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/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2012. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, pork, tapas

Mixed Entree Platter

(...)
Read the rest of The Everest Kitchen, Marrickville (379 words)

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

Fast forward 15 years and the markets have changed quite a bit. Farmers markets have been popping up over Sydney with much success, if the constant big crowds are any indication. Kids are not eating pluto pops or fairly floss anymore, its been replaced by chorizo rolls and chocolate brownies and 99 cent per kg lebanese cucumbers have been replaced by “organic” cucumbers which are 89 cents each. Either way, organic farmers markets have been a breath of fresh air, especially if it means connecting farmers with every day joe blows like myself.

Linda getting her organic swagger on

A couple good friends of mine recently introduced me to Marrickville Markets. Its an interesting mix of conventional and organic food, organic fruit and vegetables and random stalls of second hand goods. The market is divided into logical sections, with the food and vegetables occupying the first half of the market and the second hand goods and random stuff towards the back. Its a great way to spend a Sunday, attracting a mix of families and twenty to thirty somethings.

Organic vegetables

Various stores sell their organic produce and they are mostly laid out in plain view. I can’t help but notice the vibrant colours of the produce, makes me almost want to make an impulse buy every time I see it.

Prices are steeper than your ethnic fruit and vegetable store, but you get what you pay for. Either way, its still a lot cheaper than shopping at Harris Farm or at an Organic grocery store on Crown St in Surry Hills.

Chorizo sambo

If this can’t cure a hangover I don’t know what would. A very generous selection of grilled chorizo, crisp and smokey bacon and runny egg.

The markets also have a lot of cake stores with home baked goods. On a cold Sunday morning, smashing down one of these cakes with a hot coffee makes me appreciate what a good life we have here in Sydney.

This vegetarian place is run by a woman who has a bit of character, mainly because she still seems like she is stuck in the 70′s. It seems that most of her customers don’t care how weird she is as there seems to be a queue for her food every time. She specialises in huge platters of vegetarian food including chickpea fritters, various dips including hommus and tzaziki and random handfuls of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. She has a knack for contrasting different flavours with different textures.

Believe it or not, this man right here whips up one of the best char kway teow I’ve had outside of Malaysia. I was a bit suspect at first, but after checking out his technique and equipment, I had a good feeling about his char kway teow. It has one of the most intense wok breath I’ve tasted, a good effort considering he is running off a portable set up.

The impressive thing was that he cooked up a fresh batch every time. He wasn’t tight on the meat, vegetables or noodles either.

Chicken char kway teow ($10)

Seriously, if you goto the markets you need to try his char kway teow. I’d be interested to hear everyones thoughts, just to prove that I am not over hyping this dish. As you can see, it looks bloody magnificent.

Vintage goods

Great variety of things to prep up a new home

Vintage books

If you like dogs, you’ll love the markets. I noticed a lot of dog owners bringing their dogs for play dates with other dogs. This owner takes it to another level by giving her dog a nice jumper to combat the winter chills.

Marrickville Organic Food and Farmers Market

Where: 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville
When: Sun, 9am-2pm

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2011. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

It’s Friday night and quite out of character for me I’ve come out on a Friday night with co-workers for an end-of-week drink up, when my friend C mentions that we’ve barely had a chance to chat lately I immediately make plans with the girls for dinner the following week.

While the rest of that night may have dissolved into a drunken haze (where I may or may not have been waxing lyrically about the walking abilities of the Sharktopus), come Monday we’ve arranged to meet at The Eathouse Diner, an American style diner that looks as though it could have been plucked from any decade from the 40′s to the 70′s.

Drinks? Don't mind if we do!

(...)
Read the rest of The Eathouse Diner, Redfern (1,066 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

This is my message to Minh after noticing her Gtalk status of “craving hotpot”. We’ve tentatively started doing fortnightly dinners and our Italian plans for dinner are blown away in a hotpot craving instant. We’re headed off to True Love Hot Pot Restaurant tonight, a relatively new restaurant on the Burwood Rd strip, drawn by the promise of $25 all you can eat.

All you can eat y’all.

Minh’s directions are wonderfully vague as usual, “Kind of near Canton Noodle House” and Sydney’s usual crap traffic mean that F and I are an hour late before meeting up with Minh at 7pm. Thankfully finding parking isn’t hard and despite the crowds doing their late night shopping we’re ushered quickly to a table.

Half Chicken, Half Chilli Hot Pot

(...)
Read the rest of True Love Hot Pot Restaurant, Burwood (809 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, lamb

If there’s one thing I love more than eating, it’s reading. Any spare minute I have in the day I’ll usually be found tucked away in a corner with a book. The concept of Berkelouw, a wine bar nestled within a bookstore has me immediately intrigued, Squishies and I who share a mutual fondness for reading have had Berkelouw on our list of places to visit for months, but somehow our Saturday schedules never seem to match up.

Mornings are a little early for wine so we schedule our lunch for 1pm, the time that the Wine bar opens up. In true Asian style everyone is late but it’s only 1.30pm on a Saturday and the Bar is just barely setting up as we walk up to the 2nd floor.

Berkelouw Wine Bar Interior

(...)
Read the rest of Berkelouw Wine Bar, Leichardht (658 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Me : ” Damn another dumplings place in Ashfield ?? Yeah sounds awesome we can do Friday if that’s cool ?

Mate : ” Yep, I’m free … call a few of the boys over too so we can try most the menu “

Me : ” No worries I’ll let them know, we’ll bring over a few drinks too. Just a warning we may be a bit rowdy from Friday night drinks before hand “

It’s quite funny when a quiet Friday night with dumplings turns into a twenty five person birthday party. My mates and I were planning on turning up in our comfortable bogan attire on this cold Friday night, only to receive an email saying that my mate has organised an impromptu birthday party for his girlfriend with their friends. Somehow, our three bottles of cider wrapped in paper bags wasn’t quite going to cut it as a gift. Either way, we rocked up to what turned out to be a pretty good night at a restaurant which exceeded our expectations. You can never have too many dumplings, right ?

(...)
Read the rest of Dumpling Noodle Plus, Ashfield (994 words)

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: dumplings

Given the duty of choosing a place to eat, I hoped I chose a place that was decent and worth her trip into the inner west. We both never had Nepalese cuisine before, but we both vaguely figured that it would have some Indian influences (being so close to India and all that).

(...)
Read the rest of Little Nepal, Burwood (679 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: curry, goat, vegetarian

With the constant fantastic food that always seems to find its way into my stomach, the lack of exercise and a thin wallet, it seemed unlikely that we would have a big breakfast any time soon. Unlikely, but I guess not improbable… hence our fattiness on a sunny, but chilly Saturday morning.

Carcade - Egyptian Hibiscus Tea ($3.80)

(...)
Read the rest of Kazbah on Darling, Balmain (Round 2) (1,006 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, pork, Seafood

It’s not surprising then that she decided to have a big group dinner at a Moroccan (slash Egyptian) restaurant for her birthday. The restaurant itself wasn’t all that large and our fairly big group of 14 hungry people filled up most of the place.

As there were so many people in our party, we had to get the Tagine Banquet at $45 per head. Considering that you get 5 dishes and a dessert, I thought it was pretty good value.

It took a while between courses for the dishes to come out, but when they did everyone dug into them with gusto.

Entrée

Mixed Dip Platter - Chickpea & Harissa, Smoked Eggplant with Paprika, Olives, and Tzaziki

I think tzaziki and hummus are always battling to be the top favourites in a mixed dip platter, but this time things were a little different. I noticed that a lot of us adored the olive dip with its slightly salty and creamy flavour. Indeed it seemed an almost perfect bite with some Lebanese bread, but I totally fell in love with the smoked eggplant with a touch of paprika for a bit of flavour kick.

Chargrilled Marinated Vegetables

These vegetables were actually served with our mains (which I suppose in a way, made more sense) but it’s here as it’s under the Entrée section on Tagine’s website.

Chargrilled vegetables are a perfect way to balance out heavy, meaty dishes and it most certainly did its job here with its chargrilled perfection. They were almost all gone as soon as the dish hit the table.

Main

Mmm banquet...

Although our mains came out quite a long time after our mixed dip platter, they all came out together and piping hot too.

Couscous and Rice

I heart couscous. There’s something so enjoyable with eating hot, fluffy couscous and having it lightly spiced with cinnamon was absolutely heaven. The rice was really good and fluffy as well, but being Asian I find it hard to appreciate something I have every day (even though I love rice to bits, having it outside from home is always a bit different I think). I thought the sultanas sprinkled throughout both bowls were a nice touch.

Vegetable Tagine

F found the sauce a bit salty, which says a lot as he loves salt, but interestingly, I didn’t find them to be. In fact, I thought the vegetables were well-seasoned and really liked how it was swimming in sauce.

Meatballs with Raisins in Spicy Tomato Salsa

Not all meatballs are created equal – some are too hard, while some are too soft and crumbly, too big or too small (insert immature snigger here).

Interestingly, all that is a matter of perception as these meatballs were a bit hit or miss at our table. Some thought they were too big, had too much spice… or thought they were perfect sized and had a really robust flavour that tickled their fancy. F and I were firmly in the latter camp, though I tried to stay away from the sauce as it had a bit too much heat for me.

Lamb Shoulder with Potato and Roasted Garlic

Being cooked in a tagine, you would expect the meat to be super tender and retains its succulent juiciness. And you would be right for this dish… the lamb practically fell apart to the merest touch. I thought it was a touch salty, but nothing that more couscous wouldn’t fix! Hehe.

The potatoes in this dish was absolutely delicious too (no bias here haha) and were so soft! Mmm potatoes…

Dessert

Feteer Meshaltet

So Tagine’s website tells me that this dessert is an “Egyptian delicacy of home-made layers of pastry covered in butter served with honey, double cream and molasses”. To be honest, I don’t really care what it was. All I know is that it was freaking awesome and it boggled the mind that there was one dessert dish to share between 4 people!! Utter tragedy.

Then again, this is me being greedy and by this stage we were all quite beyond content – pushing towards being too full. It was also quite a large serving for one person, I must admit, but it was so delicious we all kept wanting more despite being nearly uncomfortably full (and past beyond the point where unbuttoning one’s top pants button to ease one’s discomfort).

Fresh Mint Tea

To end our banquet, we were served hot fresh mint tea and “washed” our hands with this perfumed oil, which is a traditional thing to do in Moroccan/Egyptian culture after dinner (if I remember correctly from what I was told).

I love tea and it was just really nice to sit back after such a large meal and relax with a nice, hot cuppa, chatting with friends. Our waiter/owner of the restaurant poured our tea from a really high height (I forget what that’s called, I’m sure it’s called something right?) and we watched in amazement that nary a drop went astray. Unfortunately, he decided to reduce the pouring height when he noticed I was taking pictures of the pour and so this photo is not as suitably impressive as it would have been. Hehe

Tagine is a pretty cozy setting with a great, chatty atmosphere. While the food might take a while come out for large groups, the dishes are well worth the wait and you’d go away feeling quite satisfied.

Tagine
679 Darling St
Rozelle, NSW, 2039
Ph: (02) 9810 6108
Web: http://www.tagine.com.au/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: lamb, vegetarian

When we got there, I was thankfully more my sunny self but we were both disappointed to find out that the cafe was closed! For a moment we were at a bit of a loss at what to do until an idea struck me. “What if we went to Kazbah?” I asked. “I’ve been meaning to go there for ages! Come on, let’s go… pleeeeease?” I was wheedling at this point and I didn’t care, but as F didn’t have a back up plan, he shrugged and said “Why not?” Woohoo!

As we turned up without a reservation on a supremely busy Sunday morning, the next available timeslot for us was about an hour. We were about to decline the booking when an awesome looking dish went by and we simultaneously asked the waiter to book it in for us.

I have to admit that this post is a bit of a mixed bag, as waiting an hour for a table at Kazbah on Darling enabled us to check out what’s around the area.

Random Stuff

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Our first visit to Sojourn was in December 2008, and it was in celebration of the seemly longevity of the blog, at that time it was six friends writing together for nearly a year (since that time Helena has drifted off into the distance and Teresa has abandoned us for the shiny shores of NYC though she has promised us a Mac & Cheese post). Ironically enough we visited Sojourn in 2008 as they were ending their degustation services and switching to ala carte, for their final weeks of service they were serving their $95 degustation once again as a final farewell.

Amuse Buche - Pea Soup with Roasted Pancetta and Chantilly Cream

Anyone who knows me knows that I adore soup and I’m rather charmed by the miniature tea cup the amuse is served in. I’m a little hesitant by the fact that it’s a pea soup, I’m not overly fond of the little green pieces of hell but I’m blown away by the flavour in this tiny cup. My only complaint would be that there wasn’t enough!

Alternate Amuse Buche - Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozarella and Parmsan

Linda has been continuing her non-red meat diet and a number of replacements have been organised for her throughout the degustation, I thought it was a shame that she wasn’t served the pea soup as it would have easily met her requirements without the Pancetta. I sneak a bite of the salad and while I enjoy the tartness of the dressing, still think it pales in comparison to the soup.

Ceviche of Western Australian snapper & scallop with Iberico Jamon, fried capers, crisp shallot & roquette

I’m partial to scallops, especially pan fried so am always a little disappointed when they’re prepared differently. The ceviche is a refreshing dish with the salt from the Jamon blending well with the clean seafood ending with the tart bitterness of the roquette. The silence at the table is a little telling as our respective ceviche are devoured and demolished in seconds.

Angolliti of Yamba prawns with fresh crab salad, fennel puree & shallot dressing

Sometimes I’m utterly surprised by a dish and am blown away by the most unexpected portion of the dish, while the angolliti and fennel puree are enjoyable it’s the tarty crab salad that has me coming back for more. The tartness is almost too much but is the perfect combination with the creamy fennel.

Carpaccio of cured Black Angus beef with cauliflower cream, brioche solder

I can’t help but smile when the Carpaccio comes out, it’s virtually identical to the one we ate almost a year and a half ago and lives up to my memory. The plating with the square cut of beef on the long rectangular plate is a striking contrast and the warm still runny quail egg and brioche solders make me feel as though I’m having a rather decadent breakfast. Sadly Linda still cannot abide raw meat and is infinitely grateful when her alternate dish arrives.

Risotto with Peas & spring onion with brioche

RISOTTO. I feel like this dish is following me wherever I go! I keep feeling as though I’ve missed the boat on this style of cooking but in the interest of trying everything I sneak a bite from the dish. Sweet peas are once again featuring and again take me by surprise in how much I enjoy them, sadly the risotto simply remains a risotto for me and I happy go back to my quail egg.

Twice baked olive & chive souffle with soft goats curd & tomato sorbet

Another blast from the past has arrived and it’s one I’ve been eagerly anticipating the entire night, souffle! The plating for the souffle has changed but the cotton soft souffle is a dream to the mouth with a eggy pillow-like texture paired with the salty goat’s curd and frozen at the end with a sweet sorbet… It’s the hot/cold contrast which I love in this dish and I’ve yet to taste a better example.

En crepinette of confit duck leg with parsnip chips, roasted onion tarts & sherry vinarigrette

I’m on a little bit of a high after the souffle but I’m starting to crash a little as the duck comes out, the saucing and various components on the plate are executed well but the somewhat dry texture of the duck ruins a little of my pleasure, we’ve got a bit of disagreement at the table as Howard on the other hand enjoys his duck. In hindsight I should have tasted his meat portion to see if the texture on his side was any different.

Gnocchi with caramelised onion

Gnocchi used to be one of those dishes I never really got the point of, it’s kind of spongy and strange looking and I couldn’t for the life of me see the fun in eating it. Strangely enough it was Nigella Lawson who changed my mind on Gnocchi when I made up a batch with a cider, seeded mustard and cream sauce – bliss! The gnocci on the dish are deliciously soft and I can’t seem to stop myself of stealing more and more.

Barramundi with skordalia, crisp chicken wings, pancetta, oyster mushrooms & jus gras

The fried chicken was the first thing to grab my eye on the plate and I have no shame in admitting that it was the first thing I ate, nothing tastes better than fried! The fish was perfectly cooked with a lovely sauce to match but the frypan must have been a little hot that night as the skin was so crisp i felt like I was eating a chip, an awesomely fishy crisp but a chip none the less.

Roasted milk fed veal with parsley puree, bone marrow fritters, confit new garlic & sweetbreads

As the night went on we started to notice service becoming slower and slower, the restaurant spans two levels and although I wasn’t able to see the patronage downstairs, upstairs the tables were full of large groups all of whom had ordered the degustation. Feeling under the weather on the day and missing my +1 (Oh Teresa I miss you T_T) I decided to forgo the matching wines and could only watch the other tables enjoying their wine.

On the verge of asking a waiter for a status update, the veal dishes came out all at once. Another blast from the past there was no way I’d ever forget that bright green sauce, sadly the dish did not live up to memory as the meat although tender was strangely flavourless as too was the sauce.

Roasted jew fish with slow cooked garlic, salsa verde and zucchini frittes

Linda’s last alternate dish was another fish dish, which I thought was a strange choice considering the dish preceding it had also been fish cooked in an almost identical style. The Zucchini frittes are an interesting look on the dish and as with the previous fish dish was a good matching with its side components but not earthshattering.

Date & almond Baklava with roasted pear, rose petal jelly & almond ice cream

Baklava is always a winner in my books and after our savory dishes we’re more than ready for the sweets. The sweet flaky layers are a welcome flavor change and the texture of the almond ice-cream has me smiling again. The pinkness of the jelly makes me happy and I feel like a little kid tucking into the jelly suares.

Vacherin of strawberry & mascarpone with strawberry & mind salad

It’s almost with a sigh of relief that we tackle our last dessert. The Vacherin is unmistakable and is my clearest memory of our first sojourn visit, primarily as I don’t really enjoy meringue! Undeterred I pass my meringue portion over to the girls and tuck into the ice-cream. I always use Vanilla as my baseline for my judgement of an ice-cream and Sojourn’s vanilla is definitely a winner, paired with a sweet tart strawberry it’s an ideal way to end the meal.

Dinner over the night has been a mixture of ups and downs with food wavering between acceptable and amazing, service is attentive and polite if a little slow on the night but the customers in the restaurant are clearly enjoying themselves with laughter all around. It’s interesting to see that our dinner the first time around was also 4 hours long, I wonder what it says about us that we were ready to fall asleep by 11pm!

Thanks for the food and the memories Sojourn!

Restaurant Soujourn (Closed)
79 Darling St
Balmain East NSW 2041

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

You’d think it would be easy, but choosing a restaurant to eat at on a Friday night is surprisingly difficult. On this Friday our only certainty was that there would be three of us, and that we definitely did not want to eat Japanese! Forgoing our usual Surry Hills and Chinatown haunts we decide to go a little further out of the city and visit Glebe Point Diner, located at the far end of Glebe Point Rd far enough out of the city that the majority of the surrounding buildings are all residential.

Glebe Point Diner - Interior

(...)
Read the rest of Glebe Point Diner, Glebe (1,151 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: favourites

Marek is our resident Polish man in the group and only a few years back went back to Poland for a a semi-extended stay where much Vodka and food was consumed, despite all this we’re trusting in him tonight to recommend what he considers an ‘authentic’ dish to taste like. Squishies is running a little late so Marek and I catch up for a while contemplating our surroundings. The decorations in the restaurant are almost kitschy, with a large faux wooden door set in the wall, wooden tables and bird cage lighting casting a warm glow in the restaurant.

Polish Tea & Water

We opt for the Polish Tea to start off the night, the drink itself is served cold and upon our first sip my immediate thought is that it tastes exactly like Chinese Haw Flakes (kudos to Billy for helping me find the name!). I pass the glass over to squishies who immediately lights up and agrees with me, much to the confusion of Marek who has never had the opportunity to taste the sweet before. Whatever the case, the taste is too similar for my tastebuds and I can’t seem to enjoy it in liquid form, the others have no such reservations and enjoy the sweet almost tart taste.

Delicious seasoned pork lard with apples and onions, served with ry bread & Polish Cucumbers in brine $7.50

For a try of something a little out of the norm we opt for the Lard option with our bread, rather than the traditional bread and butter. The lard comes out quaintly plated in a ceramic jar which I secretly adore. The texture of the lard is a little harder than I had anticipated, but spreads relatively smoothly and gives a richer taste and texture to the bread.

Fried Crumbed Camembert cheese with cranberry sauce $12.90

There’s no way we were going to bypass a Fried Cheese dish! Upon coming out the plate resembles a Croquette more than anything else, it’s only once the shell has been cracked open that the cheese starts oozing out. The Cranberry sauce is an interesting counterpoint giving a sweet and savoury counterpoint.

Fried crumbed mushrooms with horseradish dipping sauce $12.90

I’m sensing a bit of a theme for the night when yet another fried dish comes out towards the table! The very homey polka dot pattern on the plates makes me smile and feel almost as though I’m using part of the family cutlery set. The batter while crispy isn’t so thick as to consume the mouthful and the mushroom taste comes through cleanly.

Pierogi - Traditional Polish dumplings with delicious fillings of Mushroom & Sauerkraut, White Cheese & Potato, Meat with stewed onion, Main $19.50

One of the dishes that Marek tells us that we have to try are the Polish dumplings, looking at the menu 3 different variations are listed and upon seeing our indecision the waitress advices us to try the Mix set which includes all of the above in a creamy tomato & roasted capsicum sauce. We are also given the choice of having the dumplings boiled or fried ($1 extra), of course there was no hesitation in ordering the batch fried!

I think it’s an asian hangover that I’m always a little surprised when I eat dumplings made by different cultures, of course there’s more than one variation of how to make dumplings but it’s always the similarities between the techniques that surprises me the most. The various fillings for the dumplings are generous and strong on flavouring with an appearance more like gyoza than anything else. My personal favourite is the Meat with stewed onion, the onion flavouring going particularly well with the tomato sauce.

Bigos - A national Polish dish smoked meat & hunters sauerkraut stew served with potatoes $19.50

It’s with a little bit of surprise when I looked over the menu at this dish to see it described as a stew, what stands out in my memory about this dish is the strong flavours of the smoked meat which went particularly well with the tart sauerkraut accompanying. Despite the description of ‘stew’ the dish felt more like a main of meat and potatoes, with enough of the sauce maintained during cooking that the dish wasn’t dried out in the least. The night’s meal is an exercise in Carbs and we don’t hesitate in eating mouthful after mouthful of wonderfully flaky potato.

Kielbasa - Smoked Polish sausage char grilled & served with potatoes & pickles $18.50

Yet more potatoes! Also teamed with a sausage and various types of pickles in this round, the sauce itself is nicely char grilled without going over the line of black bitterness and is a welcome change to all of the starch we’ve been consuming. The photo of the serving size is a little misleading as the actual sausages and plate is rather large and its at this point that we all start looking at one another wondering just what we’ve gotten ourselves into!

Placki - Potato pancakes with wild mushroom sauce $17.50

By the time our pancake arrives at the table we’re reaching the point of no return, I know it seems a little weak considering that there’s three of us at the table but the starch in all the dishes is taking its toll and filling our stomaches quite adequately. It’s with a little bit of relief that I note that the only potato on the plate is in the pancakes themselves, the texture is quite similar to the Korean style potato pancake and pairs well with the mushroom sauce.

We take a well needed breather after our mains have been taken away and begin to browse through the menu for dessert options, despite our best intentions we decide to limit our choices to only two as squishies and I are faltering badly.

Kosciuszko's Ice Cream - Vanilla ice cream served with polish savories and topped with a flaming dressing $9.50

I’ll admit it. I chose this dessert based solely on the name and the fact that it came with a flaming dressing! There are a few ooohs and aahs at the table when the cup comes towards our table and it’s a bit of a frenzy for a minute as I struggle to get as many photos in as possible before the flame goes out. The dessert itself is best described as a polish sundae, and is served with chocolates, berries and even a biscuit perched on the side.

Chopin Cake - frozen dessert with oven roasted almonds topped with dark chocolate sauce $9.50

The chopin cake is our last choice of the night, again chosen primarily for its name, for some reason I’m thinking of a layered ice-cream cake but what comes out brings to mind a semifreddo. In spite of its rather fetching melted chocolate look, the cake itself is rather frozen and its a bit of a battle for us to take this cake down, 10 or so minutes later the cake softens on its own and we devour the majority of it. Squishies goes a little OCD with all the chocolate swirls and seems determined to destroy each line as it hardens on the plate, kudos to her I suppose, less work for the cleaners in the end I say.

Whee, fisheye!

It’s with a sigh of satisfaction that we stand up at the end of the meal and roll back out onto the streets. My impressions of Eastern European food have been mainly shaped by TV and I’d walked into the night expecting large bowls of sauerkraut and poorly cooked meat and instead am pleasantly surprised with strong contrasting flavours and robust servings of potatoes. It’s surprising that despite the amount of starch and fried foods we’ve consumed, none of the dishes have felt overly heavy and I would have no hesitation ordering any of the dishes again.

The wait staff have been attentive and polite through the night and show no signs of rushing us, despite the that fact that we are easily the last group to leave the restaurant. Throughout the night the tables have been relatively full with a mix of locals and small groups of friends, similar to ourselves even though it is a Tuesday. I think I’ll have to drag Marek out to this place again, if only to have a few more of those fried mushrooms!

Na Zdrowie
Shop 161, Glebe Point Rd
Glebe, NSW, 2037
Phone:  (02) 9660 1242

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Last time I was here, I was with Minh and the menu was a la carte. I heard that Oscillate Wildly changed the format after that and only served a degustation menu. I’ve always wondered if the degustation was a good idea (was totally ambivalent about the change) and so it was rather exciting that I got to try it out as an early birthday dinner.

When our waiter advised that I might want to give the bread a miss due to the degustation being fairly large for some ladies, F and I traded amused looks as we thought about our epic effort at Etch. I thanked him for his advice and quite without meaning to, polished off my bread before F did (honest!). A bit belatedly, I hoped my stomach was up to the task.

King Prawn, Eggplant and Beancurd

The warm beancurd was incredibly silky smooth, pairing very well with the perfectly seasoned king prawn and crispy eggplant. The little stick thing was actually dehydrated beancurd, giving the dish that extra crunchy texture. I really wanted to make this delicious dish last, but it was a bit too good to keep from polishing it off somewhat quickly.

Bantam Egg, Ortiz Anchovies and Rye

The Bantam egg was slow-cooked in a 65-degree water bath for I think 65 minutes. The yolk was a glorious gooey mess that mixed together with the saltiness of the anchovies and the almost bland, but wonderfully al dente rye noodles. The crisp, also made from rye, added a welcoming crunch to the dish and I loved visual of the dehydrated parsley that was sprinkled on top of the egg.

Mulloway, Fennel, Speck and Black Sesame Pearls

I can appreciate how hard it is to cook a piece of fish perfectly so that the consistency of the flesh is moist and tender throughout (though I suppose some pieces/fish are easier to cook than others). As I methodically demolished the fish, it was very apparent that this was one very perfectly cooked mulloway. Bliss. The large grains of salt and hard speck added a really nice salty and crunchy component to the fish, though I couldn’t really taste the black sesame pearls.

Chicken, Celeriac and Puffed Grains

The chicken was scrumptiously succulent and I loved how well-matched it was with the roasted puffed grains. Upon request, the waiter told us that there were five type of grains used… though sadly I can’t remember any except for quinoa.

I’ve recently discovered why I get so light-headed when a degustation is particularly good: I forget to breathe properly – I just eat bite after bite, savouring the textures and flavours. It’s silly, isn’t it? I had to remember to take a break and breathe properly by this stage when I realised I was starting to get light-headed.

Pork, Kartoffel Knoedel and Kale

Our waiter came over with our dishes and asked me how I was going. I told him that I was okay and could still eat some more. He commended me on how well I was doing, as the degustation had bested ladies who were bigger than me, and said that I would get prize. Then he hastily added that really there wasn’t a prize and that he really should have said that. Haha… aww, shucks.

It was unfortunate that a bright, blue light switched itself on at this point in time (what is it with me and blue lights?!) and I naturally fretted how the photos would turn out (end result: not happy, so I apologise for the remaining photos).

I think so far, out of all the dishes that have come and gone, this was the most interesting looking. Its dramatic dark blue-purple dollops and smears with the crispy, fan-like kale and the delicious-looking pork just made us stop and admired it at all sorts of angles (though of course I was looking for the best angle to photograph it… haha).

The pork lived up to what it looked like: so tender, moist and well-seasoned and I really enjoyed the different flavour combination of the kale and potato knoedel, using most of my pork to mop up the plate.

Cheese Platter

We were given the option to get a cheese plate or to go straight onto desserts. I’m not sure why we went with the cheese plate, as we normally don’t get it, but I’m really glad that we did. The cheese (unfortunately I have no idea what it was) was mild, soft and smooth, while the fresh apples and kamquats helped cut the creaminess of the cheese. I really liked the “crackers” (for lack of a better word) and I really should have asked what they were.

Sichuan Marshmallow, Mandarin and Strawberry

I was a bit worried with the Sichuan marshmallow (as we all know my tolerance to chilli – or lack thereof hehe), but it was all for naught, as the spice was quite light on the tongue. I adored this dessert: the mandarin sorbet was incredibly refreshing and slightly tart, pairing surprisingly well with the strawberries (both fresh and dehydrated). I forced myself to slow down and just savour the different flavours and textures – it was really hard to have such self-control in the face of something so delicious.

Pear, Chocolate and Celery Sorbet

I was actually more apprehensive of this dessert than the Sichuan marshmallow, as who have ever heard of celery sorbet? For me, celery are best had in soups, as then I can’t taste its bitterness in its raw form. Our waiter told us that the components in this dessert should not be tasted individually, rather they should be tasted all together.

Obediently, I tried all the components together. The chocolate sorbet was surprisingly dry, while the celery sorbet provided the refreshing and bright flavour component of the dessert. The poached pear added the much needed touch of sweetness and juice to the dish, though I barely noticed the basil seeds.

F loved this dish and I think it’s because despite of the unusual components of the dessert, he felt like they all worked well together. For me, it’s a bit too unusual, but that’s not to say I didn’t like it (just not as much as F! Hehe) and I really admire the gutsy-ness in trying something so different.

Petit Fours - Dark Chocolate Caramel Lollipop, Mixed Nuts and Berry Nougat and Blood Orange Jelly

Ah petit fours. I realised that I am in love with petit fours – no matter what they are. It’s always exciting to see what they will be when I order my tea. The lollipop was pretty nice, but I crunched my way through it to get to the nougat (where it dawned on me that I have a soft-spot for nougats). The nougat was soft and as you can see, packed with nuts and berries – bless. I have an even bigger soft-spot for blood orange and saved what I thought would be the best for last. The jelly was soft, sweet and had that sharp tang you’d associate with blood orange. Yum.

Even with such great expectations, I didn’t feel like I was let down once during our meal. Just short of gushing, I loved the delicious creativity and freshness of the produce from Oscillate Wildly. The wait staff were so friendly and always had a smile for their customers. It’s also really nice that they knew the dishes really well and was able to answer all our probing questions (even though I’ve forgotten most of them! Sadness). When our waiter saw me taking photos of the menu, he promptly produced a copy of the menu complete in an envelope for me. Now that’s some service!

Oscillate Wildly, as F tells me, is under some renovation for a couple of months. I’m not sure when exactly they will be re-opened, but keep an eye for it! This is definitely one restaurant you should try. Booking is essential, as it’s a tiny restaurant, seating about 30 people.

Edit: The degustation was $95 and the cheese plate was an extra $12.

Oscillate Wildly
275 Australia St
Newtown, NSW, 2042
Ph: (02) 9517 4700

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, favourite, pork, poultry

My first encounter with Perama was precisely one year ago. It was on one fateful evening that a friend of mine organised a group dinner, which introduced me to a whole new world of Greek food. A world where a greek salad was not the only entree available, a place where lamb was not the only protein in the mains option, a moment where baklava was not the only dessert offering. I was so impressed by that night that one year on, I’m still raving about it to anyone who cares to listen. So imagine my excitement when I found out that this year, Perama chose to offer themselves to the euphoria that surrounds SIFF Sugar Hits.

With our table of 10, we promptly booked the earliest available session, which was 10pm. With all my constant bragging, I think everyone had very high expectations of what the chef, David Tsirakis had to offer.

Left : Caramel baklava ice cream - Vanilla ice cream, chopped mixed baklava nut filling and caramel sauce Right : Choc nut tahini gelato diples - Gelato piped into crispy honey pastry Middle : Quince Melamakarona Crumble - Layered spoon sweet quince w/ cinnamon creamed ricotta and crumble

(...)
Read the rest of SIFF Sugar Hit, Perama (732 words)

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert

Have you ever liked something so much that you find yourself seeing it again, buying it again or eating it again ? I remember when The Matrix came out, I watched it at the cinemas three times and then purchased the DVD. I’ve recently found the perfect pair of jeans by A.P.C, I end up buying two pairs so I can rotate them. In terms of food, well, this is my second visit to Bistro Ortolan in two weeks.

It hasn’t been easy coughing up $110 in consecutive weeks for dinner, but I just had to bring Teresa, Linda and Minh along to confirm that the food was in fact amazing and it wasn’t me going crazy or just blatantly hyping the food up for no reason. Did they agree with me ? Indeed they did.

(...)
Read the rest of Bistro Ortolan, Leichhardt (1,523 words)