Boiled Greens with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Lemon were quite tasty, the Potato and Cabbage Gratin totally smashed a home run; it had the right amount of cheesiness, but I think it was the scrumptiously crunchy top that made this side so amazing.

Dessert - Dark Chocolate Pudding Tart, Passionfruit Pavlova, and Candy Corn

To finish up a most scrumptious dinner, I had possibly the most gigantic slice of Pavlova ever. I know it doesn’t look like it, but it was almost the length of my hand in height! I think I was overly ambitious to think I could finish it, let alone eat more than a few tasty pieces of the candied puffed corn. I wish I could though – it was pure fluffy, sugary goodness.

We were all so full that I’m sure we practically rolled into bed that night. All in all, a dinner success, I’d say! Hehe.

Super early the next morning, we were bundled off to King Island.

Jeeps Waiting to be Wrangled

I was surprised to see so many Jeeps waiting for us, all shiny and patient, and was even more astounded to discover that we were to drive them!

King Island Countryside

King Island isn’t flat, but there weren’t many towering trees either. There were a surprising amount of rolling hills (one even with a heart on it!), which were sometimes dotted with various breeds of cows.

Melbourne’s weather was abysmal, but at King Island, we were grateful for the sun peeking shyly from behind the clouds – providing for a rather lovely day for (what felt like) a small road trip.

We were warned to watch out for the native wildlife and they weren’t kidding just how abundant the wildlife is on King Island – I don’t think I’ve even seen so much roadkill! We only saw the wildlife (alive) once, standing as cool as you can be, by the roadside.

Morning Tea Break - Cape Wickham Lighthouse

We had a short morning tea break at the windy Cape Wickham, where I couldn’t help but take a sneaky stylised shot of a Jeep with the lighthouse in the background.

Off we went again; this time our destination was Lunch.

Rugged Terrain? What Rugged Terrain?

However, we had to drive through dense bush and some pretty “rough terrain” (I say with quotation marks because I’m sure they’re actually quite tame hehe) to get to our lunch destination.

I’ve never been 4WD-ing before so it was all very exciting; the Jeep powered on like a duck on water and it almost felt like a roller coaster ride. I started to see why some people love 4WD-ing – it’s tremendous fun.

What a View!

We arrived at the Jeep marquee that was nestled in a shallow depression of a high rolling hill that opened out to a bay.

Lunch - Entrées

The spread underneath the marquee was the start of a wholly scrumptious lunch: there were a selection King Island cheese and freshly baked bread rolls with King Island butter.

Hayden slicing Persian Lamb

They were quickly followed by Hayden’s succulent Persian Lamb. I later found out that he grilled them to different degrees to cover for those who prefer their meat well done rather than medium rare, which I thought was rather nicely done.

Cous Cous, Yoghurt, and Salad Sides

The lamb was to be eaten with Pomegranate, Pistachio, and Orange Couscous, Yoghurt, and there were Salad Greens from Camp Creek Gardens to round things off.

I just adored the couscous – it was so fluffy and had such an outstanding combination of tart sweetness from the pomegranate and crunchy texture of the pistachios.

Starting to Get Serious Now

I had barely finished my lamb when the Salt and Pepper Tasmanian Quail, Caramelised Onion and Basil Pesto Tarts and Perry Farm Angus Beef Kebabs with Camp Creek Capsicum and Onion came out.

It was then that our delicious lunch was interrupted by some freakishly gusty wind, causing some unprecedented havoc with the marquee. Much to our sadness, we had to abandon lunch and push on.

Currie Harbour Lighthouse

A short drive later, we found ourselves at and up Currie Harbour Lighthouse, where Andrea (and her adorable 2-year old daughter Pearl) gave us a brief history about the lighthouse and the rather windy harbour.

We learnt that we were looking out to Argentina (!! I double checked Google maps and sure enough, there is nothing between where we were standing and South America, which I thought was pretty amazing) and that the gusty winds we’ve been experiencing all day is really “a light King Island breeze”. Hectic. I can’t imagine how a real gale would be like on the island!

The Restaurant with No Food

Just down the road from the lighthouse was the Boathouse, or commonly known as The Restaurant with No Food. We were all rather bemused by its name, but we quickly found out it’s exactly that: you book your table at the restaurant, and then you bring your own food.

I guess you would say it’s like having an indoor picnic with a fireplace and overlooks a sparkling harbour; we all thought it was a brilliant concept.

Inside the Restaurant with No Food

The Boathouse is cheerful and cosy with an eclectic style. It is run solely on donations and the honest sales of kelp baskets and napkin holders made by one of the proprietors.

The restaurant is largely left unmanned and it is encouraged that customers clean up after themselves (kind of like a public bbq). Now and again the proprietors would wander down to make sure everything is in order, though they would usually end up chatting to the customers. We actually got to meet one of the proprietors and she’s like an extremely cheerful and lovely long-lost aunt. Such a sweet lady.

It was hard to tear away from such great company and cosy setting, but schedules were made to be followed and we hustled off to our last destination.

King Island Dairy

Our last stop had to be the heart of King Island: the King Island Cheese factory; in a way it was the perfect. We got to taste all of their brilliant cheeses currently in production (including two very, very scrumptious puddings – though the chocolate was mind-blowingly amazing), were in awe of the number of awards and accolades they’ve achieved over the years, and bought stacks load of cheese.

Too Friggin' Cute

Sadly, it was time to leave the most hospitable and lovely (if windy) King Island. As we patiently waited to board the plane, we spied the most adorable sight: a dog pushing with its face slightly into the fresh breeze, ears flapping about and in the tiniest high visibility vest I have ever seen. Squee!

The people on King Island are so genuine and friendly, the sights are quite lovely and the food! Oh, I felt as though I hadn’t nearly sampled enough food from King Island. I really do think I need to come back to see what I’ve missed out on.

eatshow&tell attended the Jeep King Island Experience as a guest of Jeep.

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It’s an all girl show today going from the produce suppliers up to the chef’s, and if to prove they’re no shrinking violets the first thing to greet us is the sight of 10 pig’s heads lined up on the tables.

Toy's Collective Issue #9

Bring it on.

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Read the rest of TOYS Collective Issue #9: Blood, Bones & Butter, Otto Ristorante (1,327 words)

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Intrigued, I filed La Tratt away for whenever the opportunity arose (which, naturally, took some time).

Olives and Bread with Balsamic Vinegar

We didn’t have a booking, but came early enough to snag a table (they get busy around 7.30 / 8pm). Our hostess asked if we wanted to be seated in the lounge area a bit before moving to our table. Puzzled and slightly bemused, we responded that being seated at our table would be fine.

Olives and bread arrived shortly after we were seated, which we tried not to finish too quickly (famished as we were) as we planned our dinner.

Entrée

Spinaci e Ricotta Lasagne Funghi ($17)

I normally don’t order lasagne at restaurants – I tend find that whenever I do there’s never enough filling and too many pasta layers to be completely satisfying. But the spinach, ricotta and wild mushroom lasagne sounded too good to pass up, especially when made with sage nut brown butter and chestnuts.

To be honest, my first thought when I first set eyes on the lasagne, was “ooh, the filling oozed out”, but that was quickly followed with “that’s a damn good filling to pasta ratio”. The flavours itself was so earthy and lightly cheesy; I was rather disappointed that I had finished my portion so quickly.

Carpaccio di Manzo ($19.90)

F and I loved the subtle flavours of the Tagima Wagyu (score 6) beef carpaccio with julienne apples, lamb lettuce and truffled pecorino – everything was just so fresh!

Carpaccio di Manzo ($19.90)

The carpaccio was also topped by capers, organic egg yolk and anchovy mayonnaise. Yum.

D and L expected something more akin to beef tataki with its bolder flavours and so felt this dish was a little bland.

Scottato Capesante ($22)

These wonderfully juicy pan seared Atlantic scallops were on a bed of sweet corn puree and accompanied by crumbed sweetbreads, crispy pancetta and lemon-infused olive oil.

The last time I had sweetbreads, the texture didn’t sit quite right with me, so I’ve been a bit wary of sweetbreads ever since. Perhaps it was eating a smaller portion of sweetbread or the fact that the crumbed, crunchy texture balanced well with the squishiness of the sweetbread – whatever it was – I was really surprised how much I actually liked them!

This dish was an absolute, hands-down hit with the table with its bold flavours fortifying a quite striking presentation.

Main

Filetto di Manzo ($37)

L chose the Cape Grim black Angus beef fillet, which was served with a crunchy potato croquette, confit garlic cream, cep mushrooms and muscat veal jus.

She quite enjoyed the dish and when I looked again, she had pretty much cleaned the dish. Hehe an always telling sight, I think.

Pesce Con Finocchio Brasato ($32)

D opted for the Cone Bay barramundi with heirloom tomatoes, green olives, capers, braised fennel puree and goats curd.

He thought the flavours were quite good, but felt that the fish was just a touch overcooked.

Porcellino al Forno ($79 for two)

Porcellino Al Forno's sides - Salsa Verde, Poached Spiced Pears and Mustard Fruits

F and I couldn’t help ourselves and chose the biggest main on the menu: the oven roasted suckling pork with Marchetti cotechino sausage and sides of roast potatoes, salsa verde, poached spiced pears and mustard fruits.

I quickly discovered that the cotechino sausage was a bit too heavy on the meaty taste side for me (weird, I know) and that the perfectly seasoned suckling pork really needed no accompaniments (flavoursome as they were); I found that I quite enjoyed eating the suckling pork as is… and oh boy, were there a lot to get through. Perhaps there could be too much of a good thing after all! Haha. I was glad for the scrumptious roasted potatoes and steamed (?) vegetables to break up all the porkiness.

The Porcellino al Forno is such a large dish that is only available on Friday and Saturday evenings and subject to availability.

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Our coffees and teas were accompanied with dark chocolate truffles, which were wonderfully decadent.

Pannacotta alla Vaniglia ($13.50)

The classic vanilla bean pannacotta caught D and L’s interest; it was served with raspberries, rosewater jelly, spiced meringue and blood orange. The bright and bold flavours made for such a delightful combination! I quite like the acidity from the blood orange, which I thought helped to cut through the sweetness of the pannacotta rather delicately and did not overwhelm the subtle flavour of the rosewater jelly.

Bomboloni ($13.50)

This, however, was F’s and my favourite.

Bomboloni ($13.50)

The Italian cinnamon and sugar doughnuts with vanilla bean ice cream, hazelnuts and dulce de leche was just fantastic. The doughnuts were fluffy, yet crispy, and came out quite warm – a scrumptious contrast to the coldness of the smooth-flavoured vanilla bean ice cream. F adored the fact that he could decide how much dulce de leche he could pour on (yes, F used it all up); it was worth the messiness that ensued when trying to eat a ball covered in sugar and dripping sauce.

It absolutely hit the sweet spot.

Inside La Tratt

La Tratt is located in Fairfield RSL. It’s been years since I’ve been there and I was really surprised and impressed at just how fancy everything now looks. I mean, when I went to the bathroom, I discovered why our hostess had asked us if we wanted to hang at the lounge area first – it was freaking gorgeous! I felt a pang of missed opportunity haha – definitely next time! And there will be a next time – with such great service, amazing food (at a quite affordable price) and pretty setting who could resist from coming back?

La Tratt
14 Anzac Avenue
Fairfield, NSW, 2165
Ph: (02) 9727 5000
Web: http://www.fairfieldrsl.com.au/

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Post tags: Dessert, pork, Seafood

“I’ll make you those finger sandwiches, scones and even those little desserts!” he wheedled. Unreasonably upset, I stubbornly refused (hard-hearted as I am) and there may or may not have been some pouting.

In the end, he caved (thanks for humouring me, F).

Too early for some sparkling? Never!

We decided to go with the Traditional High Tea at $49 per person, which includes a glass of sparkling wine (we had Curvee).

I mentally debated if it was too early for some sparkling, but quickly decided that it would never be too early for the gently sweet wine.

Finger Sandwiches

I’m a crust-lover; I love eating bread crusts, pizza crusts… the crunchier the better! But there is something about the finger sandwiches that makes me feel like it’s a special occasion (maybe because they’re crust-less haha). We were served four different kinds of sandwiches: roast chicken, cucumber with rocket, salmon dill, and ham with what tasted like horseradish and mustard seeds. Deliciously fancy.

Scones, Jam, and Cream

It’s kind of funny how much F adores scones; he practically salivates every time he sees this picture. But I don’t blame him: warm, slightly crusty scones with sweet jam and delectable cream is just bliss.

What could be better than warm scones with strawberry jam and cream?

Desserts

Oh wait, mini desserts that’s what!

There were actually macarons on the plate, but we kind of ate it before I took this photo (sorry). We learnt that the chef kind of decides on the day what desserts to put out and this time we got also got: Lemon tart, Glazed Peach and Mascarpone Tart, Coconut and Lychee Brulee with Pineapple and Mint, and Strawberry Mousse with White Chocolate (or at least I think he said mousse).

The coconut and lychee brulee was our favourite, hands down, though the order of the rest of the desserts were debatable. F really enjoyed the strawberry mousse and white chocolate because it tasted like strawberries and cream, while I thought the peach tart was better with its buttery tart, sweet peach, and custard hiding underneath.

Scones must be had with tea

Although we’ve been to quite a few high teas, I was a bit surprised when the tier came out before taking our tea choices. Our waiter explained that normally the sandwiches would be eaten first, followed by the scones (where it is when we order our tea) and the tea is served when we reach the dessert tier. Of course, he added, we could have the tea now if we wanted. Interesting! We opted to go with the flow, just to see if it worked better.

We decided that tea must be had with scones and so tried to hold off from polishing off the scones too quickly (it was most difficult, fluffy as they were). F opted for the full-bodied St James English Breakfast and I went with the Wild Cherry. Holy moly, I want to know where they get this tea! It smelt wonderfully like a sweet-sour dark red cherry, but the flavour’s quite subtle when you drink it. It hardly needed any sugar, though it did get quite bitterly strong near the end.

F was quite envious of my choice and ended up finishing it without meaning to haha.

Sir Stamford at Circular Quay

High tea at The Bar in Sir Stamford at Circular Quay is a cozy affair with huge armchairs you can sink into, great food and decent selection of teas.

And in the end, F was rather glad he did get *ahem* persuaded to go though I think it was the scones that cinched it for him hehe.

Sir Stamford at Circular Quay
93 Macquarie St
Sydney, NSW, 2000
Ph: (02) 9252 4600 (for High Tea bookings)
Web: http://www.stamford.com.au/sscq/page.asp?e_page=438920&special=772816

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Hunky Dory Social Club

It’s a Thursday night and we’re at Hunky Dory Social Club for the Bruno’s restaurant launch headed by up Daniele Trimarchi (of Icebergs and Fratelli Paradiso fame.)

It’s the impending rain that has me looking up to check on the canopy, only to notice the antique fixie perched on the wall. I’m on a rooftop bar, knocking back cocktails, so of course there’s a bike on the wall, this is Darlinghurst after all.

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They adore Different Drummers for the cocktails, delicious food and cozy atmosphere, so it was a natural choice to make when picking a venue for their farewell.

Cocktails were 2 for 1 when I got there (happy hour is from 6 to 7.30pm, I think), but as F was still making his way to the bar, I asked if he wanted me to get him a drink. A re-sounding “yes” (as if I had to even ask! Haha) saw me return to our reserved area on the rooftop with a tray full of alcoholic beverages, which made me look like I tipple a little too much for my own good.

I was glad when he finally arrived… we could finally order some food! Without hesitation, we chose the large tapas selection ($60), wherein we got to choose 6 dishes from the tapas menu.

Warm Turkish Bread with Trio of Tapenades

The tapenades consisted of baba ganoush, black olive and sun-dried tomato dips. I found the sweet-tinged sun-dried tomato dip a tad spicy, but my favourite had to be the baba ganoush. Meanwhile, F equally liked them all and pretty much wiped the plate clean with the very warm and toasty Turkish bread.

Steamed Asparagus Spears wrapped in Prosciutto and topped with Fresh Parmesan Shards and Bearnaise Sauce

I must admit it: I adore asparagus – not as much as potatoes, mind you, but it’s right up there with broccoli and mushrooms. This just meant I could not not order this dish after seeing it on the menu.

And it most certainly did not disappoint.

The sweet asparagus were fairly bursting with juice and every single spear was steamed to perfection. I would have happily eaten the asparagus on its own, but I loved how the salty prosciutto, creamy Bearnaise sauce, and sharp parmesan were the most scrumptious of accompaniments – I must bug F to make all our asparagus side dishes this way.

Jamon Serrano and Manchego Cheese Croquettes with a Dijon Aioli

The croquettes looked so adorably chubby that I couldn’t wait to eat them. Crisp on the outside, not at all oily, and had an amazingly soft filling that packed a punch of flavour.

Eat it on its own or with the tangy, creamy Djion aioli sauce – either way, you really can’t go wrong.

Haloumi Skewers with Semi Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Thyme Oil and Lemon

I don’t think you can ever go wrong with Haloumi cheese (squeak, squeak!) and this beautifully presented dish was not just a feast for the eyes.

Each skewer was well-balanced and wasn’t overly salty as one might expect. Maybe it had something to do with the squeeze of lemon, adding a little acidity to the dish.

Beef Sliders with Wood Smoked Tomato and Gherkin Relish, Vintage Cheddar on Brioche Buns

These sliders were most probably the cutest, yet most phallic, tiny cheeseburgers I’ve ever had. Simple as they may be, these sliders packed some serious flavour. The pattie wasn’t dry and was well-seasoned; the ratio of smoky tomatoes, tangy relish, smooth cheddar, and bun were just right too.

The tiny french fries reminded me of those french fries chips you get, only better and not as overtly salty.

I think we should have ordered a 2nd plate haha.

Pan Fried Potatoes with Garlic Aioli

Being potato fans, we couldn’t let this dish go by us. The potatoes were wonderfully fried – crispy with a soft center – and the garlic aioli sauce was amazing with it.

Rooftop @ Different Drummer

I quite like Different Drummer’s coziness – I think it’s longer than it is wide! There’s about 3 floors with a couple of different ways to get there, which made it feel like some sort of crazy maze (in a good way!).

It does get quite busy and you can only order drinks and food from the ground floor bar, so there can be a bit of jostling to get where you need to go. The staff are super friendly and very efficient, but what was really surprising was the food served.

I’ll be honest: being a bar, I expected it to serve typical bar food, but they had a pretty large selection of Spanish tapas! Add to that, the dishes we ordered were well presented and most importantly, very delicious. No wonder O and A kept coming back! Haha… I think another visit is definitely required.

Different Drummer
185 Glebe Point Rd
Glebe, NSW, 2037
Ph: (02) 9552 3406
Web: http://www.differentdrummer.com.au/

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Just another sunset in Chicago

Of all of the cities that were scheduled during America! The Road Trip (yes, I really do use the entire title every time I think about it), Chicago was the one city that I hadn’t really thought all that much about.

Somehow its architecture, food, the ridiculously nice people won me over and it turned out to be my favourite city on our entire holiday (the copious amounts of alcohol we consumed may also have something to do with this).

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Read the rest of America! The Road Trip Part 3 (1,050 words)

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B’s coupon was a set menu with pretty nice variety of dishes and choices.

Tuna Tartar

This was just a starter, but the fresh tuna was mixed in with the right amount of creamy mayonnaise, buttery avocado and the salty pops from the roe really had us hankering for more (and it wasn’t just because we were hungry hehe).

Fried Gyoza

Given the choice between steamed and fried – fried goodness always wins, hands down; this is most certainly the case for the plate of gyoza. Some places don’t fry them long enough and so you miss out on that lovely crispy bottom, but these were fried just perfect – moist on the inside and well-seasoned.

Salmon Tataki

The salmon was very lightly seared, so it was pretty much like sashimi (not that I’m complaining, I love salmon sashimi!). I wasn’t sure if the sauce was just soy or a soy-vinegar mixture, but it accompanied the salmon wonderfully.

Assorted Tempura

The tempura batter was quite light and crispy; I liked that it wasn’t too oily either.

Sushi and Sashimi

Both sashimi and sushi were fresh as can be. It was a pity that there was an odd number of sushi, but after some tough negotiations, we came away with the pieces we wanted hehe.

Chicken Katsu

B opted for the chicken katsu, which scrumptiously succulent and crispy and came with a bowl of deliciously steaming miso soup (perfect for that cold, wet day) and rice.

Grilled Salmon

My grilled salmon also came with rice and miso soup. I thought the fish was well cooked (medium rare, just how I like it) and so perfectly seasoned that I hardly felt the need for any sauce.

Green Tea and Vanilla Ice Cream

We were a little relieved that dessert rolled around, as by this stage, we found ourselves surprisingly full. The green tea ice cream wasn’t “gritty” (for lack of a better term) like some past green tea ice creams I’ve had and was quite smooth; you can hardly go wrong with vanilla (and only then, I think, if you really tried).

There’s a few Wasabi restaurants around the town: there’s Wasabi Bistro on Stanley, Wasabi Bar and Bistro located in Kings Cross and Wasabi Bistro in Surry Hills. So best make sure everyone knows which one you’re dining at! Hehe. B and I dined at Wasabi Bistro in Surry Hills, which had a pretty casual, yet trendy atmosphere. The service was great: attentive, but not overbearing. The food was fresh and top-notch – we really couldn’t fault with anything.

Wasabi Bistro
Shop 6B-8, 417-431 Bourke St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
Ph: (02) 9357 2076
Web: http://www.wasabibistro.com.au/

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A friend of mine has been telling me for years that Mamak “isn’t that good lah”. He insists that Albee’s Kitchen is his go-to for Malaysian food, but in fairness it serves up slightly different dishes with more of a Malaysian-Chinese take on things. I’ve always wanted to visit Albee’s, but I don’t get myself to Campsie all that often.

Teh tarik

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Ever since Balzac closed, I’ve been most keenly interested to see how Montpellier stacks up.

Warm Sourdough Bread with Olives

I absolutely adore warm bread – even more I love warm sourdough, or any sort of artisan bread for that matter! There’s something in its homey simplicity that just soothes the soul. Meanwhile, the fresh olives were quite nice – not too sharp with flavour.

Selection of Small Plates

I’m a bit fuzzy on the selection of small plates, but I think it consisted of Prawns, Mayo & Lemon, Pickled Beets, Goats Curd, Orange & Walnuts, Snails, Oxtail & Parsley, Baked Beans with Pork Belly, Oysters and a small plate that totally eludes me (sorry).

I’ve never had snails before and found it to be surprisingly tasteless – most of the flavours came from a very rich broth inside the shell with some tender oxtail meat.

It was the pork belly, however, that I felt was the star of the small plates; I loved its fullness of flavour and succulence. Though I must say the pickled beets and goats curd came a close second – it was so refreshing and sharp!

8 Hour Braised Shoulder of Lamb with Roast Truss Tomatoes

The lamb was unbelievably tender – it quite literally fell off the bone! I also couldn’t believe just how generous the serving size was and was impressed that A managed to polish it off.

Whole Roasted Ocean Jacket, Fennel and White Beans

R thought the dish hit all the right notes. The ocean jacket was cooked to perfection; it’s crispiness just right.

Montpellier Pork Sausages with Bubble and Squeak

I had the pork sausages, which I struggled to finish, but I couldn’t leave it well alone. The sausages were packed full of flavour and the bubble and squeak (i.e. fried vegetables) were wonderful, well-seasoned accompaniments.

Dessert Platter

The dessert platter was, we thought, the perfect finale to a most delicious (and filling) lunch. We definitely had the Eton Mess and Buttermilk Pudding with Blueberries, but I’m not sure about the names of the other two desserts: one was something that was akin to a thick hot chocolate shot and a mango semifreddo with a coconut sorbet on top.

While the eton mess was deliciously creamy, we debated which was the best dessert, but it was quite tough. In the end, we agreed that the chocolate shot was intensely and darkly decadent, the semifreddo summery and refreshing with a hint of creaminess, and the buttermilk pudding creamy smooth contrasted by the sweet-dryness of the blueberries.

With Montpellier came a snazzier look and a more casual atmosphere; the service is still attentive and so friendly, while the food – fresh and delicious as ever.

The Montpellier Public House
141 Belmore Rd,
Randwick, NSW, 2031
Ph: (02) 9399 9660
Web: http://www.montpellierpublichouse.com.au/

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Our epic journey

I have a small confession to make. I keep calling my holiday the Road Trip, but the truth is we only actually drove for half of the holiday! After realising that we didn’t actually want to visit any of the cities between Vegas and Chicago, we made the decision to simply fly from Phoenix, cheating yes, but a great decision in the end

In the end our driving route was as follows:

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Redwood Regional Park, Napa Valley, Yosemite National Park, Mammoth Lakes, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon National Park, Monument Valley, Phoenix — a whopping 1486 miles (2391.5km!).

As a point of reference, the quickest direct route from Vegas to Chicago is 1752 miles (2819.6km!!!).

On the road again...

There was a lot of staring at roads like this…

And along the way we got obsessed with the strangest songs ranging from The Book of Mormon soundtrack (mannnnn up!), the Team America soundtrack (so rooonneeery) and… the Dixie Chicks (don’t judge).

My fondest memory of driving is probably speeding through Utah at 160/km while listening to K-Pop (P.S. This is not legal! (The speeding part, not the k-pop part)).

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Read the rest of America! The Road Trip Part 2 (1,083 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2012. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: America! The Road Trip

Once settled in our trendy surrounds, we sipped on some pretty nice cocktails as we waited for the first dish to arrive (you must try the MeiWei!); mindful of my light-weightedness and empty stomach, I sipped carefully and hoped I hadn’t turned beet red just yet.

Steamed Pork Wontons with Chilli Oil Dressing

My slight anxiousness of the wontons being a bit too spicy for me was surprisingly unfounded. Sure there was a kick, but it was quite mild and made me feel like I’ve actually increased my chilli tolerance somewhat. That is until S gave me a look when she said “what chilli?” Haha bother.

In any case the wontons packed a punch in flavour – pork was seasoned and steamed perfectly and it left me wanting more.

Pickled Cucumber Salad

I was curious to see what the pickled cucumber salad entailed and was fascinated to see the dish. This is only sounds weird out of context (I hope), but I love black fungus; even as a child I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. I adore its texture: slightly crunchy, but soft and I thought it went rather well with the crisp cucumber bits, topped off with a refreshing tanginess from the dressing.

Braised Beef on Sesame Leaf

The braised beef on sesame leaf was wonderfully tender; the combination of a bright, sweet sauce and fresh herbs really made for a delicious mouthful.

Calamari Salad with Fresh Herbs

The calamari had that perfect soft, chewiness you come to expect and want. The crisp radish and slight crunch of the black fungus added a nice contrasting touch, while the herbs brought a bright and refreshing aspect to the dish.

Deep Fried Tofu with Caramelised Tomato

The deep fried tofu was quite different to what we expected: yellow, slightly wrinkly looking cubes, but what we got were white, crispy tofu. I thought it was a little strange, but to be honest, I was quite delighted in its crunchiness.

The caramelised tomato added a lovely sweetness to the tofu; I discovered that A didn’t care much for tomatoes, studiously avoiding tofu with tomatoes draped all over it – this meant more of that sweet goodness for me, I mean the rest of us… Most excellent.

Crispy Chilli Chicken

S was highly anticipating the crispy chilli chicken, but was a bit disappointed to find that it wasn’t quite as crispy as she (or we) expected. The thick sauce was quite flavoursome and only had a slightly stronger spicy kick to it than the other dishes, while most of the chicken bits were scrumptiously succulent and cooked perfectly (a couple of the bigger pieces seemed a little bit on the raw side).

Caramelised Beef with Fresh Fennel and Radish

This had to be one of the star dishes of the night: the caramelised beef was absolutely divine in flavour and texture. It was slightly sweet, juicy and oh so tender (it was so tender that it seemed to break apart from the lightest touch) while the pomegranate seeds added a nice tart accent to the sweetness of the beef. It was definitely no surprise to us that it was gone within minutes, though much to our sadness.

An iceberg lettuce salad with a tangy dressing was served as a side dish and we tucked into the main dishes with what seemed like a never-ending supply of fluffy jasmine rice (we must have gone through at least two large bowlfuls!).

Peach Sorbet, Apple Cider Sorbet and Peach & Jasmine Tart

S decided to order the sorbets for her dessert. The apple cider sorbet was refreshing, but the peach sorbet blew our minds. It had such an incredible, intense peach flavour, but it didn’t overwhelm the taste buds and lingered hauntingly once it all had gone.

R and I ordered the peach and jasmine tart, which was perfectly heavenly. The tart wasn’t too dense, but rather buttery and flaky; while at first bite sweetness from the peach flood your mouth, a light jasmine flavour comes after quite steathily and quietly that one might miss if they weren’t looking for it.

Combining the peach sorbet with the tart was epic.

Chocolate Truffle and Watermelon Jelly

A ordered the richly dense and decadent chocolate truffles, which she found delicious and generously shared it with the rest of the table.

As we sipped our teas, we nibbled on some watermelon jelly. The flavour was quite strong and we felt it didn’t quite compare to our wonderful desserts.

Busy Chefs at Bar H

Bar H is a cozy, trendy restaurant tucked away on the corner of Campbell and Foster St. The wait staff are lovely and so attentive; the service was quite efficient – we didn’t have to wait long between our dishes at all.

I’ve been dreaming of that caramelised beef and the desserts for a while now, I think it’s time that I wrangle F in for a visit. Hehe

Bar H
50 Campbell St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2000
Ph: (02) 9280 1980
Web: http://www.barhsurryhills.com/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2012. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert