eatshowandtell

Different Drummer, Glebe

squishies — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:54 +0000

Our friends, O and A, made the momentous decision to emigrate to France and said adieu to Sydney earlier this year. With their tickets bought and most things packed into boxes, the only thing left they had to do was to throw a party (of course)!

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/

America! The Road Trip Part 3

Minh — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:20:43 +0000

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).

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

Wasabi Bistro, Surry Hills

squishies — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:59:41 +0000

One of the last dinners I had in 2011 (I’m sorry, last post from last year – I swear!!) was at Wasabi Bistro. I haven’t had a proper catch up with B for what felt like an age, so when she suggested dinner one night I jumped at the chance.

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/

Albee’s Kitchen, Cabramatta

Howard — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:34:26 +0000

When it comes to Malaysian food options in Sydney, there are probably only a handful of restaurants that come to mind. Mamak, is probably the go-to place for most people with its affordable and consistently tasty offerings. There is also Petaling Street which has recently popped up, though it offers a slightly different offering to that of Mamak.

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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The Montpellier Public House, Randwick

squishies — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:15 +0000

We decided to have lunch at The Montpellier Public House with S as a last hurrah before she moved to Melbourne (so sad!!).

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/

America! The Road Trip Part 2

Minh — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:00:48 +0000

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)).

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

Bar H, Surry Hills

squishies — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:30:34 +0000

It was one of those mildly wet, slightly miserable days last year when we met up for dinner at Bar H.

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/

America! The Road Trip Part 1

Minh — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00:41 +0000

I surprised myself last year by going back to America for a four-week road trip with 2 mates. It wasn’t my first time in America, I’d actually been for a six-week trip half a decade ago and thought that was it for me. However the lure of actually driving through America combined with hanging with two of the most chill guys I’ve ever known was irresistible!

On the way our journey took us to Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Mammoth Lakes, Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Chicago, Boston and New York.

Take this highway, now imagine staring at it for 6 hours at 160km/hr...

We didn’t drive the entire way, America is too insanely large to cover in only four weeks and as much as I wanted to drive along Route 66, I found out you actually can’t drive the entire way anymore!

I was a terrible blogger along the way, I took no notice of restaurant names, never wrote down any dishes or prices, ate at any random restaurant with a decent rating on Yelp and took photos of anything that took my fancy. It was four weeks of eating, drinking and messing around with friends and it was brilliant.

If I wrote about every restaurant and every stop on the trip I’d be writing for months, so instead I’m just showing off a few of my highlights.

(...)
Read the rest of America! The Road Trip Part 1 (1,603 words)

The Everest Kitchen, Marrickville

squishies — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:00:39 +0000

A little while ago last year, a friend organised a small catch up over a Nepalese dinner. It was the two things I couldn’t say no to; it was regrettably a long time since I had seen them and from my last Nepalese dinner, I knew it was going to be tasty. To sweeten the deal, the dinner was a two-for-one voucher with a set menu.

Mixed Entree Platter

(...)
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Mexican Pool Party

squishies — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:44:37 +0000

I’ve come to realise that Linda is the Queen of Themed Parties… and I’m startled to find that I’m really warming up to this dressing up business! I definitely moan less about having to think of a costume now – especially when I heard about what Linda’s got planned for our Easter break (already!).

Anywho, so ~~this year~~ last year’s theme was Mexican and oh boy, were there a lot of dodgy looking moustaches around (fake and real). Anticipating a hot summer (*snorts*), we bought a slightly dodgy-looking above-ground pool and so we had a Mexican Pool Party! We of course had to have Mexican food (albeit made with an Asian spin on it) and lots of booze to go with. Whoo!

Guacamole, Salsa, Pulled Pork... makes Tacos!!

First up were tacos. Unfortunately, the guacamole and salsa were made first and being the pigs we are, we “accidentally” ate most of it before the rest of the taco bits were done. Howie made a commendable attempt in curbing our enthusiasm for the guacamole and salsa, but we could not be denied – they were just too good! Things quickly went downhill when Minh arrived with some Doritos. Good thing there were heaps of the utterly amazing pulled pork and had lots to spare despite our constant nibbling.(...)
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2011, The Year That Was

Minh — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:24:04 +0000

Somehow 2011 has slipped by us and we’re coming up to 2012. It’s been a crazy year with a lot of celebrations, hard to imagine it’s all coming to an end already.

It was a year of eating, drinking, and yes again… weight gain.

Summer

Fried fish at Spice I Am, KFC at Arisun, Berowra Waters Inn, Movida Aqui

Somehow it just seems right that we started out the year by visiting a couple of old favourites, they’re classic restaurants for a reason and always among the fist few restaurant I recommend to anyone visiting town.

Howard paid the blog’s 3rd visit to Berowra Waters Inn (Teresa’s & Qing’s visits), proving that you can never have too much of a good thing. He also conducted the world’s ugliest study on the Usability of Restaurant Websites, not pretty on the eyes but definitely food for thought.

I popped over to Melbourne for a quick weekend trip and finally experienced the glory that is the Movida restaurants.

Autumn

Ghibli in Japan, Momofuku in New York, Hainan Chicken @ Sinapore Shiok, Epic easter weekend

Squishies made her first visit to the land of the rising sun, taunting us with photos of food and snow while Teresa took things one step further with a pulled pork spectacular in New York’s Momofuku Ssam.

I ate the first of many (many!) Roasted Chicken Rice sets from Singapore Shiok, and confirmed that Howie was right, it is the best Chicken Rice in Sydney. I also baked for the first (and last) time this year with a Double Rainbow cake inspired by Steph.

Of course, it’s not autumn without an epic Easter Feast!

Winter

Dear Kettle Chip Company,

It has come to my attention that you have discontinued the chilli flavourfrom your Kettle Chips product line. Not only that, you have also changed the branding and packaging to what I feel is an inferior design which makes it difficult to differentiate between your closest “deli” style rival, Red Rock.

Could you please explain why chilli, perhaps the greatest Kettle Chip flavour of all time has been discontinued? You were the only brand to have a decent chilli flavour. Even though over time the chilli flavour was turning a bit mild rather than hot, I was still a loyal customer. I find it hard to believe that chilli flavour wasn’t one of your best sellers, it constantly had a shorter shelf life than the other flavours, perhaps going neck and neck with honey baked ham.

Also, could you please explain why you are dabbling into chip flavours which your rivals have covered? Why not stick to the original flavours, flavours which are timeless and which many of your loyal customers have grown up with?

While I’m here, could you also explain why the packaging size has decreased 200g to 185g whilst the price has increased? Lighter packaging or less chips?

In a nutshell, please reconsider the decision to discontinue the chilli flavoured Kettle Chip. It is without doubt the only flavour worth buying and quite frankly, the current new flavour range pales in comparison, no matter how exotic you are heading with the flavours (Peri-peri chicken?)

Regards,

An ex-Kettle Chip customer who will return one day, when Chilli flavour returns.

We kicked off Winter with the most ridiculously viral post in the history of es&t, Howard’s open letter to Kettle about their Chilli flavoured chips. To date, it’s sitting on 124 comments and is undoubtedly the post of the year.

Oysters down south, Kicking up a storm in San Francisco, Do the Dip!, Dessert Tables

It was an all American celebration, with Howard and Teresa on opposite ends of the states. Teresa conquered giant oysters down in The Big Easy while Howard kept things going on the west coast in San Francisco. Don’t worry, they did eventually meet up on the east coast, even if we have no post to prove it *cough Howard*.

The Dip opened up in Sydney, forever cementing itself in my heart with their selection of hotdogs, pulled pork nachos, beer and above all, being open until midnight.

Linda expanded her dessert domain by starting up Dessert tables at weddings, she tormented us with pictures of macarons, cake pops and brownies that we had no access to!

I also popped back down to Melbourne for another weekend of eating and drinking, however this time I squeezed in a terrifying talk in front of 300 people at Nuffnang Blogopolis 2011!

Spring

Honda's Engagement, Wellington, a Crave 2011 experience, Secret Dinners

Guys… LINDA AND HOWARD GOT ENGAGED!

All together now, nawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

There was also a visit to the homeland for our resident kiwi, Howard.

October crept around, bringing with it the annual Crave Sydney International Food Festival (formerly known as Good Food Month!). Squishies went to town with pop-up dinners and lunches, but the best was easily the whimsical Alice in Culinary Land dinner. Linda who was not content with catering wedding dessert tables and her own engagement party, decided to take on 3 Secret Dinners with Fouad at Restaurant Atelier.

I was missing in action for most of October, on an epic road trip in America (posts coming soon I promise!).

Now

Because you’ve got to go out with a BANG, we closed off the year with the award for Most Original Blog Design at the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2011!

It’s amazing to see what we’ve achieved, and the differences from last year. Thanks to all of our friends and readers, 2011 was a great year and let’s make 2012 even better.

I can’t believe I’m saying this already…

Happy New Year y’all. Bring on 2012!

BLACK by ezard, The Star, Pyrmont

Minh — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:00:29 +0000

Every time I ponder the world of vegetarianism I know that facing a lifetime without eating meat again would be pretty much impossible for me. So it’s the promise of steak and marrow that draws us to BLACK by ezard (capitilisation theirs, not mine), the latest lovechild of Teage Ezard also known for restaurants such as Gingerboy and ezard in Melbourne.

BLACK by ezard

BLACK by ezard is nestled in the heart of the newly renovated The Star, with floor to ceiling windows that let in all of the late summer sun. It’s a welcome change from the cosy dimly lit restaurants that Sydney seems so fond of lately.(...)
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Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011: Most Original Blog Design Winner

Minh — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:45:42 +0000

So over the weekend Squishies and I stopped over at Malaysia and somehow ended up leaving with the award for Best Original Blog Design!

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us, it came as a massive shock to hear Eat, Show & Tell called out and to be honest, we’re still in shock *laughs*.

The Awards

This year the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards (NAPBAS) were held at the gorgeous Marriott Putrajaya, with a blogger attendance of over 500 people it was a crush of cameras, gorgeous dresses and some awkward food bloggers (us) cowering in the corner.

With the lovely Liz of Lizosaurus fame

We were paired up with the brilliant Lizosaurus in our category, her vibrant personality, hairstyle and tail-dress were easily the best combination of the night and would have won the award for best outfit, if they were awarding one on the night!

(...)
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Moo Gourmet Burgers, Manly

squishies — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:13:58 +0000

I think it’s no secret that I adore the burgers at Moo Gourmet Burgers, so much so that I would brave awful wet weather and horrible traffic just for a taste. And getting lost.

Well, just a little lost (I walked into the restaurant next door and got a few curious stares) and felt a little silly when I finally noticed the (numerous) signs indicating where Moo was. Going through a narrow passageway and onto the second floor took me to Moo’s newest joint.

Moo Views

Moo at Manly is cozy, has two floors, really neat finishing touches and a balcony with a sweet beach view from the third floor (or rather Moo’s second floor); I love the rustic furniture (made from recycled materials by Bare Nature).

Chunky Hot Chips with Home-Made Sauces

I’ve never successfully finished the awesome chunky chips with my burger, which is really such a pity because they’re really quite awesome: the crispy shell giving way to the fluffy potato on the inside, never oily and always moist. So awesome I’ve used it twice in that sentence! A few of us have been to Moo before and so know to treat those chips with caution – must leave room for the burgers!

The chips came with four of Moo’s most popular sauces (and with good cause too): aioli, mayonnaise, chilli jam and tomato relish. The aioli was hands down the table’s favourite.

Wagyu Beef Burger

I always have a hard time trying to choose which burger to eat when I come to Moo, while F seems to gravitate to the Wagyu Beef Burger quite often and it’s really not hard to see why.

All the components of the burger, from the juicy Angus Pure pattie to the creamy Tasmanian brie and caramelised onions, harmonised so completely together that I totally forgot that we were going to be served a second burger and practically finished it.

Delicious Moo-verages

Do you find that once you find something you really really like, you latch onto it and order it all the time? The Mooteaser is my go-to Mooshake, but it was nice to try something different this time around.

The Beach Blonde, with its Crunchie bits and caramel and chocolate syrup, was as delicious as I remembered (though not as good as the Mooteaser hehe). We also got to try the traditional vanilla malted milkshake that is the foundation of all Mooshakes. It’s not surprising that the “base” is also delicious, simple and full of flavour, and I can see just how easily it can carry all the fancy trappings of the other shakes Moo has on offer.

I never really thought about getting a cocktail from Moo before but after having the Cow in Mud (as in, happy as a “pig in mud”… get it? hehe) I think I might be switching from the Mooteaser after this! The fantastic cocktail is the perfect blend of Frangelico, Baileys, chocolate sauce and Tim Tams (which I think is the secret weapon that makes the drink go from “yummm” to “kapow!”)… bother, I really would love one right now.

Moo has expanded their beer range to include the Moo Brew Pale Ale – a boutique beer made at the Moorilla Estate, Tasmania. I love the shape of the bottle (I don’t know why, there’s something about it that’s rather pleasing) and the light floral taste is quite nice.

Kangaroo Burger

The Kangaroo burger is a new addition to the Moo gourmet burger range. The succulent kangaroo pattie has a mixture of sage and garlic and wonderfully accompanied by caramelised onions, beetroot relish (to die for), fresh tomato and rocket, topped off with their home-made mayonnaise. Bliss. The burger comes in the usual sour dough bun, as well as a gluten free bun.

I could not, for the life of me, finish the burger so I was glad that I had cut (maybe “butcher” would be a better word) it in half. Our waitress kindly packed our leftovers in takeaway boxes and seeing my coworker lives right next door to Moo (so lucky!!), I popped over with a little present, which he absolutely loved.

Mookies and Ginger Ale

I have to confess, I’ve never tried Moo’s desserts as we’ve always been so full after the burgers, but I think we have to make room for dessert next time we come here for their Black & White “Mookies” (Moo cookies!). These mind-blowing cookies are made from scratch, daily, and we were served ones straight from the oven. Seriously, these are mind-blowingly awesome with its melted white and dark chocolate chunks, crunchy edge and doughy middle. Absolutely yumsters.

Moo Sign

Moo, it seems, has been going from strength to strength – churning out packed full of flavour burgers and now conquering desserts too! Their new place in Manly is so well placed to pop in for a take away burger and enjoy (perhaps rather messily) right on the beach. Something I have a feeling I’ll be doing this summer… then going back for a Mookie and sneak in some ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s nearby. Oh! It’d be a perfect day, I just know it – with such deliciousness how could it not?!

Eat Show and Tell dined as a guest at Moo Gourmet Burgers.

Moo Gourmet Burgers, Manly
Levels 2 & 3, 33 South Steyne (btwn Wentworth St & The Corso)
Manly, NSW, 2095
Ph: (02) 9976 0948
Web: http://www.moogourmetburgers.com.au/

Gastro Park, Potts Point

Minh — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:33:25 +0000

There’s always a reason to celebrate, but it’s especially so on this particular week as we’re celebrating the birthday of my eating partner in crime, Astroboy. She’s made various appearances on the blog in the past few years and here’s a secret we’ve never revealed, she was actually the sixth member of es&t before being booted out of the team for not actually writing anything (lol).

We’ve been floating around a few ideas on where to go for this momentous occasion and in the end we’ve decided on Gastro Park, nestled away in Potts Point where Grant King (formerly of Pier restaurant) has made his new home. Newly two hatted for the SMH Good Food Guide 2012, it’s the new kid of the block that’s clearly here to impress.

Decor at Gastro Park

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Read the rest of Gastro Park, Potts Point (1,505 words)

City Market & Fisher & Paykel MasterClass, Wellington

Howard — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:02:21 +0000

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of visiting ‘Wellington on a plate’ which is Wellington’s version of our Crave SIFF. This post is long over due, but hopefully it sets the scene for anyone who is considering visiting the event next year.

City Market

The City Market is a weekly market showcasing Wellington’s finest in food and wine. Some of Wellington’s top artisans showcase their talent and fresh goods for the locals.

Martin Bosely, one of New Zealand’s top chefs makes the trip out every week to cook his famous bacon and egg rolls. It’s a nice sight when you see real chefs up close and personal, manning a store when any one of his minions could do the same.

Gorgeous fresh produce

The variety and freshness of fruit and vegetable was amazing. Everything was vibrant and aromatic, and it really inspired me to get into the kitchen after seeing all the fresh produce.

The outdoor market

Outside was an amazing outdoor fruit and vegetable market, run by what looked like local farmers. Locals turned out in the hundreds, picking and choose through baskets of fresh fruit and vegetables. As a spectator, it looked like everyone was genuinely having a good time shopping for their groceries. With fruit and vegetable looking as amazing as this, who wouldn’t be?

Fisher & Paykel MasterClass

The inaugural Wellington Fisher & Paykel Masterclass day is the ultimate festival experience for food enthusiasts. It is very similar to SIFF’s World Chef Showcase, where chefs conduct a ‘masterclass’ which includes tastings and top tips for people to replicate in their own kitchens (if you have the equipment or ingredients).

This years lineup included Desmond Harris, Alexa Johnston, Al Brown, Martin Bosley and Chef Wan from Malaysia. The common theme across all chefs was their passion for their food and cooking style. I was particularly impressed with the honesty of Alexa Johnston and Al Brown. Their philosophy is to cook food which is dear to the heart of New Zealanders, and less focus on world wide culinary trends.

Logan Brown

We also managed to sneak in a dinner at Logan Brown, considered by many as a dining institution in Wellington. I loved the bistro yet historic feel of the place. The highlight dishes were definitely the Truffled Fries with Reggiano Parmesan!

eatshow&tell was a guest of Tourism New Zealand. Thanks guys.

City Market, Wellington

http://www.citymarket.co.nz

Fisher & Paykel Masterclass

http://www.wellingtononaplate.com

Logan Brown

http://www.loganbrown.co.nz

Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011: Most Original Blog Design Finalist

Minh — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:27:41 +0000

Two years after our nomination at the first Nuffang Asia Pacific Blog Awards it’s with pleasure to announce we’ve selected as a finalist in the 2011 awards for Most Original Blog Design!

The Layout

For anyone who’s followed us for a while you’ll know that for a long time we clung to our old layout, and coming up with the current layout was a process that stretched out over a year (more due to our procrastination than anything else!). There were a lot of terrible terrible concepts that we floated around with before settling on our final decision.

I still don't know what I was thinking with the broccoli!

In the end we settled on an existing layout that was clean and simplistic in order to highlight what’s really important … the food and photography. We feel that our adaptation of the layout to fit in with our blogging style and photography has worked well.

Thank you to whoever it was that nominated us in this category!

Vote for us!

Voting opens at midday on the 15th of November 2011 (http://awards.nuffnang.com/2011/votes/) and will be open through to the 27th of November 2011 (so get voting!).

Votes are restricted to once every two hours and you’ll need to vote for a blog in each category, but don’t worry there’s plenty of Aussies nominated to support!

On the 16th of December we’ll be headed over to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to attend the awards ceremony and find out who the winners are. Wish us luck!

Represent!

If you’re interested in how things went down in 2009, check out this blast from the past.

The Darling Pizzeria, Pyrmont

squishies — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:00:46 +0000

I had a mean hankering for some pasta and it seemed like providence that there was an Italian deal available at the same time that F managed to snap up.

Seeing how nice out it was (especially being cooped up in an office all day long), we decided to walk across the Pyrmont Bridge… but not before we (rather, more so F) decided that we should have a pre-dinner dessert from Lindt. After all, he reasoned, it’s been a while since we’ve had macarons AND it’s along the way – though I suspect any old excuse would have done, not that I’m complaining! Haha

Lindt Macarons

I chose an apple and cinnamon macaron, which had a subtle apple flavour but enough to strongly reminded me of apple pie. Meanwhile, F had a banana and chocolate macaron that had a more distinctive flavour – there’s absolutely no mistaking the banana! I couldn’t really decide on which one I liked better, but F had a clear favourite in the banana and chocolate macaron.

Mmm Italian Beer

The coupon came with a free beverage each; F opted for a light and wheat-y Italian beer while I settled for a plain ol’ coke.

Garlic Prawns, Greek Salad and Garlic Bread

The garlic prawns surprisingly came with a healthy serving of napolitana sauce, usually it’s just olive oil, but I think I can get use to having sauce with my garlic prawns. The prawns themselves were perfectly cooked and well-seasoned.

The garlic bread was quite buttery and crunchy (just the way we like it); although it was a bit light on the garlic side it was rather perfect in mopping up the garlic prawn sauce. Yum!

Our eyes almost popped out when we saw just how generous the serving size was for the Greek salad. It was decent as salad goes: fresh, flavoursome and crisp – can’t ask much more than that.

Beef Tortellini

The beef tortilleni boscaiola was made fresh that very day (you could tell!) and I loved that there was so much mushroom! The serving size was again of gigantic proportions and F had to help me to finish it. I also really loved how saucy and creamy it was. Mmm, really wishing I had some right now…

The Darling Special Pizza

The Darling special pizza boasts having oven roasted capsicum, mushrooms, oven baked potato, Spanish red onion, goat fetta cheese, chilli, cabanossi, corn fed chicken, mozzarella cheese, tomato and herbs. Hectic, no? Despite having so many delicious ingredients, the one that really cinched it for us was the oven-baked potato. The last time I had potato on my pizza was at Belmonte’s (easily the one of the best pizza places I’ve been to) and that was way too long ago, so I was pretty excited.

F felt like a bit of spice that day and we asked if it was possible to have half chilli and half non-chilli. Our waiter assured us that it was possible and while most of it was on one side, there were a few rouge flakes that caused all sorts of havoc to my mouth. F thought I was being a sissy (yet again) until he had some… Hah I say!!

But I digress.

The pizza wasn’t soggy and had generous amounts of topping layered with oozing cheese, but there were no potatoes!! I felt a bit let down; perhaps the chef had forgotten it? I don’t know what happened to the potatoes, but it was quite delicious still (though of course, it probably would have been AWESOME with potatoes haha).

Try as we might, and despite F being a blackhole for food, there were leftovers that the wait staff was more than happy to box up for us to take away. My brother ended up eating it all, spiciness and all, and asked where I had gotten it (only to be a bit disgruntled to find that it was from some place in the city).

Strawberry and Blueberry Cheesecakes

We couldn’t possibly fit any more in, so we asked our waitress if we could have half the dessert serving they normally have. Eyes as big as saucers, she asked, “but why would you?” We tried to explain just how full we were, but she waved us off saying, “but you must have dessert!!”. It was all I could do to refrain from meekly replying, “Yes’m”.

Dessert was a blueberry cheesecake (for me) and strawberry cheesecake for F. It was quite creamy with a lovely crumbly biscuit base… and definitely wasn’t a half serving size! My goodness the slices were quite substantial – though it fits in with what seems to be a generous serving size policy they have going.

The Darling Pizzeria is a small, casual diner tucked away between a kebab shop and Oscar’s with an adjoining take away shop front. I thought it was weird at first, but it makes sense to cater for those late night revellers, being so close to the casino and Darling Harbour. The wait staff are quite friendly and cheerful, as well as being unfailingly polite. We found out that they do free delivery of their delicious food to anywhere in the CBD – our waiter candidly mentioned that their biggest customers are from people in hotels. Interesting! I think I’ll be keeping their menu pamphlet in my handbag… just in case.

The Darling Pizzeria
90 Union Street
Pyrmont, NSW, 2009
Web: http://www.thedarlingpizza.com.au/the_darling_pizzeria
Ph: (02)9566 2661

Secret Dinners: My Experience, Crave Sydney 2011

linda — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:43:35 +0000

The last couple of weeks has been one of the most amazingly intense experiences that I have ever experienced. Thanks to Fouad, I was fortunate enough to be involved in a couple of Secret Dinners for the Crave International Food Festival. This will be a relatively long post summarising the highs and lows of my journey, so sit back, relax and enjoy.(...)
Read the rest of Secret Dinners: My Experience, Crave Sydney 2011 (1,890 words)

The next 25 things every Sydney food lover should try: Part 2

Howard — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:29:29 +0000

Part one of our Sydney must eats was a surprising success. We thought it was fair to release a part two of the series and turn it into a top 50 list. Once again, this list is based on dishes and places which we have tried recently.We live in the South West of Sydney so you might find a few references to places in Cabramatta and Canley Heights to name a few. Either way, it just goes to show how diverse the food options are in Sydney and that you can try amazing dishes no matter where you are in Sydney.

Check out Part one as well.(...)
Read the rest of The next 25 things every Sydney food lover should try: Part 2 (1,767 words)